Post Modernism

History:

Post Modernism was a style to replace the International Style. After World War II, the invention of the jet made it easier and much more accessible to spread new and upcoming styles world wide. There was also an increased speed of communication in the sense of magazines, books, and television. These multiple factors helped evolve Design work into an international profession.

One of the most prominent architects in this period was Louis I. Kahn from Philadelphia. Little is know about his works prior to the 1940's and 1950's. He was educated in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania in 1924 and went on to teach at Yale in 1947. There he was labeled as a theorist-philosopher. He primarily worked in the International Style until his late 50's when he began introducing his signature style to the world; his style was something that the world of design had never seen before. His designs earned him an international reputation. His main concerns were revolved around the use of the materials and how the how the natural light in a space can create a certain nature about a space and reveal previously unnoticed forms. He is acknowledged as one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. His works include the Yale University Art Gallery and the Richards Medical Research Laboratories.

Another major architect of the Post Modernism movement was Cesar Pelli. This Argentine/American architect designed some of the world's tallest buildings. He is the Dean of the University of Yale School of Architecture. Some of his most famous works include the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the twin tower's of Pelli's Petronas Center in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia.

Another highly popular design style was Contemporary Design: Hi-Tech. The heightened use of new technologies in the world lead to the creation of this style; the term Hi-Tech has been applied to the style because of its heavy reliance on advanced technology. The use of steel, concrete, and class were the most predominant materials used. More than fifty percent of any cost of a modern project is produced by electricity, telephone, plumbing, or air-quality systems. Some of the most influential designers of this period included Richard Buckminister Fuller, Charles Eames, and Norman Foster.

Current Applications:

Discussion Blogs:
I read Racheal's blog and she was very to the point about the description of what contemporary design is and then established her opinions on it. Her current applications were very supportive.
I also read Paige S's blog and I like how she broke down and defined each separate style of contemporary and post modern design and then followed it up with visual evidence.

Additional Links!
This link shows 50 different living rooms that apply the contemporary style.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJKSRYPrutM

Rise of the Interior Decorator

History:

The profession of interior decorating began as an effect of the 1925 World's Fair in Paris. Its first appearance was strongly influenced by the Art Deco Period. The contributors to the movement were separated into two groups: decorators and functionalists. An ensemblier was one who would create an ensemble by choosing objects and combining objects that in doing so would creating pleasingly aesthetics choices. The functionalists, on the other hand, were much more grounded in theory. The contributing factor towards the need for more interior decorators was that there was an influx in the wealthier classes of people who wanted their homes to reflect their status of wealth. It was only most fitting if they had a professional along side them to make this even more proper.

Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950) was an interior decorator who originally had pursued a lifestyle of acting. She was educated in New York and Edinburgh. She was very talented in transforming Victorian Interiors into light and bright spaces using a variety of French furniture. Her most prominent contribution to the field was solidify that interior design was a completely different field from architecture.

Another major icon in the interior design field was Dorthy Draper (1889-1969). She was a writer of a syndicated news column who relied highly upon her social connections to promote her business. Her stlye was fun and appealing. She was known for using traditional furniture in nontraditional ways. Common style characteristics of hers included the use of dramatic black and white on the walls, floors, and upholstered pieces. She also incorporated the use of modern baroque and very vivid colors.

Current Applications:

Discussion Boards:

I reviewed Sammy N's blog and I really liked her video of the Schindler house as well as her current applications of Modernism in America. 

I also reviewed Katie's blog on her continuance of Modernism in America. I really liked how she elaborated on her previous blog. Her current applications were also amazing examples of the current applications. 

Additional Links!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO2vuOxz6YU

Modernism in America

History:

The second phase of Modernism in America had a different feel than the first phase transition. The most successful designers were using the dominant movement of eclectic historicism which were based on concepts from the Paris Ecole des Beaux-Arts. During this phase works done by Wright and Sullivan were typically ignored or overlooked. 

Works completed by Frank Lloyd Wright after his return from Japan in 1922 was not considered a form of the International Style at the time. This caused Wright to continue producing works but at a much lesser level than he had in previous years. During this period in the 1920's and 1930's, he did produce some of his greatest works. Some of his residential projects included the Hollyhock House and the Millard. His commercial projects included the S.C. Johnson Company Office Building in Wisconsin; this building was actually one of the first floors plans that introduced the idea of an open office layout. 

Most of the prominent architects during this period were influenced by the projects of the architects and designers who had originally launched the modernism movement, like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van de Rohe. The Taliesin Fellowship, which was a group of followers and apprentices of Wright, Wright was known to advise up-and-coming designers to avoid the traditional architectural programs and to study underneath him at his home in order to learn his techniques. 

One of the collaborators of Wright was Austrian born architect Rudolph Schindler. Each of his designs were an unique exploration of space. The Schindler House, which was built in 1992, was constructed using the materials of concrete, glass, and metal. The design was formed using a tilt slab method. This house is unique because the fact that it was designed around two individual families living in a shared space. It was actually Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra's families that would be living in the home. 

Other designers that became very popular were Richard Neutra, William Lescaze, Philip Goodwin, Edward Stone. Walter Gropius, Marcel Bruer, Mies van de Rohe, Philip Johnson, and more. Skidmore, Ownngs, & Merrill was also an architectural firm that emerged and made a name for itself during this time. 

Current Applications:

Blog Discussion:

I reviewed Megan Sanderson's blog and I thought it was interesting how she decided to focus on Frank Llyod Wright and Irving Gill as two of the primary architects that influenced the modernism movement in America. I also really enjoyed her link to the video about the Falling Waters home. 

I also reviewed Flor's blog and I liked how when she examined it home she had multiple pictures to elaborate the characteristics assocaited with it home and how those characteristics associated with the stylistic movement. The video she posted was also extremely intriguing. 

Video Link!

Tour of the interior of the Schindler home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ_kJ3RR3_E

Art Deco

History:

Art Deco was first introduced to the world in 1925 at the World's Fair in Paris after the completion of World War I. The world's fair was a showcase for interior design. It included furniture, textiles, lamps, and accessories for one's home. This style used sharply angle and cubistic forms. There was a strong use of aluminum, black lacquered wood, and glass. Zigzag patterns were also strongly present to resemble the up-and-coming use of electricity and the radio.

While France was the point of origin, the Art Deco movement didn't really make it over the United States and other European countries until the beginning of World War II. This style was more fashion oriented and strongly decorative. It was not concerned with functionality and technology as it was with modernism. There were lots of skyscraper furniture pieces used throughout spaces that used Art Deco. Just as Art Nouveau, which it was strongly influenced by, the public was often hesitant to accept its unique characteristics.

The furniture designs used a lot of rich materials. Some of these materials included zebrawood with inlays of ivory, ebony, tortoise-shell, leather, polished metals, glass, and mirrors. Textile designs included cubistic themes, zigzags, stripes, plaids, and deco colors.

One of the main ways that the Art Deco movement spread was by radio, especially into the American homes. Cabinets and tables had console-model radio receivers that were made of wood with slick and curving forms. These styles were no longer historically based. The color of blue hinted at the use of electricity as well as black and chrome being used to resemble the new technology up rise.

Another way that the style of Art Deco spread internationally was the French Ocean-liner the Normandie. It was predominately designed by Richard Bouwens and Roger Expert.

There were many influential designers that shined during the Art Deco movement. Some of the most popular ones included Michel Roux-Spitz, Jean Dunand, Maurice Dufrene, Jean-Michel Frank, Eileen Gray, Josrph Urban, Paul Frankl, and Frederick Kiesler. 

Current Applications:

Discussions:

I read Megan Sanderson's blog and I really liked all of her different example pictures that she had of Art Deco. I feel like she really got the entire style in all of those pictures.

I also looked at Allison's blog and like how she focused more on the actual stylistic properities and the core of the history to go alone with her examples. 

The Emergence of Modernism

Background:

The push into a new generation meant the emergence of a brand new style for all artists and designers. Modern design was a new direction of design. It was thought to provide clarity and force by these achievers. There were several pioneers of the modern design movement but one of the most influential was Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Frank Lloyd Wright had designed over 1,000 works and ended up completing a total of 532. His design phases were separated into early Wright and later Wright. His idea of "Organic Architecture," is what helped his rise in popularity. While he worked in the office of Adler and Sullivan from 1887 to 1893, he began in own practice in Oak Park in 1893. This lead to the commission of many other works like the Robie House, the Unity Temple, and the Winslow House. His most popular style of residential architecture was the Prairie House Form. These included houses like the Hickox House and the Kankakee House. 

Wright also dabbled in some commercial work. Some of his most famous projects included the Larkin Company and the Avery Coonley building. His concepts for these areas the public and private areas of the home created a sqaure-rectangular grid system from the art-glass and wall tiles is still commonly used today.  

Another strongly popular style during this period was the De Stijl in the Netherlands. It was originated from a magazine called De Stijl which translates into "the style." The main concepts behind this exact style were to bring a new Utopian ideal to harmony and order. These designers and sculptors wanted to really emphasize pure abstraction and therefore reduced everything to its simplest form and color. All visual compositions were either vertical or horizontal and the colors were restricted to the basic primary along with black and white. It was highly inspired by artists of that time period. One of the most renowned designers was Gerrit Rietveld. 

One of the most major styles of the modern movement was the International Style which began in 1920's and 1930's. The three main principles which defined the International Style were: the expression of volume rather than mass, the emphasis and balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and the expulsion of applied ornament. Two of the most famous architects of this style include Walter Gropius, who established Bauhaus - Design, and Mies van der Rohe. 

Current Applications:

Discussion Blogs:
I read Nichole's blog. Even though we were given a lot of information, I like how she took time to address each of the different styles that we learned about and then directed in on one of the most influential architects/designers of that style to given an example.

I also read Katie's blog and I thought it was interesting how instead of focusing in on multiple different styles that we addressed in class she narrowed in on just the International Style and was able to go more deeply into detail on the characteristics as well as the designers who influenced this era.

Additional Links! - Architects of the International Style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2nJiAiD6AY

Deutscher Werkbund Movement (1892 - 1910)

The Deutscher Werkbund Movement, which translates into "the German workshop," was founded in Munich, Germany in 1892 by Herman Muthesius with the intent of having the highest quality design to the mass produced output. The style was equivalent to the Arts and Crafts movement except its critical difference was that it did not protest the use of machinery, but instead embraced it. It still was against the artistic establishment. There was a high level of collaboration between the design professional and the product manufacturers to improve the competitiveness of the German design. This movement set the stage for the international style and the Art Deco style. 

   

The Vienna Secession was a realistic movement that began in Austria in 1898. It was a time where a mass amount of artists were removing themselves from the academic portrayal of design. These artists were protesting against Historicism but not embracing Art Nouveau. The Vienna group included designers such as Olbrich, Klimt, Wagner, Loos, Hoffmann, and Koloman Moser. 

Joesph Olbrich was know for use of geometric forms and curvilinear artwork. He was also the designer of the Vienna Secession Building, which was a symbol of the "proto-modern movement." Also works of his included the Ernst Ludwig House.

Gustav Klimt had a strong belief that there should be a union between art and design. Most of his subject matter dealt with the subconscious and he used gold paints to add a dramatic effect to his pieces.

   

Otto Wagner, also apart of the Vienna Secession, was an architect that believed in staunch. He designed his furniture to go hand-in-hand with the surrounding architecture. He liked the designs of his interiors to be plan/clean with aluminum details. Some of his pieces like the Postal Savings Bank Armchair and Postal Savings Bank Stool had beechwood-stained woods to give a darker finish to them. 

Adolf Loos had a more functional and austere style that was strongly influenced by the arts and crafts movement. His pieces were a lot more hand-made. 

   

Koloman Moser was master at all trades. He designed furniture as well as textiles. He found a lot of his inspiration from Gustav. 

Current Applications:

Peer Discussion:
I looked at Ali's blog and I really like her examples of the current applications. I think she really addresses each characteristic that is the Deutscher Werkbund Movement.
I also looked at Allison's blog and I like how she used mainly chairs for her examples to demonstrate the differences and similarities of the furniture that was constructed during this time period. I also really like the link that she attached of the Secession Building.