Modern and Postmodern Architecture
Modernism Modernism refers to the broad movement in Western arts and literature that gathered pace from around 1850, and is characterized by a deliberate rejection of the styles of the past; emphasizing instead innovation and experimentation in forms, materials and techniques in order to create artworks that better reflected modern society the Tate
Modern Architecture By the beginning of the 20th century, architects began to favor of a form of architecture based on essential functional concerns. They were helped by advances in building technologies such as the steel frame and the curtain wall. In the period after World War I these tendencies became known as the International style, which used simple geometric shapes and unadorned facades and used steel and glass. In the mid-to-late 20th century this style manifested itself in clean-lined, unadorned glass skyscrapers and mass concrete housing projects.
Postmodern Architecture Reaction to modernism and its limitations. Wanted to communicate ideas with the public in a witty way and by using past architectural styles (many at once). Wants to produce buildings that are sensitive to the context in which they are built. Sought to reintroduce ornament, color, decoration and human scale. Form no longer the sole functional requirement and no longer minimal appearance.
Modern vs. Postmodern
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright was born on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin. After college, he became chief assistant to architect Louis Sullivan. Wright then founded his own firm and developed a style known as the Prairie school, which strove for an "organic architecture" in designs for homes and commercial buildings. Over his career he created numerous iconic buildings. He died on April 9, 1959. (from Biography)
Prairie School" of architecture. single-story homes with low, pitched roofs long rows of casement windows employing only locally available materials and wood that was always unstained and unpainted, emphasizing its natural beauty. Usonian Houses sparse yet elegant Included several revolutionary design features such as solar heating, natural cooling and "carports" for automobile storage. emphasized simplicity and natural beauty Style
Fallingwater, 1935-38, Bear Run, Pennsylvania
The Guggenheim Museum, NYC (1943-1959) For the first time art will be seen as if through an open window, and, of all places, in New York. It astounds me"
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1905. A graduate of Harvard, he also studied under Marcel Breuer, and became a proponent of the International Style. He designed his own home, the Glass House, New Canaan, CT (1949 50), on principles of space unification derived from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe He was the inaugural winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1979. He died in 2005. Philip Johnson
Style known both for his promotion of the International Style and, later, for his role in defining postmodernist architecture. When he was awarded the first ever Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1979, the jury described him as someone who produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the environment," adding that "as a critic and historian, he championed the cause of modern architecture and then went on to design some of his greatest buildings.
Glass House, 1949 in New Canaan, CT
AT&T Building, 1984 in New York
Architecture Today in 2018 Still using new technologies and materials to create buildings Still a male dominated field Women make up 25.7% of the architecture field For a woman to go out alone in architecture is still very, very hard, the architect Zaha Hadid said. It s still a man s world. Ms. Hadid often stated that she did not want to serve as a symbol of progress for women in her profession. But, inevitably, she did. A study on diversity in the profession released this year by the American Institute of Architects found that women strongly believe that there is not gender equity in the industry ; that women and minorities say they are less likely to be promoted to more senior positions; and that gender and race are obstacles to equal pay for comparable positions. -New York Times