Key Idea of Modern Architecture





                After studying the various movements which contributed to the emergence of modern architecture, there is one key idea that I see commonly running through each of them.  Each one began from an almost rebellious attitude toward continuing architectural styles from the past.  Supporters of the movements seemed to see it as their duty to not only create a new and better architectural style for the modern world, but also to steer society in the direction of change.

Example of ornate achitecture
from the past.

                The rebellious nature which I am referencing can first be found in the values of the Arts and Crafts movement.  Up until the time when this style began to take shape in the 1880s, architecture was valued on the level of prestige and grandeur that could be attained through the use of ornate details and costly materials.  As industrialization became more and more a part of everyday life, architects began integrating steel structure with these details and costly materials.  Supporters of the Arts and Crafts movement rebelled against this trend, refusing to allow industrialization to determine a muddled, crossbreed architectural style.  They believed the new direction of architecture should cast off the stipulations of past styles, and exist independently of the latest societal mania for industrialization.  While their intentions were good, however, what they believed at the time to be a fad in the end grew into the new norm.  Industrial materials and methods were here to stay, and the rebellious attitude exhibited by the Arts and Crafts movement found its way into other new styles.

The Red House, an example of
Arts and Crafts architecture.

                Beginning with the Art Nouveau style and progressing into many other styles to follow, the new building technology brought about by industrialization became the centerpiece of attention.  Some believed that with this new technology should arise a corresponding new architectural style.  For example, De Stijl was based on the idea similar to that of Arts and Crafts that the modern world should have its own new style not to be held back by the demands of past styles.  With industrialization, society was moving forward into a new age of sophistication.  Movements like De Stijl were aimed at rebelling against the outdated conception of sophistication in ornate details and compelling society to see elegance in simplicity, a new style for a new, changed world.  This idea continued throughout the remainder of the modern movements which we studied, sometimes more strongly than others.  At times the idea of rebellion was so strong it frightened people, as with the Bauhaus school or with Russian Constructivism, and some projects became almost obnoxious with the amount of crudeness and simplicity targeted at changing our perception of good architecture.  However it was addressed, though, the key idea remained constant through all divisions of the modern movements—architectural styles of the past were unfitting for the new world, as were outdated societal values, and a new style was needed to bring about necessary change.

Rietveld Schroder House, an example of De Stijl architecture.

Works Cited:

http://www.exploring-castles.com/characteristics_of_gothic_architecture.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Red_House,_Bexleyheath.JPG

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-fish/galleries/72157628182847177/#photo_2640649956

The Arts and Crafts Movement

                Although he was never an architect, William Morris’s influence on the Arts and Crafts movement brought about a style of architecture that was far different from that which was associated with the industrialization of the time.  His ideas and the style of Arts and Crafts emphasized human connection, natural beauty, and integration with the natural world, all concepts that seemed insignificant to the modern world which was becoming mechanized and impersonal.  The goal of the Arts and Crafts style was to bring a simplicity back to modern society that had been lost and forgotten in the push for new technologies, higher efficiency, and higher profits.

                The principles on which the Arts and Crafts style was based are similar to those which Ruskin believed and worked with.  Ruskin’s fear of the destruction of natural beauty by industrialization was shared by those associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.  As they believed, God’s greatest splendor could be found in nature.  The natural earth was a pure and magnificent work of art to them, and they believed in cohabitating with it rather than overpowering, controlling, and destroying it for personal gain.  The late nineteenth century was a fast-paced time of development, production, and growth of all things new and mechanized.  At the cost of rapid progress, Morris and other Arts and Crafts supporters saw that society was losing its connection with the earth on which it was living.  It was becoming a commodity, a resource to be processed and manufactured and sold for a profit.  The minds of the Arts and Crafts movement sought to regenerate an appreciation for nature and a connection between it and the people occupying it.  This idea can be seen in the works of architects such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) and Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957).  They brought nature into their designs through details, materials, and integration of landscape and building design.  Instead of something new being erected on top of the nature that was there before—which was the general philosophy of industrialization at the time—their designs created a whole composition of building and landscape as one harmonious art form, fostering the appreciation for nature and its beauty that the industrialized world had been lacking.

                In addition to Ruskin’s fear of the destruction of natural beauty by industrialization, Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement also shared his value of the craftsman and of human connection.  As the industrialized world became more mechanized, it also became more impersonal.  Everything was being mass-produced, and nothing was unique anymore.  What once required attention and care from a human hand was now being handled by machines, and the product was no longer something a craftsman could take pride in.  Morris and architects of the Arts and Crafts movement believed in truth in materials and hand-crafted details to combat the machined and anonymous feeling of the products of industrialization.  They believed it was important for style to come from craftsmen employing their talents and to be appreciated by people because of its personal value and connection.  To them, this style was the answer to the problem of anonymity that had arisen from a society of mass-production.

                As seen in the works of Ruskin, the works that came out of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the principles suggested by William Morris, there was a need for style that would resist the push from industrialization and keep alive the appreciation of nature and people and the connection between them.  There was a need for style that would survive the transition from the hand-made to the mass-produced, style that would come from a person rather than a machine.  Morris and supporters of the Arts and Crafts movement believed this was the style society needed.





A tile design by William Morris &
Co. which demonstrates the

beauty found in nature.

Chick House designed by Maybeck in
Berkeley, CA, which emphasized the
connection between building and landscape.

 

 

 

Morris, W. (1882). Hopes and Fears for Art. London: Ellis and White. Retrieved from

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Kinna, R. (2000). William Morris: Art, Work, and Leisure. Journal of the History of Ideas, 61(3), 493-

     512. Retrieved from https://blackboard.bsu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?

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Harvey, C., & Press, J. (1995). John Ruskin and the Ethical Foundations of Morris & Company, 1861-

     96. Journal of Business Ethics, 14(3), 181-194. Retrieved from

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