Modernism

Modernism 

Modernism started in the Western society, it was a movement that wanted to improve the environment we lived in and make a better society. It is known to be one of the most influential movements of the 20th Century. This was a movement that wanted originality and innovations. Like many other movements they rejected what came before and rejected traditional forms and religious, political and social views. Modernists embraced the new and looked forward to new technologies. This movement influenced all forms of creative expressions. This was not just a style but also a state of mind.

Modernist architectures were fascinated by the new materials being produced with new machine that were being built during the industrial revolution. New materials include of Iron steel, sheet glass and concrete. Because of these materials architecture started to move forward and new building techniques and styles were being introduced to the era.

Some famous architects of that time include of –

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Le Corbusier

Walter Gropius

Erich Mendelsohn

Characteristics of the movement –

Simplicity of forms and elimination of ornaments, they thought that ornaments were unnecessary

The use of horizontal and vertical lines

Smooth finish to walls

Flat Roofs

Asymmetrical buildings

Modular simple furniture

Toned down natural colours

The use of machine made materials (steel, glass and concrete)

Form follows function

Less is more

Minimalism

Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, 1929 

The Bauhaus School by Walter Groupius 1919

Erich Mendelsohn, Mosse House in Berlin (built 1921-23)

Other Modernism Archtecture

Schocken department store, Chemnitz, 1930

66 Old Church Street, London, 1936

Illinois Institute of Technology, 1986

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe on Mr Chair that was deigned my himself

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born on March 27th 1886 and passed away on the 17th of August in 1969, he was an architect and educator. Also known as one of the greatest architects of the 20th Century. Before moving to Berlin, he worked with his father in Germany as a stone carver and later on as an assistant for an architect know as Bruno Paul who specialized in Art Nouveau. After some time, he was noticed for his capabilities and received his first solo project for a house. In 1912 Rohe decided to open his own office in Berlin. His work was very much modern and included a lot of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass. You could see in his work that he loved simplicity and opted for a minimalistic style. Rohe is known of saying that his buildings are ‘’skin and bones’’ architecture. Mies was also the director of Bauhaus school from the 1930 until it closed down because of the German government. When his style was rejected by the German Nazis he chose to emigrate to America in 1937. From 1938 to 1958 he was head of the architecture department at the Amour Institute of Technologies in Chicago.

Famous work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe – 

The Barcelona Pavilion 1929

The Barcelona Pavilion is an architectural landmark that can still be found in Barcelona Spain. It was built for the Barcelona International Exposition and used for the opening of the German section of the exhibition. Mies used a combination of steel, travertine onyx and marble. This pavilion is known for it’s modern, simple and minimalistic style. Inside the building you can find the Barcelona Chair which was designed by Mies specifically for the building.

Farnsworth House 1951-1956

This is another famous architectural building by Mies, it was designed in 1951 and later on constructed in 1956. This house consists of just one room and is located in rural setting, southwest of Chicago. It was done for Dr Edith Farnworth, she used it as a weekend retreat to relax and do her hobbies. This house is recognized for its modern domestic style and glass box appearance.



Barcelona Chair 1929

This was a chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. As I said before it was designed specifically for the Barcelona Pavilion. It is known to be one of the oldest classic chairs that is still around us today. It is made out of just leather and stainless steel, this gives it a simple minimalism sleek look. 

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's is still one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and continues to inspire many artists and architects all over. I myself have been inspired and studied his work at school. This year I had two assignments that included his work, one were i had to give realistic materials to the Barcelona pavilion with 3D software and another assignment were i had to draw the Farnsworth house technically. 

Reference - 

Categories (2015) Available at: https://www.architecture.com/Explore/ArchitecturalStyles/Modernism.aspx (Accessed: 20 May 2016).

(No Date) Available at: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/modernarch-141203042410-conversion-gate02/95/modern-architecture-history-7-638.jpg?cb=1417580846 (Accessed: 20 May 2016).

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe (Accessed: 20 May 2016).

Farnsworth house (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnsworth_House (Accessed: 20 May 2016).

Barcelona chair (2016) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_chair (Accessed: 20 May 2016).

Mies van der Rohe society (2012) Available at: http://www.miessociety.org/legacy/ (Accessed: 20 May 2016).