Architectural ideas began to spread throughout the world by way of the World’s Fairs. The first one was introduced in 1851 and really impacted design; many new inventions were first introduced at World’s Fairs. These fairs were sponsored by governments and big businesses and were presented for commemorative, commercial, collaborative and celebratory purposes. People came from all over to visit the World’s Fairs; they were a way for people to see the world and experience the evolution of architecture and technology without actually having to travel across the country. Because of the industrial revolution and being able to mass produce products the World’s Fairs were easy to assemble and set up each time. One example, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, named “The Ivory City” was presented in order to show off and make their city known. It was a way to prove that the were bigger and better than Chicago’s “White City”. During this time architecture became a race to se who could design and create the best and biggest building.
The The Arts and Crafts Movement brought about the question of hand-crafted versus machine. William Morris, a supporter of hand-crafted believed in “good design for all” was the responsibility of a designer. Morris however, did not reject the idea of using machinery to create products as long as the product showed mastery of the machine. People then desired change and designers then began to reform. During this time designers began searching for MODERN; designs of the past were changed, updated and improved. One designer, Antonio Gaudi created very modernist works, but still incorporated Baroque qualities throughout, this can be seen in his work the Casa Batllo. The Art Movements led to a more expressionist outlook on design; Art Nouveau and Art Deco was prevalent from the 1880s through the 1920s. The Art Nouveau movement emphasized fluid, curving lines similar to that of the baroque style while the Art Deco period focused on platonic forms and circle motifs. In addition, post-impressionism (1890-1938) brought about artists such as, Georges Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Piet Mondrian. They all broke the rules of painting and made their work an expression of themselves just as the designer were doing. Also, many designers were incorporating nature into their designs; flower stems and stalks were showing up as decorating elements throughout the walls of buildings. Art Nouveau can be seen particularly in the Paris Metro Stations, and the quote “it is no the flower to take as a decorative element, but it is them stem” reenforces this thought. The Miami Beach Hotels on the other-hand really expressed what Art Deco was all about.
Next, with the way that technology was influencing architecture and design skyscrapers leaped into popularity. The tall, upward design really made it better because the structures contained all of the space as a more horizontal building, however they did not take up near as much land space. This way of building also had problems in the beginning; the zoning codes presented many challenges for the designers having to abide by the fire codes and light requirements. Many designers such as Charles Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe began experimenting and created their own visions of what modernism was. Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut, 1955, was an attempt at post-modernism and incorporated a Baroque-style featuring dramatic lighting, and the molding of concrete. And Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, 1958, limited the use of metal to make it seem more like a glass box in appearance. It also included a revolving door and had the mechanical systems at the very top. It was the first of its kind. Designers became so wrapped up in the idea of being different and creating unique spaces that architectural buildings started to be seen as an art form instead of a functional living/working space. Phillip Johnson stated, “comfort is not a function of beauty” and “purpose is not necessary to make a building beautiful”. In other words architects all over lost interest in designing for functionality and became somewhat obsessed with designing for beauty and pleasure. Also because of this many buildings like the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright was not efficient as a museum; for one, the walls were curved and made it nearly impossible to hang flat, rectilinear artwork. Edward Loewenstein was a well-known and local designer to Greensboro. He is noted for being the first to employ African-Americans as well as women. Loewenstein really integrates other designers into his work. Interior decorating took to the scene as upper class housewives occupied their time by decorating their own homes. Elsie de Wolfe was known on the interior decorating stage and was acclaimed for fixing up Victorian style spaces by getting rid of bulky embellishments. Later, in the second generation, males picked up on interior decorating, Billy Baldwin was the most famous of this time. Brutalism was a style introduced as a solution to weather and climate control conditions in large buildings, and offered a finish that was less vulnerable to vandalism. This style was seen in the Yale Art and Architecture Building designed by Paul Rudolph in 1963. In the 1950s and 1960s geodesic domes were popularized since they were infinitely expandable. Another branch of modernism, scandinavian design, was quite the opposite of the period before; it was really all about function. The attention was now turned to things such as affordability, functionality and materiality. Because of its simplicity and low cost scandinavian design was much easier to mass produce. Alvar Aalto was a sort of figure head for this era of modernism. Aalto focused more on creating products that showed craft and taste instead of the client's. The Paimio Chair, the best-known piece designed by Aalto; it uses cheap easily accessible materials (wood) and really pushes the boundaries of shaping the plywood. And to aid in the purposefulness of the design the angle of the back of the Paimio Chair was specially designed to help one breathe easier. Alvar Aalto had much influence on designers Charles and Ray Eames and also Eero Saarinen, all of whom are well-known for Scandinavian modernist furniture.
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| The White City, Casa Batllo, The Paimio Chair & Notre Dame du Haut |
