Modern vs. Postmodern - Essay Example

Modern vs. Postmodern It may seem that the term modern architecture would be self-explanatory. A basicunderstanding of English tells us that ‘modern’ means something current and updated. As it applies architecture, though, it seems contradictory since buildings necessarily reflect a specific time period. “In the field of architecture, the term was used … to connote the works of architects from profoundly different origins and cultural backgrounds, who had based their own work on a reduction in expressive media, a rediscovery of the value of empty space and a radical elimination of everything that does not coincide with a programme of simplicity and formal cleanliness” (Cinar, 2000). Modern architecture works to reduce the embellishments and decorations of earlier trends to a minimum, to reduce the form of the structure to a minimum, to reduce external influences on the designs, or perhaps to accomplish a combination of all of these. A better understanding of what might be meant by the term modern architecture can be found through an examination of the artistic movements that occurred in the mid-1900s that applied to architecture. Modernism was “the name given to the new forms that appeared in all of the arts – in paintings, sculpture, architecture, music and literature” (Pile 323). Malcolmson describes it as a reflection of the search for “a better place for all citizens at all social levels after the appalling carnage of the Great War” (410). Modernism in Gold’s view was “developed in the background of war, revolution and social dislocation” (21). It was the search for a utopia which combined the artistic and aesthetic movements important to the common man while providing curved, comforting spaces for the traumatized citizens of the post-war age. According to Barr (1954), modernist architects had followed the trails of Art Noveau which depended on curvilinear and organic forms. Modernism emerged in art and architecture as the composition of forms started to articulate into asymmetry, grouped shapes, and flat colors. The common themes of modern architecture include the master plan which was a layout of structures in geometric harmony with the boundaries of different zones of land use within its surroundings. The interiors were characterized by the lifestyle of the owners and depiction of every day activity (Gold 1998). Early modernist architects looked to their past for inspiration and trends, while later ones developed original and radical ideas of form. The Bauhaus designers were driving contributors to the art of employing straight lines and the inventive use of materials in household items, but the four drivers of the modern architectural movement were Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright (Barr 220). The designs of these men have been held as the epitome of logic, clarity of structure, use of space as fluid planes, and surfaces as fine materials. Mies van der Rohe’s grand but mystical skyscraper designs and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye denoted the age of the citizenry. Among these men, Le Corbusier was perhaps the most influential for later development of the modern age. He is largely considered the pioneer of modernism. He was also a pioneering urban planner whose vision encompassed the building of high rise structures in open spaces developed for individuals. His logic was based on humanitarian logic, and revolved around equality, fundamental needs regardless of cultural background and the right to comfortable and accessible dwellings. Le Corbusier based his architecture and design philosophy on collective and family life (Le Corbusier Le Grand 2008). He developed three layers of needs to address man’s need for dwellings. First is the pure physical need for living space. To satisfy this aspect, Le Corbusier felt the building needed to consider the need for sun, space and vegetation within living spaces as the logic for construction. The second level of need was psychosomatic comfort achieved by regulating air ventilation and sonic ventilation via adjustable openings and shutters in glass walls. The third layer of comfort was based on culture which Le Corbusier believed to be the basis for all activities within the dwelling-space. Within the city, people can gain access to services such as automatic laundry, shops, schools, gymnasiums and theatres. Le Corbusier felt individual dwellings should also offer functional but spacious units that reflect the family's particular individual culture and style (Choay 1960). Although the approach sounds highly customized, the effect was to create a base design built upon universal human needs that received slight alterations for individual expression. Whereas the Modern movement attempted to discover the universal truths inherent to all people with an eye toward homogeneity, the Postmodern movement shifted focus toward opening up new ways by which divergent concepts could be explored free of external definitions, thus recognizing the idea that there are few, if any, universals to be found in human interactions. It was the embodiment of the experience of modernity and the problems therein which formed the avant-garde movements of futurism and constructivism that are part of the postmodern experience (Heynen 28). Postmodernism essentially refers to the movement that immediately followed the Modernism of the early to middle century. It is characterized by increased awareness of the constant redefinitions that occur between the art, the artist and the audience through time. These redefinitions and changing understandings became the central concern of the postmodern movement. Because of this, postmodernism is focused on constantly investigating what is real as opposed to what is not real as the artist understands it while he creates, as it becomes expressed in the finished artwork including processes of erosion, deterioration or corruption and as it is understood by the audience who brings their own levels of engagement, understandings and personal knowledge. As these concepts were explored, it was increasingly understood that points of connection for one group were simultaneously points of division with another group. The role of the artist and designer became the exploration of this paradox and the presentation of a satisfactory solution in whatever form seemed to fit. An example of a building constructed with the postmodern in mind in Rogers' Lloyd building in London. The space was designed specifically to be quickly and easily adaptable to the high demands of the postmodern age with its rapidly shifting technologies and the inherent changes such development might bring. Rogers designed the core of the building to be a long-lasting rectangular box that could be adapted to a number of uses. This core is surrounded by six utility towers of varying heights designed this way in order to more appropriately reflect the existing structures in the area. These towers house the more shifting elements of the building’s mechanisms which include the lifts, fire stairs, kitchens, mechanical systems, restrooms and lobbies. All of these elements are designed to fit loosely within the main frame of the building core facilitating more accessibility for repair or maintenance as well as the potential, when necessary, to completely lift out these elements to be replaced with newer designs more in keeping with a future age (Forester 5). This focus upon the adaptability of the building in order to meet with unknown future needs is perhaps the architect’s fullest expression of postmodern concepts as it is understood that a building can be utilized in numerous ways with varying technologies that don’t always fit within a universal form. Works Cited Barr, Jr. A. Masters of Modern Art. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1954. Print. Choay, F. Le Corbusier. New York: G. Braziller, 1960. Print. Cinar, Selin. “Minimalist Architecture.” World Architecture Community. (2000). Web. May 4, 2011. Forester, Larisa. The Lloyds Building: Richard Rogers. Ohio: University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, 2006. Print. Gold, J. R. The Experience of Modernism: Modern Architects and the Future City. New York: Taylor & Francis, 1998. Print. Heynen, H. Architecture and Modernity: A Critique. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999. Print. Le Corbusier Le Grand Illustrated. New York: Phaidon, July 2, 2008. Print. Malcolmson, P. "From Bauhaus to Our House: Modernism, 1914-1939." Queen's Quarterly. 113.3. Fall Issue, 2006. Print. Pile, J. F. A History of Interior Design. London: Laurence, 2005. Print. Read More