Work of Post-Modern Practitioners, Contrast and Comparison - Essay Example

The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the work of two postmodernist practitioners in relation to the eclecticism/pluralism and the self reflexivity that is present in their works. The paper starts with a brief overview of the postmodernist art work. Then, it moves onto discuss the works of two specific postmodernist practitioners. The latter part of the essay deals with the comparison of both the artists. Postmodernism Introduction Postmodernism, according to Smart (1993), is a term that has been used to describe the developments that have occurred lately in art, architecture, literature, cinema, music , fashion, communications, sexuality and so on. The main idea behind ‘postmodernism’ is that it criticizes the basic notions of modernism. Lyon’s (1999) study shows that postmodernism was a movement which was aimed at the rejection of the concepts, introduced in the Modernist era. Postmodernist works were different from the Modernist ones in many ways. According to Smart (1993), postmodernist works included mostly ironic comments on modernism. This was done through applied decoration. The modernists had previously based a lot of their works on science and rationality was something that was very essential to them. For the post modernists, however, the rational was something that was quite dehumanizing. Postmodernism sought ideas that could not be explained by the realm of science and rationality. Modernism had also focused mainly on the universality of things. According to Smart (1993), postmodernism, as a resistance to this notion, concentrated more on the individuality of people. Creative expression and individualistic ideas were preferred and favored over universalistic ones. It was an approach that was quite different because people were judged due to their own capabilities. Postmodernists also had a keen interest in the rejection of the traditional norms that had been prevalent after the modernist Era. For example, through their works, the postmodernists criticized the generally held concepts of beauty and taste as Sparke (2004) relates. Rather than considering beauty of a person they judged people by their talents. Further, Postmodernists focused on the use of different materials and new mediums so to increase diversity. Now that the paper has given a brief overview of the postmodernist era, it is important to consider the works of two postmodernist practitioners, namely Robert Venturi and Charles Jencks. First the paper discusses the works of Robert Venturi. Robert Venturi Robert Venturi was an American postmodern architect. According to Kahl (2008), Venturi was one of the five founding members of the American architecture. His works included a certain self reflexivity and eclecticism- two aspects that were not found in the works of any modernist. Self reflexivity Venturi’s most famous work, according to Kahl (2008), was ‘Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.’ In this book, Venturi criticized greatly the modern architecture that was present previously. He believed that the modernist architecture had become ‘stale and rigid’. He further believed, as Kahl (2008) relates, that the simple buildings that had been created by the modernists were not very engaging. The buildings were mostly constructed as monuments. According to him, it was not what the average Americans could relate to. The fact that the buildings that were designed by him were not constructed as monuments but rather as buildings, to which people could relate, shows the self reflexivity in his work. His designs show that he was conscious of his surroundings and was not following the universal concept of modernism that had been practiced earlier. Instead, he studied the architecture of America in detail and concluded that the modernist works did not appeal to the common man much. ‘Learning from Las Vegas’ also portrays the self reflexivity that was found in the works of Venturi. According to Kahl (2008), Venturi attempted to untangle his perceptions of the flaws that were present in the architectural works of America. For most of the architects, the architecture that was present in Las Vegas was greatly flawed. For Venturi, however, Las Vegas was an existing landscape that helped him learn to accept what he was given. Other architects, according to Kahl (2008), were usually criticizing the architectural Las Vegas Strip. Venturi was one of the first few who observed the architecture, the sporadic buildings and the parking lots, and instead of following the others provided his own perception of the architecture. Eclecticism Venturi was also a master of diversity as Kahl (2008) discusses. Venturi was strictly against the notion of the scribbling of his name on the buildings. This had been a common practice before but for him this did not make any sense. This was because, according to him, the idea of publicizing the design of a firm restricted the firm to a certain design. As a result the diversity and the pluralism of the architectural firms were gravely affected. Venturi designed many different kinds of buildings. He used many different mediums that included colored brick patterns, symbolism, and a vast array of irregular shaped products. He, unlike the modernists, did not favour geometry much. As a result his works included a vast variety of irregular shaped objects and designs. An example is that of the floor plan in the National Art Gallery of London. His work at the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College in Ohio, as Kahl (2008) states, was also representative of the different themes and mediums he used where a Tuscan styled building was complemented with the intricate use of ornamentation and symbolism. Apart from the designing of national buildings, his works also included other small buildings and homes for people. According to Kahl (2008), Venturi had adopted the notions of commonality and ordinariness in his intricate designs and that was a revolt against the modernist architecture itself. Figure 1, 2 and 3 (see appendix) shows houses and buildings which Robert Venturi built. These buildings may seem ordinary but they feel comforting and warm. The use of irregular shaped objects is also quite evident in the pictures. Overall, Venturi’s designs incorporated various themes and ideas about history, symbolism, tradition and at the same time ordinariness. This eclecticism distinguishes him from the modernist architects. Now the paper will discuss the work of Charles Jencks. Charles Jencks Charles Jencks was also one of the most famous postmodernist architects of all times. His works included three famous books on the postmodernist architecture that are very famous. Like all the postmodernist architects, his works included a great deal of plurality and self reflexivity. Self Reflexivity Self Reflexivity is something that is evident in the works of almost all the postmodernist architects, and in the same context, Jencks is not exclusion. Leone (2006) actually believes that he was one of the first advocates of self reflexivity because he took the bold step to write the first book about postmodernism. Jencks (2002) in his book states how he uses designs that he can relate to. For example the complex urbanism found in his designs is one thing that he observed himself and that appealed him. Instead of following the simple and ‘non-engaging’ buildings he (2002) preferred the complex nature of urbanism that attracted him. Pluralism Jencks (1991) states himself in his book that he is an advocate of ‘radical eclecticism.’ This means that he preferred, unlike the modernists, the use of plurality and different mediums in his work. The notion of plurality is quite evident in some of his creations like the Garden of Cosmic Speculation (See Figure 4, 5, 6, 7) where he uses the different techniques to portray the garden as comfortable as possible. The garden may seem very simple yet it is designed quite intricately, and a lot of symbolism can be observed. Also, the designer has given special attention to the use of irregular shaped objects (see the shape of the lake). Contrast and Comparison As mentioned throughout the essay, the works of both Venturi and Jencks focus on the use of different mediums that enhance the diversity in their works. According to Bertens (1995), the reason for this may be due to the fact that the publishing of Jenck’s book ‘The rise of Postmodern Culture’ in 1975 inspired many young architects like Venturi. The same reason can be attributed to the similarities that are present in the works of both. Both the postmodernist practitioners are more concerned about observing and the designing of artifacts that they can relate to. For example the Lieb House and the Garden of Cosmic Speculation are two designs that let the designers be ‘a part of the problem’ as Sparke (2004) describes it. The difference arises however when the perceptions of the two architects are considered. While Jencks concentrates on lavish and symbolized gardens, Venturi makes use of his designs to create buildings that are ordinary yet appealing. Also, Venturi design of the Lieb House is constructed in such a way that the house can be moved easily. It seems that Venturi is keener on his portrayal of self reflexivity unlike Jencks. Both do however do use plurality in their creations. To conclude, the postmodernist architecture seems to be a resistance to the seemingly ordinary and simple designs that existed in the modernist era. The eclecticism and the self reflexivity found in the works of the two most famous post modernist architects is a determinant of this notion. Appendix Figure 1 Lieb House. Figure 2 The Vaura Venturi House that got the Pritzker Price Figure 3 A bank by Robert Venturi Figure 4 The garden of Cosmic Speculation by Jencks Figure 5 The garden of Cosmic Speculation by Jencks Figure 6 The garden of Cosmic Speculation by Jencks Figure 7 The garden of Cosmic Speculation by Jencks References Bertens, H. (1995).The Idea of the Postmodern: A History. UK: Routledge Jencks, C. (1991). Language of Post-Modern Architecture 6. US:Rizzoli. Jencks, C. (2002). The New Paradigm in Architecture: The Language of Postmodernism.US: Yale University Press. Kahl, D. (2008). Robert Venturi and His Contributions to Postmodern Architecture. US: Oshkosh Scholar. (Volume 3, pg 55-63) Leone, G. (2006). Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's Confrontation with Postmodernity. US: University of Pennsylvania Lyon, D. (1999). Postmodernity. US: University Of Minnesota Press Sparke, P. (2004). An Introduction to design and culture: 1900 to the Present 2nd ed. (Ch. 9 pg 189-197) UK: Routledge Smart, B. (1993). Postmodernity. UK: Routledge Read More