USA Modernism Flashcards
MODERNISM IN AMERICA
Eclectic historicism based on the concepts of Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts
Knoll, Herman Miller
Modern furniture manufacturers
The work of Sullivan and Wright was…
ignored in the turn of the century
Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer were…
invited to Harvard University in 1937 Gropius became the head of the Graduate School
Mies van der Rohe became…
Director of Architecture at Armour Institute (1938)
Large architectural firms…
(Skidmore, Owings, and Merril) founded in 1936
IRVING GILL
(1870-1936)
IRVING GILL work
His work attracted little contemporary attention
IRVING GILL Interiors
with modern sensibilities
Simple, unornamented interiors
White walls, smooth wooden panels without moldings
Sometimes arched openings
Scripps House location + date
La Jolla, 1917
Scripps House designer
Irving Gill
Barnsdall House (Hollyhock) House date and location
Los Angeles, 1916-21
Barnsdall House (Hollyhock) House designer
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright design ideas
Relies on geometry
Focus on horizontal more verses vertical
Designed everything relating to the building
Falling water date and location
Bear Run, Pennsylvania, 1936
Falling Water designer
Frank Lloyd Wright
Falling Water features
Retreat for wealthy family
Works with nature not fighting with it
Removes walls as much as possible
Emphasis on the views
Taliesen date + location
Spring Green, Wisconsin, 1925
Johnson Wax Building location + date
Racine, Wisconsin, 1936-9
Taliesen designer
Frank Lloyd Wright
Johnson Wax Building Designer
Frank Lloyd Wright
Johnson Wax Building features
Experiments with structural elements
Columns are shaped almost mushroom like
Starts to design modern office spaces like cubicles
Lovell House location + date
Los Angeles, 1927-9
Lovell House designer
Richard Josef Neutra
Lovell House features
The first clear example of the International Style in the United States
Detachment from the context in which it existed
What that means to the design
Showroom, Andrew Geller Shoe Factory date + location
Brooklyn, 1928
Showroom, Andrew Geller Shoe Factory designer
William Lescaze
Reconstruction of Kurt Schwitter’s Merzbau by
Peter Bissenger
Original Merzbau date
ca. 1930-37
Merzbau dates
destroyed 1943,
reconstruction 1981-83
Reconstruction of Kurt Schwitter’s Merzbau location
Sprengel Museum , Hanover
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART location + date
New York, 1939
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART designer
Philip Goodwin (1885-1958)
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART opening
The museum was opened in 1931 and became a strong influence
Philip Goodwin
(1885-1958)
Gropius House location + date
Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1937
Gropius House Designer
Walter Gropius
Terrace Plaza Hotel date + location
Cincinnati, Ohio, 1945
Terrace Plaza Hotel designers
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill
First Christian (Tabernacle) Church date + location
Columbus, Indiana, 1942
First Christian (Tabernacle) Church designers
Eilel and Eero Saarinen
First Christian (Tabernacle) Church feature
Light and shadow influences the interior
TWA Terminal, Kennedy Airport, date + location
New York, 1956-62
TWA Terminal, Kennedy Airport desinger
Eero Saarinen
TWA Terminal, Kennedy Airport features
More “plastic” forms
Reinforced concrete
Curves reminiscent
Furniture designed by Charles & Ray Eames
1940s-1950s
Making future comfortable without the need of fabric
Fiberglass molded curved chairs
Shelving
Could be unique and changed custom for the user
Florence Knoll
Established the knoll furniture company
Simple modern furniture mainly for the office environment
Tulip Chair
1953
Eero Saarienen
Forms represented speed and movement
Welcoming to the human body
Eero Saarienen
Son of Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. Was educated at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Eliel became the president of Cranbrook in 1932
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Michigan
Joe Colombo
Furniture designer 1970s
Joe Colombo furniture details
Modular in design and can be changed by the user
Colors are representative of the 70’s
Shipping of the forms is very compact
Making it more affordable
The Great Depression dates
(1929-1941)
What affected Art Deco
Fascination with progress and future fueled Art Deco
Interest in means of transportation and aerodynamic forms
World War II dates
(1939-1945)
World War II effects to design
The war limited design activity in US and brought it to a virtual stop in Europe
Following war: New buildings to be built, existing spaces to be remodeled (The expansion of programs in colleges, hospitals, etc. created an extensive need for interior design work
Modernism with a basis in the International style became…
the norm of professional design work.
modernism post ww2
Modernism with a basis in the International style became the norm of professional design work.
modernism post ww2 materials
A willingness to move beyond the vocabulary of flat roof lines, white walls, and maximal glass
Suburban sprawl (in the United States)
Synthetic materials became available: Plastics, synthetic fiber carpets, vinyl flooring, melamine, fiberglass, etc.
Dry-wall (sheet rock), and acoustical ceiling panels (suspended panels) became widely used.
modernism post ww2 mechanical
Traditional dependence on natural climate systems (cross ventilation, orientation, etc.) was replaced by mechanical air conditioning systems.
Fluorescent lighting came into acceptance in business interiors, kitchens, and bathrooms
modernism post ww2 worldwide
Design became truly international: an increasing flow of information
Italy became a leading center for post-war design (especially furniture)
modernism post ww2 restaurants
Restaurant design has become a specialized aspect of interior design
modernism post ww2 interior designer
Mario Buatta (b. 1935), Mark Hampton (1940-98), and Angelo Donghia (1935-85) –American interior designers known for their lush interiors (eclectic design language)
Mario Buatta
(b. 1935)
interior designer
Mark Hampton
(1940-98)
interior designer
Angelo Donghia
(1935-85)
interior designer
modernism dates
1920s Emergence of Modernism
1930s-1940 its rise
1960s-1980s Dominance of Modernism
failures of modernism
Modern design was accused of ignoring the needs and desires of occupants and users in pursuit of abstract ideals that has more significance among professionals than among a wider public (avant-garde)
Failure of vast housing projects
SAS Royal Hotel date + location
Copenhagen, 1956-61
SAS Royal Hotel designer
Arne Jacobsen (1902-71)
Arne Jacobsen
(1902-71)
leading Danish Architect
Guggenheim Museum date + location
New York, 1949-1960
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum designer
Frank Lloyd Wright
Pirelli Tower date + designer
1955-9
Gio Ponti
Villa Arreaza date + location
Caracas, 1956
Villa Arreaza designer
Gio Ponti
MIT Chapel date + location
Cambridge, 1955
MIT Chapel designer
Eero Saarinen
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption date + location
San Francisco, California, 1971
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption designers
Pier Luigi Nervi, Pietro Belluschi
National Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy International Airport date + location
Queens, NY, 1972
National Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy International Airport designers
I. M. Pei & Partners
Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, British Museum date + location
London, 2001
Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, British Museum designers
Nigel Young/Foster and Partners
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library date + location
Yale University, 1963
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library designer
Gordon Bunshaft (SOM)
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library features
Exterior material allows very little light in due to the need to avoid direct light on the books
Exeter Library date + location
New Hampshire, 1967-72
Exeter Library designer
Louis I. Kahn
Designed buildings so that no brick needed to be cut
LATE MODERNISM
Does not imitate the Modern pioneers
Rejects post-modernism
LATE MODERNISM designers
I. M. Pei
Richard Meier
Philippe Starck
Rem Koolhaas
East Wing, National Gallery of Art date + location
Washington D.C., 1968-78
East Wing, National Gallery of Art
I. M. Pei
Pyramid, Louvre Museum date + location
Paris, 1983-9
Pyramid, Louvre Museum
I. M. Pei