International Style {extra credit}

Here is a short video clip giving some detail about the Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe.

Emergence of Modernism: International Style

The International Style emerged in the 1920's and 1930's. The name of the style came from a book that was written that identified, categorized, and expanded on the common characteristics of Modernism across the globe. The three main points that the authors outlined were, "the expression of volume rather than mass, the emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and the expulsion of applied ornament". International Style spread across Western Europe in the 20's and some of the key characteristics of the style were:

-radical simplification of form-rejection of ornamentation-adoption of glass, steel and concrete as preferred materials.-the transparency of buildings-construction (called the honest expression of structure)-acceptance of industrialized mass-production techniques

One of the key architects of this period of Mies van der Rohe. He was a German-American architect who created many pieces of furniture that are iconic to this day as well as some amazing architectural designs. Some of his work is included in the images below.

Barcelona Chair

Interior of a home designed by Mies van der Rohe, featuring Barcelona chairs

Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois

Modern Application:

A prefabricated home in Africa, drawing inspiration from the Farnsworth House

Modern interior featuring a pair of Barcelona chairs.

Peer Reviews:

Frank Lloyd Wright {extra credit]

Here is a short video clip talking about Frank lloyd Wrights masterpiece "Fallingwater"

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was a prominent architect and interior designer in the United States during the emergence of modernism. Wright designed over 1,000 spaces and more than 500 of them were eventually completed. He was a big believer in creating spaces and buildings that were harmonious with nature and the surrounding they were in. Some of Wrights works can be seen here in Illinois, especially in Oak Park, where he resided a good portion of his life. Below is an image of Frank Lloyd Wrights home and studio located in Oak Park, Illinois.

Another one of his works is called the "Robie House". It was built on the campus of University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The strong horizontal lines were frequently used in Frank Lloyd Wright structures.

Lastly, one of his most well known works is called "Falling Water". It is located in rural Pennsylvania  on top of a water fall. The connection to nature and strong horizontal lines are clearly seen in this specific work.

Modern Application:

This homes strong horizontal lines and integration into the nature surrounding the house, is reminiscent of a Wright home.

This home is also similar to something Wright might have designed, as it is a modern Prairie Style, and Wright was known for his Prairie Style.

Peer Reviews:

The first blog I read was Amanda V's. She gave an excellent review of this time period and of Frank Lloyd Wright. I also really liked the modern application photos that she shared!

I also read Angie B's blog post. She also shared a lot of good information about Frank Lloyd Wright and shared several good pictures of the structures that he completed. I liked how the current application pictures she shared were of interiors. 

Protomodernism {extra credit video}

This video talks about artist Gustav Klimt and his work during the Vienna Secession.

Protomodernism

Protomodernism took place between 1897-1959 primarily in Germany and Austria. This era contained the seeds of the Modernism movement that would occur later, these "seeds" can be seen in several furniture pieces and architectural elements.

In Germany this movement was known as the "Deutscher Werkbund Movement" and took place in Munich. This movement in Germany is the equivalent to the Arts and Crafts era in the States and it focused on the relationship between the designer and the manufacturer to create high quality mass produced products.

In Austria this movement was called the "Vienna Secession", and included world wide advancements in art, history, physiology, and philosophy. The Vienna Secession was an idealistic movement an included many great designers and artists. Josef Hoffmann was one designer from the Vienna Secession who created many amazing furniture pieces that are iconic to this timer period. One piece he created was the Morris chair. This chair features a bent beechwood frame, light caned seat, and adjustable back.

Another designer of this period was Koloman Moser, he designed several prominent pieces of furniture and textiles. His armchair features many wooden slats and a black and white checkered print woven seat.

Current Application:

Peer Reviews:
I read Haley H's blog post this week. She did an excellent job talking about the protomoderism period. I really liked the piece of art that she shared that featured the face of a woman crying with golden tears. I thought it was such a beautiful piece of art!

I also read Amanda's blog, she did a good job describing this movement and her pictures were great!