Week 7- Emergence of Modernism

 This week in History of Interiors and Furnishings II we learned about the Emergence of Modernism. 

This period took place during 1900-1950's. Meaning this was during and after World War I. A time of redesigning, technological advances, and functionalism erupted. Some well-known architects from this movement were Frank Lloyd Wrigth, Walter Gropius, Mies Van Der Rohe, and Le Corbusier.  

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered the first major Modern Architect, being from Wisconsin, he was also a writer, educator, and interior designer. He strived for unity in planning, materials, structure, and the site itself. Many of his projects still exist in Oak Park, Illinois today, which is where his home and studio were. He created many residential designs that incorporated private areas with public areas in a grid system.  

 
(Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio) (Modern Day-Application)

He also did commercial buildings creating dramatic interior compositions. At the Larkin Company in Buffalo, New York, he had innovations in air-conditioning, stained-glass windows, built-in desk furniture, and suspended toilet bowls. His open office layout design and fun chairs created a fun unique design. And as mentioned in the last unit he created the Imperial Hotel, which survived World War II bombings and helped him to rebuild his career.  

(Frank Lloyd Wright Office Chair) (Modern Day Application)

International Style expanded on characteristics of modernism, its three main principles being: the expression of volume rather than mass, the emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and the expulsion of applied ornament. This movement was the rejection of ornamentation with radical simplified forms, using glass, steel, and concrete, it used industrial mass-produced techniques to created honest expression structures.  

Walter Gropius, a German architect, received no official degree yet established his own practice and became the director of a fine arts school. He preferred smooth surfaces and using primary colors, making furniture from plywood, metal tubing, and plastic laminate. Gropius strived to create a relationship between emerging modernism and fine arts, architecture and design, town planning, advertising, stage design, and even film.  

Marcel Breuer, a Hungary designer, studied under Walter Gropius at the Bauhaus, design style was inspired by the handles of a bicycle. Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist, he was an abstract artist also taught at the Bauhaus.  

(Wassily Kandinsky- On White II). (Modern Day Application- Antonio Fernandez Pons)

Mies van der Rohe, a German American architect, was the director of the Bauhaus, valued simplicity and clarity, saying “Less is More” and “God is in the Details”. Using steel and plate glass, he blended the indoors with the outdoors, while valuing wood and marble, and tubular metal in chairs. His open interiors flowed into the next, the rich materials being the decoration themselves. One of his most famous projects is the Barcelona Exhibit, collaborating with Lilly Reich, it truly introduced Mies to the world. Later in his career, he moved to America, where he created the famous Farnsworth House.  

Le Corbusier, a French Architect, had no former training, and was known for his urban design while respecting historic design, he strived to improve the industrialized urban cities in Paris. He also had a philosophy of modern furniture: it should be a standard unit, act as an artificial limb, and make use of modern technology. He created functional spaces, concrete and modern materials, using mass production he used modular storage pieces, he believed that art was necessary, but decor was not.  

Alvar Aalto was a Finnish architect, as well as sculptor, painter, and designer, he used modern materials as well as wood.  

 

One Step Further:  

A company by the name of Spoonflower, recreates many famous artists, such as Wassily Kandinsky works of art, turning them into anything from wallpaper to shower curtains. Their designs are crafted by independent artists from around the globe. Their goal is to express self-expression, allowing customers to discover new and historic perfect prints. This company works with new innovative printing technology to recreate gorgeous designs in many applications.  

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/products/16492983-wassily-kandinsky-color-study-squares-concentric-circles-by-adinald_artworld 

https://www.spoonflower.com/en/about