Reading Comp # 6

[1] A common theme of the early twentieth century found in Roth, Harwood, and Massey set the tone for an understanding of styles in architecture and design influenced by fine art. Selecting either Arts + Crafts or Art Nouveau, TRACE the influences of the selected style in more than two nations. In your answer, you should include evidence from the readings and at least two annotated images as support for your analysis of influences. [15 POINTS POSSIBLE]

An international movement comprised of various styles found throughout the world, Art Nouveau and its rejection of traditional design adopts a new visual form that amplifies dynamic and individualistic qualities. In France, Spain, and the United States, where an organic, curvilinear form of Art Nouveau is adopted, naturalistic forms are reduced to basic elements in an attempt to help convey force, energy, and organic growth. According to Harwood, the underlying concept behind the manipulation of line and form is "the desire to create a new style divorced from those of the past, that expresses a modern urbanized, commercial society."

In France and the United States, natural and organic motifs riddled with whiplash curves and plant-like movements are commonplace. Concerning France, influences from Art Nouveau can be seen in the work of Hector Guimard. Challenging traditional notions of design, Guimard created furniture pieces that conveyed vigor and free-flowing characteristics through asymmetrical form and organic curves. Clearly present in his 1899 cabinet piece, the use of natural motifs in conjunction with reinforced, curvilinear panels and drawers creates a fluid composition that emphasizes the relationship between space and form. However, in the United States, influences stemming from Art Nouveau can be seen through the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. An American glass designer, Tiffany used opalescent glass to create glass lamp shades illustrating natural elements.

In Spain, where Arte Moderno is recognized, sculptural, eccentric, and idiosyncratic elements characterize the work of Antonio Gauidi Cornet. Widely recognized for his creative originality, his designs have permeated throughout Barcelona and Catalonia in the form of furniture, tiles, buildings, and ironwork. Often manipulating materials to create natural "renditions of flowers, trees, vegetables, and waves to create a surreal sense of place" (Harwood), Gaudi firmly joins individually designed pieces into a cohesive whole. As seen in the curving facade of Gaudi's Casa Mila in Barcelona, Spain, harmony found throughout vertical and horizontal expressions ultimately form a dynamic, fluid expression that makes use of curvilinear shapes to emphasize the separation of stories and their subsequent reflections of the sky and ground.

Cabinet, c. 1899; France; Hector Guimard

Casa Mila (La Pedrera), 1905-1910; Barcelona, Spain; Antonio Gaudi i Cornet

[2] Originating at the Bauhaus and in the work of LeCorbusier, the so-called Modern movement deeply influenced design and architecture of the twentieth century. The great debate raised by this new approach to design involved the presence of the machine in the design process and final products. SPECULATE about the implications of “machines for living” and the famous dictum “less is more” on design today. Use at least one ARTIFACT, SPACE, or BUILDING in your answer, providing a salient image (cited) and annotation to help bolster your argument. [10 POINTS POSSIBLE]

With the arrival of the Modern movement, design came to amplify and suggest the importance of utilitarian aspects and the native aesthetic appeal that stemmed from simple, purposed design. The implications of Le Corbusier's "machines for living" fronts an ideology that supports the manipulation of space , light, and order to create designs inherently machine-like. To Corbusier, expanding the utilitarian purposes of architecture to levels of aesthetic appeal allowed the expression of various features within a building to come together as inhabitants explored its interiors. Extremely related to the "less is more" dictum today, by limiting superficial design implementations, emphasis on a building's purpose and form evolves into an identity- a logical, functional design that breaks from traditional architecture and pushes for the removal of excess decoration.

The Bailey House, Case Study House #21

[3] From the assigned pages in Roth, Harwood, and Massey, SELECT an image that you believe explodes the notion that Modern interiors and objects were black and white. Fully RENDER your own design exploration of that image through color, material, and light and appropriately annotate and cite the image to prove this point. [5 POINTS POSSIBLE]

Richard Neutra: Staircase, Lovell House (Massey page 83)

Reflections Summary

For the reflections unit, I decided to review the posts belonging to Caitlyn Lyle, Cassie Bradfield, and Blakeni Delyn. Acknowledging the significance of change throughout design, each post made a conscience effort to define appropriate conditions necessary for transitional periods and revolution.

Concerning Caitlyn's post, heavy emphasis was placed on revivalism and it's influence on American architecture. According to Caityln, with the arrival of new materials and building techniques and their subsequent design changes, the revolutions occurring throughout Europe made their way across the Atlantic, finding solace within American cities. Aside from questioning periods of stifled creativity, she attempts to define the nature of revolution: that sufficient means for change originate from the gradual, yet persistent, changes that occur within the culture of a society. Well written and thought out, her post, unlike many others, helps explain the unit's historical impact on American architecture.

Cassie's post, which factors in Eastern trade and its effect on Western design, explores the idea of manipulated assimilation throughout various cultures. What deviated from the cultural norms of European society quickly become the forefront of revolution and change, taking with it the celebrations and past acceptances of traditional design. She touches upon the influences of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on modern architecture. Thoroughly expanding examples to further perpetuate her commentary, she reinforces and solidifies her knowledge of the unit.

Blakeni's post argues that transitional periods of design are inherently in conflict with time; that it attempts to find justification within the past and the present. Although she structures her post to explore the effects of various design periods, she ultimately questions the artistic validity of using machines in conjunction with design. Her post, which supplements historical references with modern examples, translates into a well written post; her focus on time calling attention to the impressionable nature of design.

Cassie's post

Alternatives Summary

Concerning the alternatives unit, I enjoyed reading the blogs belonging to Kelly Harris, Abigail Buchanan, and Daniel Salgado. All three commentaries, which uniquely describe the alternatives unit as a whole, cohesively blend the origins of historical examples with subsequent trends and design styles.

Throughout Kelly's point, personal examples were often used to stress the importance of the material reviewed in the unit. Mentioning the significance of trial and error relative to transitional periods of design, she spearheaded her argument with a series of historical examples (front façade of the Ospedale Innoconti by Brunelleschi) and personal experiences (folding paper) that helped reinforce her understanding of the unit. Because her passion for design is subtly integrated throughout her blog, I found it easy to understand and absorb, taking with me a new perspective on how modern architecture serves to reflect and embody the past.

Abigail approached the alternatives unit directly, defining points of interest that served to represent the unit as a whole. Segueing from the Gothic era to the Renaissance, Abigail provided solid examples of each design period that visually expressed the main focus of their respective time periods (Chateau Chambord, Villa Capra , etc.). Easy to understand, her personal input throughout the commentary helped reinforce the meaning of each topic without diluting the factual aspect of her post.

Daniel's post was unique in that it stressed the details of each design period with the underlying tenet that they represented architectural "bending of the rules". Defining the characteristics of each period with thorough examples and explanations, I discovered new things about the various design periods covered. The presence of "classical language" in the Gothic era and Renaissance were related in the traditional purposes that they served to mold and interpret. However, with the Baroque period, artistic endeavors found new freedom within the theatricality of the period and lack of set boundaries. As such, the insight found throughout Daniel's post was easy to pick up and absorb.

Daniel's post

Abigail's post

Clock

For clock, I decided to go with paragraph and place. Using Washington, D.C. as my place, I manipulated the paragraph portion to become a visual element while maintaining its literary purpose.

Point: Reflections

With increasing exposure to foreign cultures, the design period between the Renaissance and the modern era flourished, encapsulating the idea of rapid change marred with the signs of assimilation. This rapid succession of design revolutions, however, distorted established forms of local design and brought about an identity crises that jeopardized the face of many cultures. Burdened with the task of maintaining tradition and pursuing new, innovative ideas, drawing design aspects from foreign influences became an attractive option. Concerning Europe, Eastern influences found solace within the form of chinoiserie, permeating throughout universal styles as mimicry. With the rise of industry and its various applications, design continued to evolve, pushing the boundaries that once limited the styles of past. In contrast to the past limitation of the availability of certain staple resources and the structural integrity of materials, new-found resources, techniques, and tools helped mold the iconic face of the modern era.

With the stagnation of design taking silent foothold throughout Europe, merging with Eastern design styles became an excitingly popular idea. The decorative excesses of Eastern cultures were universally appreciated and seen to represent wealth, status, and worldly knowledge. The Royal Pavilion at Brighton, England was designed with this template in mind, having internal and external faces feature Western impressions of Eastern styles. Utilizing Oriental, Islamic, and Indian design, elaborate, colorful interiors and a mosque-like exterior came to represent the building as a whole. Rivaling the Eastern movement, the Victorian era came to emphasize similar design elements that focused on excessive aesthetics, featuring surfaces riddled with ornamentation and art. This era spawned various styles spanning from the Jacobethan style of the early 19th century to the British Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century.

Unlike the design assimilation that occurred throughout Europe, the American colonies focused on developing its own design style that deviated from its European roots. Concerning the English colonies after the Revolutionary War, design was altered intentionally to create an independent, localized style. Articles of furniture, like chairs and tables, were subtly manipulated to break from the traditional norm of English designs, producing simplified versions of ancestral pieces. Gradually with time, however, America would come to revive these traditional styles, defining them as symbols of prosperity and wealth.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the assimilation of design across the faces of many cultures came to fruition. With machines replacing craftsman, many critics, like William Morris, compiled arguments that questioned the capabilities of machines to preserve inherent qualities found in hand-made objects. Not only were machines beneficial to the development of goods and growth of cities, they helped spur the use of new materials that forever changed design. The mass production of iron and glass allowed large, open structures to exist. The Crystal Palace, which drew influences from English greenhouses, came to spearhead iron and glass framing, capturing traditional design elements in the form of spacious, transparent interiors. This new avenue of design ultimately expanded the possibilities and options of designers, withdrawing from it the beginnings of Modernism.

Source

Reading Comp #5

[1] From the Roth, Harwood, and Massey readings, select an ARTIFACT you believe to represent revolution in design. SPECULATE about the type of revolution this artifact symbolizes. Supplement your answer with a beautifully hand rendered image of the artifact you selected, citing source and page on your image. [10 POINTS POSSIBLE]

Page 22 and 23 of Harwood's Architecture and Interior Design from the 19th Century

The Astral lamp, a descendent of the Argand lamp, was designed so that no shadow was cast upon the table or surrounding surfaces by the flattened ring-shaped reservoir in which the oil was contained. These early oil lamps, which were a large improvement to their ancestral hand held lamps, could illuminate large spaces for long periods of time. Where as in the past buildings had to make use of natural light through the use of external openings in order to illuminate their interiors, the introduction of the lamp (the precursor to modern lighting) allowed for closed interior spaces to prosper. Not only would this impact time constraints and daily schedules, the lamp forced some architects to develop interior designs with the lamp's accompanying cornball atmosphere in mind. Light, which found solace during the Gothic period in the form of open spaces and large glass windows, was revived and rejuvenated with the development of the oil lamp.

[2] Using the internet, LOCATE and ANALYZE an image for an ARTIFACT, a SPACE, a BUILDING, and a PLACE, drawing the idea of eastern influences as understood by nineteenth-century minds (China, Japan, India, Middle Eastern) on western design and architecture. Each answer must include an appropriately annotated and cited image in addition to a well-crafted essay to defend your choice of each image and the ways (more than one) that the material item responds to design influences from the east. [20 POINTS POSSIBLE]

As Western ties with the East strengthened in the mid 17th century, the increasing exposure to Eastern designs prompted the development of heightened interests in Chinoiserie. During a period when the East appeared incredibly exotic to Europeans, imported designs and products consisting of lacquer-like materials and decorations permeated through the masses as an alternative beauty, quickly commanding an era of influence.

English chinoiserie desk

Source

Made in the second half of the 19th century, this English chinoiserie desk draws from oriental depictions of nature in congruence with the influences of Man. This desk, which fronts illustrations of buildings and plants on each of the drawers, mimics the harmony of Eastern designs that concentrate attention into developing accurate representations of uniformal existence with nature. The simplicity of the desk also amplifies the Eastern influences found throughout the piece. With modest decoration found throughout the front, the desk becomes easily accessible to the ideas of comfort and natural purity.

Sanssouci Palace

Source

Ceilings throughout the Sanssouci Palace tell ornate stories through the use of chinoiserie themes, using characteristics of oriental art including oriental scenery, human figures, intricate lattices, and exotic flowers. In combination with each other, the embodiment of nature in a whimsical existence is successfully achieved. Further Eastern influences are found throughout the design's asymmetrical composition. Many oriental designs distort space within their compositions with the intention of accurately portraying both the serenity and vitality of life, an ideology present in the depiction found on the ceiling.

Cross (Krestovy) Bridge

Source

This bridge, found in the Chinese Village in Alexander Park of Tsarskoe Selo, Russia, heavily draws influence from Chinoiserie. Eastern influences are embedded in the polygonal shape of the roof, using defined, lifted corners similar to those found in China. Chinese architecture, which places emphasis on breadth and less on height, typically design heavy platforms with large, floating roofs over its base- taking emphasis off its vertical walls. Deviating from the linear shapes of bridges, the Cross Bridge also makes use of steep Eastern arches to support and emphasize the floating shrine at it's center.

Japanese garden at Kew Garden, London

Source

The tranquility and simplicity of the Japanese garden at Kew reflects Japanese design in its trimmed shrubs and manipulation of pebble paths to represent running water. In Japanese culture, the manipulation of nature signifies respect and control, taking something wild and taming it in the form of art. The centerpiece, the Chokushi-Mon, was built for the Japan-British Exhibition in 1910, but was subsequently moved to the garden. Japanese influences are found in the gate's large roof. Like the Chinese, the Japanese place emphasis on horizontal planes, typically preferring top-heavy designs that draw emphasis away from its vertical walls.