Arts & Crafts

The emergence of modernism began following World War 1, this redesigned the world. This is when designers were embracing industrial design instead of inspiration from history. There are many master architects that came from this “modern movement” such as Frank Loyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Frank Loyd wright was had more of a modern prairie style with floor plans that inspire current homes today. He created open floor plan concepts toward incorporating private areas with public areas of the house. After the prairie style came to the international style. Through this style, the authors established three important principles that are reflected today. The first principle is about the expression of volume rather than mass this principle started to push designers to test the laws of physics by incorporating suspension and transparency in their designs. The second principle was the emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry. Lastly, the ex...

 Protomodernism was a rejection of ornamentation and historical styles. The Deutscher Werkbund Movement was a large part of proto modernism it brought about many influential designers and architects like Mies Van Der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Walter Gropius. It wanted to mass-produce the highest quality designs embracing the usage of machinery. There was also the Vienna secession which was an advancement in art, history, psychology, and philosophy. There is an exhibition building in Vienna that is symbolic of the proto-modern period. This building was designed by Joseph Olbrich, who is the co-founder of the Vienna movement, and this building was a solemn but festive design.  Another famous architect, Otto Wagner, was a part of the Vienna succession and he believed in staunch functionalism and ended up writing a book called “Modern Architecture”. Otto Wagner was talented in many ways as a writer, designer teacher, urban planner, and architect he even designed furniture to relate ...

 Art Nouvea in the U.S was a little different than it was in Europe. Jewry making and stained-glass art was more popular in the U.S. Along with the rebuilding and upbringing of Chicago after the Chicago fire. Louis H Sullivan was known as “the father of skyscrapers” and started pushing more contemporary architecture with the inclusion of Art Noveau ornamentation. These were the first steps toward modernism in architecture and design. One step further: As for Art Nouvea in the U.S, Louis Sullivan is my favorite. He was great at creating unity throughout his tall buildings as he tried to step away from European style and define a more specific American style.  One of his many buildings in Chicago, was, “The Auditorium” which was the highest building in the United States at that time. Not only was Sullivan a master architect then and now, but he mentored others who then became well-known architects themselves, such as Frank Lloyd Wright who is one of my favorite architects ou...