Modern architecture is characterized by simplification of form and
creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Describe the characteristics of Modern architecture.
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
In a broader sense, early modern architecture began at the turn of the 20th century with efforts to
reconcile the principles underlying architectural design with rapid technological advancement
and the modernization of society.
Modernism eventually generated reactions, most notably Postmodernism which sought to
preserve pre-modern elements, while Neo-modernism emerged as a reaction to Postmodernism.
Modern architecture developed, in their opinion, as a result of social and political revolutions.
Others see Modern architecture as primarily driven by technological and engineering
developments.
TERMS [ edit ]
eclecticism
Any form of art that borrows from multiple other styles.
ornament
An element of decoration.
modernism
Any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th
century; characterized by formal purity, medium specificity, art for art's sake, experimentation,
abstraction, a rejection of realism, and a revolutionary or reactionary tendency.
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Background
Modern architecture is generally
characterized by simplification of form
and creation of ornament from the
structure and theme of the building. It is a
term applied to an overarching movement,
with its exact definition and scope varying
widely. In a broader sense, early modern
architecture began at the turn of the
20th century with efforts to reconcile the
principles underlying architectural design
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with rapid technological advancement and the modernization of society. It would take the
form of numerous movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some in tension
with one another, and often equally defying such classification.
Chicago Modernism
Contrasts in modern architecture, as shown by adjacent high­rises in Chicago, Illinois. IBM Plaza
(right), by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is a later example of the clean rectilinear lines and glass of the
International Style, whereas Marina City, (left), by his student Bertrand Goldberg, reflects a more
sculptural Mid­Century Modern aesthetic.
The concept of modernism would be a central theme in these efforts. Gaining popularity after
the Second World War, architectural modernism was adopted by many influential architects
and architectural educators, and continues as a dominant architectural style for institutional
and corporate buildings into the 21st century. Modernism eventually generated reactions,
most notably Postmodernism which sought to preserve pre-modern elements, while Neomodernism emerged as a reaction to Postmodernism.
Notable architects important to the history and development of the modernist movement
include Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Oscar
Niemeyer and Alvar Aalto.
Early Modernism
The Crystal Palace, 1851, was one of the first buildings to have vast amounts of glass
supported by structural metal, foreshadowing trends in Modernist architecture.
There are multiple lenses through which the evolution of modern architecture may be viewed.
Some historians see it as a social matter, closely tied to the project of Modernity and thus
the Enlightenment. Modern architecture developed, in their opinion, as a result of social and
political revolutions. Others see Modern architecture as primarily driven by technological
and engineering developments. Still other historians regard Modernism as a matter of taste, a
reaction against eclecticismand the lavish stylistic excesses of Victorian and Edwardian
architecture.
In the United States
Wright's Larkin Building (1904) in Buffalo, New York, Unity Temple (1905) in Oak Park,
Illinois, and the Robie House (1910) in Chicago, Illinois were some of the first examples of
modern architecture in the United States. Frank Lloyd Wright was a major influence on
European architects, including both Walter Gropius (founder of the Bauhaus) and Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe, as well as on the whole of organic architecture.
In Italy: Futurism
Futurist architecture began in the early-20th century, characterized by anti-historicism and
long horizontal linessuggesting speed, motion and urgency. Technology and even violence
were among the themes of the Futurists. The movement was founded by the poet Filippo
Tommaso Marinetti. He produced its first manifesto called the Manifesto of Futurism in
1909. The movement attracted poets, musicians, artists (such as Umberto Boccioni, Giacomo
Balla, Fortunato Depero, and Enrico Prampolini), but also a number of architects. Among the
latter was Antonio Sant'Elia, who, though he built little (being killed in WWI), translated the
Futurist vision into bold urban form. The unbuilt designs and theories of Futurists would go
on to influence both the Constructivists and a branch of Italian Fascist architecture.
In Russia: Constructivism
Following the 1917 revolutions in Russia, the societal upheaval and change was coupled with
a desire for a new aesthetic, one more in keeping with the Communist philosophy and
societal goals of the new state, in contrast to the ornate Neoclassicismthat had prevailed
prior. This resulted in a new style, Constructivism. Konstantin Melnikov, a Russian
Constructivist architect, designed the Melnikov House (1927-29) near Arbat Street in
Moscow.
The style would prosper, but fell markedly out of favor during the design competition for the
Palace of the Soviets from 1931 to 1933, losing to a more traditional revivalism of Russian
architecture with nationalistic overtones, afterwards termed Postconstructivism. This
resulted in the ultimate demise of the Russian branch of early architectural modernism,
though not before it had a chance to influence architects elsewhere, such as Le Corbusier.
Expressionism
Expressionism was an architectural movement that developed in Northern Europe during the
first decades of the 20th century in parallel with the expressionist visual and performing arts.
Making notable use of sculptural forms and the novel use of concrete as artistic elements,
examples include Rudolf Steiner's Second Goetheanum, built from 1926 near Basel,
Switzerland and the Einsteinturm in Potsdam, Germany.