Post-Modernism: 1960's-Present

In 1966, Robert Venturi wrote Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. His motto was "Less is a bore." He embraced decorative ornaments and historical design concepts. His works include the Vanna Venturi house and the Chippendale chair. The New York Five (Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, and Richard Meier) also got their claim to fame during this period. Michael Graves embraced decorative details, as well as strong colors and forms. He designed the Public Service Building in Portland, Oregon. It was the first post modern building. He also designed products for Target. Charles Gwathmey is well known for his residence and studio in New York. Richard Meier incorporated geometrics into his design by using the color white. He designed Getty Center in L.A. and also the Douglas house in Michigan. Peter Eisenman focused on deconstructionism. He designed the Aronoff Center for Design and Art in Cincinnati along with the Museum of Galicia in Spain. Frank Gehry was a Canadian/American architect. He designed the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. He also designed the high sticking/high back chair and the wiggle chair. Rem Koolhaas designed Maison Bordeaux. I.M. Pei designed the Pyramid Lourve in France. Some design trends in Post-Modernism include L.E.E.D. and Biophilic Design.

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Extra Credit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt1_BgCN6lU

Peer Reviews

Megan's blog was very well organized. Her pictures perfectly exemplified the movement. 

Rachael's blog was well written. Her extra credit videos were very interesting as well. 

Mid-Century Modernism: 1950-1960

Mid-Century Modernism was characterized by flat roofs, angular details, asymmetrical profiles, expansive walls of glass, clean lines and wide floor plans. It was also the first to use bi-level structures. It was very popular in California. It used a warm earthy color palette but also used trendy colors as well. The furnishings of this period were made up of plastic, resin, metal components, laminate and fiberglass. Some important designers of this period and what they designed are: 

Joseph Eichler- built over 11,000 homes later known as "Eichler homes"

Eero Saarinen- tulip chair, womb chair, St. Louis arch

Charles and Ray Eames- Eames sofa, elliptical table, walnut stools

George Nelson- coconut chair, marshmallow sofa, platform bench

Isamu Noguchi- Noguchi table

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EXTRA CREDIT: 

http://youtu.be/xM22B6IotYY

Peer Review: Herman Miller

Scott's blog was very informative and descriptive. I would have liked to see a few more pictures.

Ashley's blog was very well done. Her information flowed together and her pictures were awesome. 

Herman Miller

Herman Miller was founded in 1906 and was originally named the Michigan Star Furniture Company. In 1909 it changed to the Michigan Furniture Company. D.J. Dupree became president of the company in 1919 and his father-in-law, Herman Miller, gave him money to stabilize the company. Therefore D.J. changed the name of the company to Herman Miller. In 1933 the first line of modern furniture was exhibited in Chicago. Designer George Nelson created the Herman Miller logo along with various chairs for the company. Ray and Charles Eames were designers for the company. They designed everything from leg splints to the Solar Powered Do Nothing Machine. Alexander Girard was the firm's textile designer. Max Dupree took over the company. Robert Propst came up with the idea of action office for the company. Bill Stumpf created the most popular chair for the company. The company is located in Zealand, MI and Holland, MI. 

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Peer Reviews

Scott's blog was very informative and his video was very interesting.

Ashley's post was well thought out and her pictures were excellent.

Art Deco: 1920's

The Art Deco movement began at the world fair in Paris, France in 1925. It quickly traveled to the United States. World War I had just ended and people wanted to move away from functionalism. Art Deco is primarily associated with furniture, lamps, textiles, and jewelry. Many Art Deco designers incorporated exotic materials into their works such as ebony, shagreen, zebrawood, and ivory. They were also fascinated by skyscrapers. Designers of this period include Eileen Gray, Paul Frankl, and Joseph Urban. 

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Modernism Peer Reviews

Tiziri gave good background information on Internationalism along with using awesome pictures to represent Le Corbusier's work.

Miryam's blog was well written and the pictures describe the movement well.

Modernism: Le Corbusier

 Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris was born in Switzerland in 1887. In 1917, he moved to Paris, where he took the name "Le Corbusier." He started his career with engraving watch faces. He eventually became interested in art and decoration. He worked on a few local architecture projects. He built his first house in 1907. His designs were anti-cubism. One of his most famous quotes is "A house is a machine to be lived in."

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Emergence of Modernism Peer Reviews

I really like Paige's layout. Her information was well thought out and her pictures were well chosen.

Angie's blog was also well written. Her information was well organized. Her photos were excellent.

Emergence of Modernism: Frank Lloyd Wright

The emergence of Modernism began in 1900 ans continued until the 1950's. It focused on functionalism while embracing industrial design. One of the pioneers of Modernism was Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He worked in the Adler and Sullivan offices in Chicago. He invented organic architecture using unity in planning, materials, structure and site. He created the "architecture of democracy." In 1893, he started his own practice in Oak Park, Illinois.

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EXTRA CREDIT:
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (School of Architecture)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMiLkPFJ7LE

Protomodernism Peer Reviews

Katie's post was very informative and detailed. The pictures were also well chosen.

Stephanie's blog was very descriptive. I loved her pictures and how she put captions underneath her pictures.

Protomodernism 1897-1959

The Deutscher Werbund Movement began in Munich, Germany. It focused on high quality designs that were able to be mass produced. The Vienna Secession made worldwide advances in art, history, philosophy and psychology. There was a lot of interest in culture. Joseph Olbrich, Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Joseph Hoffman and Kolomon Mosser were all designers of this period. The De Stijl Movement occurred in the Netherlands from 1917 o 1931. It focused on elementary shapes and vertical and horizontal lines. Gerrit Rietveld and Piet Mondrien impacted this movement the most. Frank Lloyd Wright was also a designer during Protomodernism. He invented the "Prairie Style" home. He focused on the integration of the house, material, and landscape.


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Art Nouveau Peer Reviews

Emma's blog was very informative. I also really liked the pictures she chose.


I like how Micah described her photos along with explaining the movement. Well done!

Art Nouveau 1890-1910

The Art Nouveau Movement was from 1890 to 1910. Some characteristics of this movement included rejection of Victorian styles, designs based on nature, use of modern materials, use of modern techniques, electric lighting, curvilinear forms, and use of decorative ornamentation. The movement was popular in Belgium and France. The artists and designers of this movement were inspired by nature and Japanese art. Designs of this movement typically included flowers, birds, vines, and insects. Victor Horta was the most influential designer of this movement. He was a Belgian architect, designer and teacher. He was best known for unique iron railings and hardware,  stenciled walls and ceilings, asymmetrical façade, twisted iron balconies, large glass window frames, and curvilinear nature related details. Hector Guimard was the most significant designer in Paris. He designed the entrance to the Paris Metro. His designs were manufactured but looked handmade. The Art Nouveau Movement was also popular in Spain, Germany, and Scandinavia.

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Extra Credit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIwdAErlKc

Arts and Crafts Movement Peer Reviews

Amanda M.'s post was very informative and well done. I also enjoyed the video she chose for extra credit.


Happy's post was very well done as well. Her pictures perfectly exemplified the movement. I also like her page's background.

Arts and Crafts Movement 1860-1910

The Arts and Crafts movement began in England. It was a movement that rebelled against the ornate and overdone collections of the Victorian movement. The founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement was William Morris. He believed that the Industrial Revolution created unattractive environments. He owned his own company (Morris, Marshall & Faulkner) and his work focused on church decoration, stained glass, textiles, and furniture. The eight major characteristics of the furniture of this movement are that they were hand-made.,based on medieval designs,  the wood joints were visible, influenced by shaker furniture, made of wood oak, simple design, heavy, and large exposed hinges. The Morris chair is the symbol of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was designed by Phillip Webb. The movement was later transformed by Edwin Godwin, who incorporated Japanese design elements into his work. In the second generation of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Charles Voysey was the first to use painted wood in his designs. When the Arts and Crafts movement became popular in the United States, Gustav Stickley invented the Sette chair and the reclining chair. The bungalow style also became popular in the United States. The later period of the Arts and Crafts Movement introduced Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He emphasized exaggerated proportions and used simple geometric forms. His designs led to the freedom of the Art Nouveau Movement.

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EXTRA CREDIT:

Mackintosh: Glasgow School of Art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuEcXjDci-8