Art Nouveau

This movement emerged in arts and architecture in the late 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century and was aimed to modernize the design and for who was seeking a gateway from traditional historic arts and design. A great emphasis  of this movement was to create a new era in design and fine arts that contrast and take over the traditional repetition of arts such as traditional paintings and sculptures into a decorative form of art.

Artist which were working during this movement drew inspiration from both geometrical and mainly organic shapes with mainly inspiring themselves from nature with development to work which illustrates flow in design which is combined with natural forms.

A characteristic of manufacturing of product during the Art Nouveau period was the revival of thoughts such as that of William Morris to produce products with aesthetically value but with the use of mass production such as that of the industrial revolution which produced mass produced products which were poorly made without any valuable craftsmanship. The idea was to combine both William Morris idea of using good craftsmanship combined with the idea of production developed in the industrial revolution to produced a modern designed product.

Products designed and produced during the Art Nouveau movement contains a considerable element of nature inspiration as in the majority of the products leaves, insects and other natural elements are the main feature in the design of the product. Some elements shown in the design of products reassembles patterns from products from which were produced by William Morris himself. A characteristic which was later more emphasized in other movement such as Modernism and Bauhaus was the development of a design which was aesthetically pleasing but relates to it's function.

Form relates to function

Art Nouveau apart from being a strong movement when it comes to fine arts, it inspired and left its mark in architectural design. It left an considerable amount of inspiration and impact in architecture especially in major cities in Europe such as Paris, Prague and Vienna. The design in architecture is the same as that of arts  with inspiration from natural elements which illustrates natural organic flow. Apart from architecture the Art Nouveau style was even introduced in urban improvements such as new design of street signs and street furniture. A later movement which was progressed after Art Nouveau was Art Deco especially in architecture. characteristics of Art Deco architecture were decorative pieces which dominates the top of the buildings such as the Empire State Building.

Art Nouveau in Architecture

Empire State Building

Reference

Art Nouveau from a historical perspective | Art Nouveau. 2013. Art Nouveau from a historical perspective | Art Nouveau. [ONLINE] Available at:http://aboutartnouveau.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/art-nouveau-in-history/. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013. Art Nouveau | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau & Art Deco as Design Inspiration | Design Work Life. 2013. Art Nouveau & Art Deco as Design Inspiration | Design Work Life. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designworklife.com/2013/08/27/art-nouveau-art-deco-as-modern-design-inspiration/. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Pop Design

Pop Design is the term used in the 1950's which referred to popular culture with later introduction of a group called The Independent which was founded in London in 1952. The members of this group were Richard Hamilton, Edwardo Paolozzi, Reyner Banham and Peter and Alison Smithson.

The pop culture was against the normality and  in design this era was filled with experimentation and other elements which contrasted the normality in design. Before the introduction of Pop Design in the 1960's  Germany and Italy were very famous to develop and produce very good design but during the time of Pop Design some designers started to think as anti design which led to different contrasting ideas in the design industry. They went all out against the traditional design which was famous during the time.


Joe Colombo:

Tube chair - PVC, Foam and fabric. 1955

Joe Colombo was an Italian painter and sculptor and a positive thinker designer who wanted to create something new. he used to experiment with different materials which were uncommon in product design in that time which were materials such as Fiberglass, PVC and Polyethylene. He wanted to create a new environment in domestic life.

one of the materials which exited Colombo was plastic as he visioned the possibilities of the material in product design. During his time in 1950's Italian designers urged manufacturers and shown them the great possibilities of increasing sales when product design is used in the manufacturing process of products and apart from the function the aesthetics are very important for the client. We can look at the result in today's manufacturing world as every product is specifically designed by an industrial designer.

During the same time two other designer were experimenting in new techniques of using traditional material. Ray and Charles Eames are the pioneers of wood bending. They were experimenting with the bending of wood at the same time that other designers were experimenting with new material such as plastic.The difference in Ray and Charles Eames work is that their furniture is rather formal which contrasts the products that were being made by designers such as Joe Colombo.

The Eames lounge chair

Today we have some designers that combine the techniques of both designers and input their discoveries in materiel in their work. Tom Dixon  is a clear example as he uses wood bending in some of his products and even plastics. Although he uses plastics for his work his designs are far from the ones that Joe Colombo used to design as they are more on the side of Ray and Charles Eames.

Tom Dixon Chair

Reference:

Pop Art and the Independent Group. 2013. Pop Art and the Independent Group. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.warholstars.org/warhol1/10independent.html. [Accessed 28 December 2013].

Joe Colombo / Design Museum Collection : - Design/Designer Information. 2013. Joe Colombo / Design Museum Collection : - Design/Designer Information. [ONLINE] Available at: http://designmuseum.org/design/joe-colombo. [Accessed 28 December 2013].

Peter Eisenman

Peter Eisenman is an American architect, theorist, writer and a lecturer. He showed the interest in architecture at a very young age when he started sketching with his father and tried to build models of buildings and cities by using wood blocks. Once Eisenman quoted that “The “real architecture” only exists in the drawings. The “real building” exists outside the drawings. The difference here is that “architecture” and “building” are not the same".

Before Peter Eisenman started his own architectural firm, he was a lecturer and a theorist. In 1967 Peter founded the IAUS ( Institute Of Architecture and Urban Studies) which he was the director of until 1982.

During an exhibition which was held in the Museum of Modern Art he met a group of young architects which he associated himself with which later were known as "The Whites". Eisenman was generally called as the leader of the group. The other members included Charles Gwathmey, Michael Graves, Richard Meier '56, and the late John Hejduk.

In 1980 Peter Eisenman founded his own architectural firm in New York. He embarked the journey in his career whit a number of projects which contradicted work of other architects as his work was characterized by dis-concerning forms, angles and materials which normally were not used. His work is considered as Deconstructive. It is known as a movement which contraindicated the work of Modernist Movement. The difference is that in the Modernist Movement the majority of the characteristics of the buildings were that buildings were made up of geometrical shapes and in uniform shapes. In work such as Peter Eisenman's work the architects 'tempered' with the shape of the buildings to create something different which contrasted the work of the previous architects. Their work was like a 'fight' against the normality of the modern design and they came out with a contrasting answer. This was one of the starting point of some of the contemporary architecture that we know today. Some other architects with the same idea of architectural design are Rem Koothass and Frank Gehry.

Although the Deconstructivists such as Peter Eisenman changed all the characteristics of aesthetics of the building, some principals remained the same such as the used of unnecessary structure which normally are used for supporting structures, The same method used even in Roman architecture is used in some of modern and deconstructive architecture. Some other characteristics are the materials and how materials are used such as the steel frames used especially when the building have odd shapes which are not normally used. In cases like this the same techniques are used such as those which were mainly introduced in the international style which consists of steel support which then will be covered to support the exterior shell of the building. When this techniques are used the amount of concrete construction is reduced as are not much needed as support as the steel frame makes the majority of the building structure.

Another architect which is dominating the architectural scene is Zaha Hadid. She is a clear example of the progress done during times such as from modernism to Deconstructivism. She design buildings with characteristics similar to Peter Eisanman buildings which make every building a unique piece to be admired.

Reference:

Deconstructive architecture. 2013. Deconstructive architecture. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/4kks/deconstructivepdf. [Accessed 28 December 2013].

ArchDaily | Broadcasting Architecture Worldwide. 2013. ArchDaily | Broadcasting Architecture Worldwide. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.archdaily.com/. [Accessed 28 December 2013].

Peter Eisenman Biography. 2013. Peter Eisenman Biography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://rhodesprofessors.cornell.edu/RhodesProfsEisenman.html. [Accessed 28 December 2013].

The Development in Architecture and Construction Methods

Maltese Prehistoric temples 

Architecture sometimes is has its importance underestimated by the majority of population that are not into design. one has to be more aware the work done by architects and  designer who spend and invest a considerable amount of time thinking how they are going to improve the lives of people.

The development in architecture started from prehistoric times especially when it come to temples. The emphases on construction of temples started from prehistoric times. In Malta we are fortunate enough that we can still enjoy temples from as far as 5000 BC. We can see the importance of the building by the scale of materials used and the layout of the construction. The building of a temple was always placed in a part of importance in cities. This characteristic can be seen even in Greek architecture. In Greece the temples were build as a focal point in the city. Temples were built in every city of Greece and even in cities that Greece conquered from around the Mediterranean.

Roman Architecture Features

Greek Temples

One of the most importation thing in construction is the material used. in prehistoric times  limestone was generally used with other materials such as soil. The Greeks also used limestone as their construction material and added marble as another material which is known for its properties such as strength. The Greeks then improved their technique in construction which was successful as their buildings still stands today. The Greeks build their building with limestone and marble which were held in place by the insertion of bronze or iron pins set into molten lead which served as a system to withstand earthquakes. This construction method was later developed and is still under development today especially in areas which are frequently hit by earthquakes such as japan.

Reinforced concrete and the use of pillars as support for more ground space.

one of the developments that  were achieved in time was the use of steel as a reinforcement. steel was later used as a material to reinforce concrete which made the material stronger and more flexible which contrast the brittle material that was before reinforcement. An architect which improved and introduced more the reinforced concrete to the architectural world was Le Corbusier. He started to introduce steel reinforced concrete. his concept was to make buildings stronger with more space available to the user. by the introduction of stilts and columns similar to the technique used by Greek architects, Le Corbusier managed to get rid of internal supporting walls which gave more interior space to the building.

The use of columns in Greek times gave the architects to construct higher buildings with larger interior space as these building were temples. later the Roman architects used similar techniques and improved and invented other construction methods such as the Arch which contrasted to the triangular support used by the Greeks in their construction. In addition, columns were used by roman architects  even when they were not needed as structural support, the purpose was to give the building more traditional and familiar look. This is a similar approach that the architects of Deconstructivism too in their design as some of the buildings components were made for aesthetically value rather then for functional matter in contrast to the architects of the International Style which used methods such as pillars and stilts to remove interior support walls from more spacious environment.

Construction using steel frame instead of concrete stilts.

Later, in today's architecture, even the used of stilts were improve as some architects are using steel frame as a construction method especially when the building consists of a strange design especially when organic shapes are used such as some buildings of Peter Eisenman and Zaha Hadid.

Without any doubt the improvement which was achieved all over the years is impressive and in today's world we are fortunate enough to have a lot of technology which enable testing of different new methods that can improve construction and architecture .

Reference:

Greek Architecture -- Ancient History Encyclopedia. 2013. Greek Architecture -- Ancient History Encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ancient.eu.com/Greek_Architecture/. [Accessed 23 December 2013].

MY ARCHITECTURAL MOLESKINE®: PETER EISENMAN IN TOKYO: KOIZUMI LIGHTING THEATER. 2013. MY ARCHITECTURAL MOLESKINE®: PETER EISENMAN IN TOKYO: KOIZUMI LIGHTING THEATER. [ONLINE] Available at: http://architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.com/2011/11/peter-eisenman-in-tokyo.html. [Accessed 23 December 2013]

Roman Architecture -- Ancient History Encyclopedia. 2013. Roman Architecture -- Ancient History Encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ancient.eu.com/Roman_Architecture/. [Accessed 23 December 2013].

 Greek Architecture: Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian? - For Dummies . 2013.Greek Architecture: Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian? - For Dummies . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/greek-architecture-doric-ionic-or-corinthian.html. [Accessed 23 December 2013].

Architecture in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks. 2013. Architecture in Ancient Roman - Crystalinks. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html. [Accessed 23 December 2013].

Le Corbusier - The Push Forward to Modern Construction

At a young age started training as a watchmaker but later changed his path to another industry , that of architecture. After his training as a watchmaker Le Corbusier started studying art at the age of 13 with specialization  in art history, drawing and the nature aesthetics of Art Nouveau which contrast the type of work he produced later in his life and career.

Le Corbusier

After the studying of art, he started architecture design at a yearly age. By 1907, at the age of 20 Le Corbusier designed his first house. He later traveled around Europe, an experience which later led to different apprenticeships with various architects. one of the most significant apprenticeship of  Le Corbusier which later reflected in his work was with structural engineer Augusto Perret who was one of the father of re-enforced concrete construction. In today's world, most of the time we don't even notice the importance of the work done from people such as Augusto Perret and Le Corbusier as we take their work and discoveries for granted.

After 1912 Le Corbusier  improved his knowledge on concrete reinforced structural frame which for the time was an improved modern technique. another concept of Le Crobusier is that of prefabricated housing. this king of construction is widely used around the world for construction of houses and mass housing. This construction method is cost effective and is finished in less time than building on site. The concept of Le Corbusier was that he uses the techniques that Henry Ford invented years before, that of the mass produced products manufactured in an assemble line. He intended to used the mass produced pre fabricated homes to help rebuilding the city after the war.

Henry Ford Assembly line

Some characteristics int he work of  Le Corbusier was the use of roof terraces which is still used in today's architecture and now a days is emphasized characteristics to make the building amalgamate with nature, open plan floor which gives more space to the people in the building which was possible by the use of supportive structure such as pillars which enables the architect to remove internal supportive walls which gives more interior space. Another characteristic in Le Corbusier architecture which is still being widely used in our contemporary architecture is the use of large horizontal windows which dominates the ornamentation free facade which contrast to other architecture from other movement such as Art Nouveau and was used to give let the maximum amount of light inside and is a feature that invites the outside to the inside.

Le Corbusier Architecture

Art Nouveau Architecture

Le Corbusier was obsessed with the idea of perfection which he related to one of his inspiration that of bees and honeycomb. He emphasized with cleanliness efficiency. He was even inspired by industrial form and industrial production such as automobile manufacturing..

Although Le Corbusier was one of the pioneers of modern methods in architecture such as the introduction of larger interior by the use of pillars, stilts and reinforced concrete structure, one has to give credit to Greek architect which started to used pillars as early as 438 BC. One has to keep in mind the lack of technology that architects had in that era. With no credit removed from Le Corbusier work, we have to give part of the credit to Greeks which may had been as an inspiration to Le Corbusier and other Architects which by the help of each other we can now build more comfortable buildings with better use of space than before.

Greek Temples

One of Le Corbusier's dream was to build some sort of mass housing buildings. This dream came to reality after in 1925/26 he designed a city for workers which consists of 40 houses in the style of Citrohan house of Pessac. Unfortunate for Lecorbusier the authorities refused to route public water supply to the complex because of the chosen colors which were marked as provocative to hostility. This decision left the city uninhabitable for 6 years.

Citrohan House of Pessac

His idea of mass housing and mass city building backfired at some point as some critics marked Le corbusier's work as " charmless tower blocks" and labeled Le Corbuier as the father of all this. Although he was criticized at some point, one cannot argue about the work that was done by him and the advance in construction technology which was followed by more development which gave use the opportunity of buildings of the sort that we have today.

Reference:

 Le Corbusier Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com . 2013.Le Corbusier Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/le-corbusier-9376609?page=3. [Accessed 19 December 2013].

 Fondation Le corbusier . 2013. Fondation Le corbusier . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/. [Accessed 19 December 2013].

LeCorbusier. 2013. LeCorbusier. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/Corbu.html. [Accessed 19 December 2013].

MoMA | The Collection | Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (French, born Switzerland. 1887–1965). 2013. MoMA | The Collection | Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) (French, born Switzerland. 1887–1965). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=3426. [Accessed 19 December 2013].

Parthenon. 2013. Parthenon. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/parthenon.html. [Accessed 19 December 2013].