Modernism, History, Bauhaus and the World in design(ing)
BDES 1201 — Week 7 — “Modern Design Culture and Theory”
This week`s article is called Design and modernism from the book Twentieth-Century Design. written by Jonathan M Woodham and it discuss history, modernism and how it shaped, influenced design.
Modernism is a movement which involves changes in society that happened between late 19th century and early 20th century. This movement represents cultural and philosophical changes that happened during this time frame, with big events happening in Europe at this time, the ones that stick out were the increasing number of factories, production and the number of workers that create a new social class inside rapid growing cities and the other event that transformed and helped shape this transformation was the war to end all wars (WWI). As Woodham describes “Although modernism has perhaps been most visible in terms of its architectural legacy it nonetheless generated widespread experimentation and production in many fields, including appliances, ceramics, glassware, furniture and fittings, carpets, textiles, typography, posters and wallpaper” modernism did influence many sides of design even though it is more visible in the architectural area. It represented a style focused on being received internationally, by its choice of materials, colors and shapes the modernist design was focused on achieving its goal to be part of an international language that put some of the nationalistic aspects apart for a moment.
Bauhaus
A reputed school of design that started in Germany, more especially in Weimar in April 1, 1919 that was closed in 1933 by the Nazi party in Germany, this marks the fall of Bauhaus and the rise of the third Reich. Bauhaus, a school which used its influence to shape this modernistic era. With growing branches taking over countries, the Bauhaus school spread their vision of what a modern design should be, its shape, its colors, its style. A point which Woodham brings up is that there was a low quantity of women taking classes in the Bauhaus school, that it was something rather by design and not by the lack of will from women. Another point made by the author is that the Bauhaus ended up Obfuscating other design schools that were equally or even more influential to modernism.
Beyond Germany, the modernistic world
Woodham does not stop in Germany, he describes how other countries such as Sweden, Italy, France Hungary, Denmark Britain and Holland also had its contribution to modernism. For example, a famous name from modernism era in France was Le Corbusier, an architect, designer that is considered a pioneer in modern architecture which believed that design as well as architecture should embrace notions of rationalism and standardization. Another country that the author discuss is Italy, Futurism in Italy had people such as Pollini, Terragni and Figini that were considered Rationalists pushing the modernist aesthetic of clean, abstract forms attuned to modern life, materials, and technology.
Conclusion
Throughout this reading I saw that I lean more towards the modernistic style than I thought, I also see a comeback of this style into our design choices, with standardizations, use of geometric figures and limited color schemes. I see an increasing number of modernistic architectural constructions being made, sometimes changing the façade of an old classical building turning it into a modernistic style.
