History of Modernism and Influences
This week’s articles “Design and Modernism” by Jonathan M. Woodham (1997) focuses on the history and how it influences the design field during the Modernism era.
Modernism refers to a global movement in Western society and cultural trends that flourished during the late 19th and early 20th century. It was a radical and logical approach to gain knowledge that yearned to revitalize the way modern civilization viewed life, art, politics, and science. Among the factors that shaped modernism era was the development of modern industrial societies and the rapid growth of cities due to the horror of WWI. Modernists rejected realism and admired the use of minimal and geometric forms of style. “The use of colour was often restrained, with an emphasis on white, off-white, grey and black. When decoration was applied its appearance generally conformed to the abstract aesthetic which had been forged by the artistic Avant Garde in the years leading up to the first World War.” (Woodham, 35). Although modernism influence many aspects of design, it was 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. (Woodham, 35). Additionally, modernism stride away from ornaments and symbolism in design but valued the quality of functionalism meaning “form follows function.”
Modernism in Architecture:
Modernism in Furniture:
Modernism in Graphic Design:
The Birthplace of Modernism: The Bauhaus (1919–1933)
Bauhaus was a German Art school that operated from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. 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. It was founded in Weimar, Germany but due to political problems it was relocated to Dessau and Berlin. (Woodham, 43). Bauhaus was originally influenced by the German expressionism and embraced an ethos of mass production and functionality into their designs which included architecture and industrial designs that you now see in today’s world.
Woodham moves forward to other countries that had the modernistic influence such as France, Italy, Sweden, Britain, Hungary, Denmark and Holland, where they also embraced the philosophies of the modern life, materials and technology. Important figures he mentioned in the textbook was Le Corbusier in France as well as Pollini, Terragni and Figini for Futurism.
In conclusion, I definitely see modernism has evolved and being applied in today’s world whether it is in the graphic design field or architecture field. For example, if you look at TD Tower in 1969, you can see the advancement from before and now is influenced by the modernist era. In addition, the functionalism is also being applied to the digital applications and technologies where I see brands like Apple that uses simple and geometric forms and I believe as designers, we will continue to be influenced for the future advancement.
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Discussion Question:
- What some of the things you see today that has a modernistic style?
- Do you think the future will continue to use the influence of Modernism in the design field? If so, which field and why?
