Lecture 21: Modernism in Transition: Tradition, Art Deco, and Regionalism
Understanding the Transitional Period in Modern Architecture
Historical Context: The course has previously covered the origins of the modern movement, including Chicago developments, Frank Lloyd Wright, Art Nouveau, Vienna, the Bauhaus building, the Van Nelle Factory, and the Weissenhof Housing Exhibition.
Nature of the Transition: Many architects did not adopt modernism abruptly. Instead, they moved through a transitional period where works were modern in some capacities but traditional in others.
Characteristics of Transitional Works:
These works are not as avant-garde as the high modern movement but are also not examples of the eclecticism seen in the century.
They represents an attempt to find a middle ground between the "new" and the "past."
There is no unified "school" or across-the-board consistency; each architect pursued an individual direction.
Peter Vilhelm Jensen-Klint and Danish Tradition
Background: Peter Vilhelm Jensen-Klint was an unusual figure who was trained as an engineer, practiced as an artist (painting, ceramics, furniture), and did not start working as an architect until age .
Influences: His work draws heavily on Nordic traditions, specifically the stepped-gable forms found in Hanseatic cities of southern Sweden and Denmark.
Key Work: Grundtvig's Church (Copenhagen, Denmark):
Exterior: Constructed of brick masonry with prominent stepped gables. It lacks significant historical ornamentation, relying instead on its massive, powerful form to balance past and present.
Interior: The speaker suggests the interior is more impressive than the exterior because historical references fall away in favor of high-quality construction.
Construction Details: The space is defined by brick columns, brick arches, and percent brick vaults. There is no "fuzzy" decorative detail to distract from the sheer form of the space.
Emotional Resonance: While not part of the Expressionist movement, the building possesses immense emotional power due to its scale and material purity.
Erik Gunnar Asplund and the Stockholm Public Library
Background: Erik Gunnar Asplund was a Swedish architect who transitioned from a Neoclassical designer to a modern one. A trip to Greece and Italy before World War I exposed him to classical architecture.
Key Work: Stockholm Public Library (1920s):
Geometrical Composition: The building consists of a U-shaped volume surrounding a central cylindrical volume. It sits on a platform or podium.
Urban Integration: The podium contains shops and cafes facing the street, engaging with the urban condition, while the back faces a park.
Design Evolution: Asplund's sketches show a process of constant simplification and "stripping away" of classical details.
The Cylinder (Rotunda): The central space features a high cylindrical volume with a clerestory of windows wrapping around the top.
Historical Connection: The interior features three tiers of book shelves with balconies. This is a direct reference to the Etienné-Louis Boullée project for a National Library seen earlier in the term. Asplund adapted Boullée's longitudinal tiers into a circular arrangement.
Auguste Perret: Reinforcing Tradition with Concrete
Background: Auguste Perret was a pioneer in using reinforced concrete for non-industrial buildings, such as apartment buildings and parking garages. He was a mentor/employer to Le Corbusier.
Key Work: Notre-Dame du Raincy (Le Raincy, France):
Location: Situated in a suburban town outside of Paris, accessible by train.
Exterior Forms: Though using modern materials, the form remains traditional with a gable and a central steeple. The steeple consists of tall, slender reinforced concrete columns.
Construction Materials: The walls are made of concrete block infill. Some blocks are perforated and filled with glass, acting as stained glass.
Interior and Structural Innovation:
Plan: It follows a traditional Basilica plan with a nave, side aisles, and a chancel.
Roof: Utilizes "thin shell" concrete in the form of barrel arches. The form itself provides strength, allowing the concrete to remain relatively thin.
Stained Glass Walls: The building functions almost as a glass cage. This is a modern interpretation of the French Gothic tradition (e.g., Chartres, Bourges, and Sainte-Chapelle).
Philosophical Underpinnings: The design evokes Saint Augustine's quote: "The walls of the City of God are encrusted with jewels." The stained glass serves as a manifestation of this theological ideal.
Eliel Saarinen and the Cranbrook Academy of Art
Early Career: Saarinen was the foremost Finnish architect of his generation. He moved to the United States in after placing second in the Chicago Tribune Building competition.
Chicago Tribune Entry: His project was a "harbinger" of the setback skyscraper, emphasizing strong verticals and stepped-back massing to prevent streets from becoming dark canyons.
Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan):
Location: Approximately miles northwest of Detroit.
Campus Design: Saarinen designed an ensemble of buildings and landscapes. The sequence of spaces—quadrangles, arches, and gardens—is more significant than any single building.
Ethos of Craft: Saarinen emphasized craft and artisans. He believed that quality craftsmanship was a way to "redeem" mass production by providing workers with an ethical, specialized existence rather than mindless assembly line work.
Saarinen Residence: Features a mix of traditional forms and Art Deco interiors. It includes tubular chrome-plated steel chairs influenced by the Bauhaus but modified for comfort.
Museum and Later Buildings: These often resemble classical forms stripped to their absolute minimum, focusing on spatial sequences and high-quality materials.
The Art Deco Movement (Style Moderne)
Origins: The term comes from the "Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes" in Paris.
Terminology: Distinct from the Modern Movement, it was initially called "Style Moderne."
Relationship to Modernism: "True" modernists like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius rejected Art Deco, seeing it as a dead-end attempt to continue traditionalism through new surface decoration.
Phases of Art Deco:
Early Phase (1920s): Influenced by the Paris Exposition; characterized by zigzags, chevrons, and stylized organic motifs.
Late Phase (1930s): Influenced by "Streamlining." This drew from the aesthetics of speed and aerodynamics (e.g., locomotives, automobiles). This style was applied to stationary objects like clock radios to make them look contemporary.
Zoning Influence: The New York City Zoning Ordinance of (referenced by the speaker as around ) required setbacks on tall buildings to allow light to reach the street. Hugh Ferriss produced influential renderings exploring these requirements.
Case Studies in Art Deco: Chrysler and Rockefeller
The Chrysler Building (William Van Alen, 1928–1930):
Status: Briefly the tallest building in the world before being surpassed by the Empire State Building.
Technology and Program: The building uses a steel frame and acts as a "loft space." The architect designed the shell, core (elevators/lobbies), and systems, while tenants hired their own designers for interior layouts.
Decorative Motifs: Features stylized automobile-related elements, including hubcaps, wheels, and gargoyles that resemble Chrysler hood ornaments.
The Spire: The spire was hidden inside the building and "popped out" at the end of construction to secure the title of the world's tallest building.
Rockefeller Center (Manhattan, New York):
Urban Design Achievement: A massive complex of buildings on the Manhattan grid that introduced a private cross-street to enhance pedestrian friendliness.
Key Features: Includes the "Channel Gardens" (a pedestrian walkway from Fifth Avenue to the central plaza) and the famous winter ice rink.
Art Deco Details: While the buildings are slabs of steel and stone, the Art Deco influence is found at the pedestrian level in decorative reliefs, sunburst motifs, and starry patterns signifying contemporary life.
Regionalism: Modernism in Context
Definition: An attempt to create architecture that is modern in its composition and functionalism but specific to a particular climate and place.
Reaction to Universalism: Regionalists opposed the "International Style" idea that buildings should be the same everywhere. They specifically reacted against Le Corbusier's idea that every interior should be tuned to a constant degrees regardless of location.
William Wurster (California):
Philosophy: Drew from "vernacular" or ordinary architecture—the everyday wood buildings of rural Central California.
Gregory Farmhouse: Features a redwood tower (water tower) and functional, plain forms that relate to the dry landscape. It uses free-flowing spaces but maintains a quiet, everyday aesthetic.
Schuckl Canning Company: A redwood building with continuous horizontal strips of windows, cantilevered sunshades, and a floating roof plane for an employee outdoor eating area. It accepts the fact that redwood will weather and age over time.
Harwell Hamilton Harris (Weston Havens House, 1939–1941):
Composition: Located on a Berkeley hillside. Features three large triangular forms that appear to float in space.
Materiality: Built primarily of redwood. Unlike "white" International Style buildings designed to look ageless, this building accepts natural aging.
Space and Light: The house is oriented toward views and a private sunken courtyard. The interior features sloped ceilings designed to make the glass wall dematerialize, creating a seamless flow between the indoors and the outdoor deck.
Regional Specifics: Uses local materials and responds directly to the steep topography of the Bay Area.
Conclusion and Preview
Summary: Transitional architecture shows that the move toward modernism was not a straight line. Various paths included adapting Nordic traditions, exploring concrete's potential, creating decorative "moderne" styles for commerce, or rooting modern forms in regional vernacular.
Looking Ahead: The next lecture (Wednesday) will explore the global spread of the Modern Movement to Finland, Mexico, and Brazil, examining how those nations adapted modernism to their own cultures.