Modernism_notes


 * MODERNISM... **


 * · How did it start? **

First manifestation of **Modernism** can be seen in furniture and objects of common use. They get a strong ornamental component. It is inspired in delicate flowers and animals in a process that almost comes to abstraction.

Decoration must never be something added to objects, but a part of them intimately connected to its structure. Symmetric systems will be rejected, searching for ondulations called little whip line suggesting liveliness or strength rather than symmetry and regularity. A touch of optimism according to its social class is expressed. Scholars say that Modernism is young, new, blooming... That is why it has received different names: **Art Nouveau** (French for 'new art' ), **Liberty Style** ( from the department store in London, Liberty & Co. ), **Jugendstil** ( German for 'youth style')...


 * Art Nouveau** is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905). A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life.

Although Art Nouveau fell out of favor with the arrival of 20th-century modernist styles, it is seen today as an important bridge between the historicism of Neoclassicism and modernism.

· What is modernism?

**Modernism** is an international style: an urban and bourgeois manifestation. Middle-class opens his mind and becomes cosmopolitan. Fashion is shown in illustrated magazines that spread over Europe. A new necessity of change and innovation is created everywhere. Artists try to create a new style without references to tradition in its ways or subjects.

Modern architecture was adopted by many influential architects and architectural educators, however few modern buildings were build in the first half of the century. It gained popularity after the Second World War and became the dominant architectural style for institutional and corporate buildings for three decades.
 * Modern architecture**, not to be confused with contemporary architecture, it’s a term given to a number of buildings styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. The style was conceived early in the 20th century.


 * MODERNISM IN BARCELONA: **

Before introducing the Catalan Art Nouveau (named in Catalan "Modernisme"), it is interesting to know it's European context.


 * ENGLAND**: The first references of Art Nouveau are in England with the works of John Ruskin (1819-1900), influenced by gothic art, he published an enormous quantity of books on literature, painting, architecture, sculpture, aesthetics, and a lot of other social themes. His extraordinary taste for any type of art allowed him to value the primitive Italian painters, and the English pre-Raphaelites or Turner. He was an art propagandist. His ideas had been influencing the Arts and Crafts movement who highlight the return to the nature, beautiful designs, graceful shapes, undulations, with a fascinating charm, in which are represented vegetables, flowers, insects, fishes, dragons and coloured birds. The Art Nouveau gets its expression in different art shapes, like stone front walls, ceramics, and forged iron, interiors with curved walls, frequently with an exuberant ornamentation.


 * SCOTLAND**: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, his wife Margaret and his sister in law Frances Macdonald are recognized as the top representatives of Art Nouveau with his Institute of Fine Arts of Glasgow (1897-1909).


 * BELGIUM:** where (1861-1947) build rejecting historical styles, creating the bases of modern architecture. In the same country, (1863-1957), a painter and architect, developed also an architecture with a style breaking the traditional tendencies. In Belgium the Art Nouveau takes partially a different orientation not in decorative arts, but specially in architectonic shapes, because in some buildings of Horta and Van del Velde, the curve is not the predominant line. That is evident in the "Maison du peuple" a building of Victor Horta in Brussels (demolished in 1954), the Maison Solvay, the Palais Tassel, le Palais d'Aubecq (demolished in 1952) all of them in Brussels, the Palais de Belles Arts in Tournai and in some buildings of Van de Velde as Bloemenwerf (1896) in Uccle and the Haus Leuring (1903) in Schveningen (Netherlands).


 * FRANCE:** (1867-1942) shows in his works for Paris Metro stations and other buildings as Maison Louis Colliot 1897 in Llille, the Castel Béranger, the Palais León Nozal 1902, the Concert Hall Humbert de Romans, the Chalet Blanc in Cabourg -Normandie-, the influence of the Modern Style with the "coup de Fouet", expression meaning predominance of curve in Art Nouveau shapes.

France also lived a big expansion of Art Nouveau under the name of Modern Style, with a lot of artists working in search of beautiful shapes in all arts. Some artists had a relevant position in that activity as the painters Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Serusier, Emile Bernard, Georges de Feure, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Gustave Moreau, Felix Vallotton, Victor Prouvé (also designer and sculptor), the sculptor Aristide Maillol, the musicians Claude Achille Debussy and Eric Satie.


 * AUSTRIA:** the Art Nouveau under the name of Sezessionstyl is represented by, an architect who build some exceptional houses in Vienna as Majolikahaus in 1898, the Ankerhaus in 1894, Wagner Palace in 1890/91, and some railway stations. The figure of Gustav Klimt is exceptional in painting and known all around the world.


 * GERMANY**: the precursor of Jugendstyl -German name of Art Nouveau- was Marc Klinger (1857-1920), and other figures are August Endell (1871-1925), architect building the Elvira Haus in 1886 in München, Bruno Paul, Riemerschmid, Pankok, the sculptor Hermann Obrist (1863-1927) and others.

Barcelona's society wanted to see great changes and make great advances, in every field. The great Catalan international exhibitions, like the huge industrial exhibition of 1888 in Barcelona, demonstrated this national pride. Three buildings of the early 1880's seem to mark the beginnings of Modernism : The publishing house of Montaner i Simon(1880), Josep Vilaseca's factory for F. Vidal (1884) and Gaudi's Casa Vicens (1883- 5). All three flow from a revival of a Spanish style: the neo-Mudejar, with the use of Moorish decorative forms and techniques as characteristics. Modernism seems to have begun earlier and ended later than in most countries in Europe. The Modernist architects expressed themselves in different ways, some wanted to revive Romanesque architecture, others imported the French neo-Gothicism of Violet le Duc, others still searching for a modern style in Germany, Austria or France. What seems to be characteristic is the use of nature-forms: flowers, plants and animals, decorative forms in ironwork, ceramics and stained glass. The aim was to create a modern art based on Catalan traditions, mixed with the use of new materials, like cast and wrought iron.
 * · Modernism in Barcelona: **

o **Main architects § Their work § Characteristics of these buildings **

**__ Antoni Gaudi I Cornet: __** The typical characteristics are curved lines, irregular floor plans, diagonally built supports and soft forms based on nature with flower and fauna motifs. Other tendencies were the use of quarry stones and colorful ceramic tiles, a strong creative influence in his buildings. Gaudí scornfully dismissed Gothic arched buttresses as "crutches" and used diagonal pillars instead.




 * __ Lluís Domènech i Montaner: __** An interesting characteristic of Domènech i Montaner's work is the evolution towards lightness that is evident in the Palau de la Música Catalana and which is the very opposite to the weighted structures of Gaudi.




 * __ Josep Puig i Cadafalch: __** Gothic elements are characteristic of Puig i Cadafalch's version of Modernism.