Week 12: Post Modernism

Post Modernism was completely opposite to modernism.  Modernism ran its course for almost two decades and then designers and architects decided it was time to think outside of the box.  Post modernism brought the idea of being abstract and not following the rules.  They got most of their style influence from Art Deco and Pop Art, and even brought back the importance of ornamentation.  During the time of Post modernism, there was a group of five architects and designers who shaped the culture, and they were called the New York 5.  Michael Graves was one of these five men, and he used vivid colors and lots of ornamentation. He said ornamentation brings meaning to a building, and that idea connects back to classical architecture.  Graves was not only in the NY 5, but also apart of the members of Memphis.  It was another group of five men that met in Milan in April 1981 that helped push the Memphis movement in Europe.  Overall, Post Modernism is a reaction to the previous rules not only in architecture but also in the world and they needed to break free from the restraints.

The image on the left was designed by Michael Graves.  The image on the right was a building designed by Peter Eisenman.

The Luxury Housing on the left has a great modern application of post modernism with the abstract, geometric design and the pop of color with the small windows.  The living room on the right shows the open floor plan concept, but the design has furniture pieces that break the laws of physics.  The hanging fireplace and the signature chairs from the Memphis Movement.

ONE STEP FURTHER:

Richard Meier received an education from Cornell University and was part of the NY five.  He was influenced by Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe, who were two very important architects in modernism.  This designer was similar in many ways to the other architects, but he was different when it came to the colors he chose.   His main color was always white because, "Whiteness allows the architectural ideas to be understood most clearly - the difference between opacity and transparency, solid and void, structure and surface.  They have a greater clarity."  One of his great designs can be seen in the Douglas House/Harbor House in Michigan.

The image on the left is the Douglas House which is located in Harbor Springs, Michigan and built between 1971-1973.  The image on the right is the High Museum of Art.  These are both great examples of Meier's Color, Materials, and Design Style.