Week 6 Blog: Protomodernism Pt. 1 & 2

 Week 6 Blog: Protomodernism Pt. 1 & 2


Protomodernism took place between 1897-1959. It projects containing the seeds of Modernism, rejects Historical Styles and “ornamentation”, and experiments with form and ideas. 


The Deutscher Werkbund Movement worked its way around Munich, Germany, Vienna, Austria, and Berlin, Germany. The purpose of the movement was to have the highest quality design to the mass-produced output. It was also a major influence on the early careers of Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and Mies Van Der Rohe. The Deutscher Werkbund Movement is the equivalent to the Art's and Crafts Movement. It protested against artistic establishment, but it also embraced the use of the machine. It also set the stage for the international and Art Deco Styles. 


The Werkbund Exhibition (1914)


The Vienna Secession led to worldwide advances in art, history, psychology, and philosophy. There was a newfound interest in culture and design, as well as, the unity of the arts, and Bauhaus style architecture. Artists and designers that worked in this period built on different theories and writings that protested against Historicism but did not embrace Art Nouveau. 


Vienna Exhibition building (proto-modern) built by Joseph Olbrich (1867-1908)


The Ernest Ludwig House in Darmstadt, Germany by Joseph Olbrich


The Kiss and The Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), a Japanese and Byzantine inspired painter of arts and design known for his gold leaf paintings, murals, and objects of arts 


The Postal Savings Bank in Vienna 1904 by architect, urban planner, designer, teacher, and writer, Otto Wagner (1841-1918), inspired by the industrial style and construction method. 


Postal Savings Bank Furniture (Chair and Stool)


Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffman, and Kolomon Moser were also very important to this period and movement style. 


Cafe Museum Chair


Morris Chair

Club Chair

Other important designers and architects from the Proto-Modernist period are De Stijl, Gerrit Rietveld, Piet Mondrian, Frank LLoyd Wright, 


Schroder House


ZIg Zag Chair


“Prairie Style House”


Current/Modern Applications



One Step Further:

It was very difficult to decide which amazing architect to further research because the lesson mentioned Frank Llyod Wright, Gerrit Rietveld and more! However, I decided to go with Mies Van der Rohe because I think that his Farnsworth House has been such an inspiration in studio classes to be with the Farnsworth Visitors Center House and my Precedents Project, The Glass House, which was inspired by Meis’ The Farnsworth. Meis Van der Rohe was born March 27, 1886 – August 17, 1969. He was a German-American architect, academic, and interior designer, pioneers of modern architecture and the last director of the Bauhaus, a ground-breaking school of modernist art, design and architecture in the 1930s.

Comments

  1. Cara VeenstraMarch 1, 2025 at 6:09 AM

    Hi Grace! Great blog! You had a really great summary of this movement and I love the pictures you included to support it. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gina ChristopherMarch 1, 2025 at 12:46 PM

    Hi Grace, I think you covered all the information this week well. I also I really enjoyed your current application photos of the interiors and exterior. Great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor VanderNoordaaMarch 1, 2025 at 2:21 PM

    Grace,
    Excellent thorough summary of this movement. You covered all of the influencers of this movement that spread throughout Europe and the United States. I loved the image of the Ernest Ludwig House in Darmstadt. You also covered many of the famous pieces of furniture of this time.
    You modern examples were strong and diverse. I also appreciated your deeper dive into Mies Van der Rohe. Well done! 50/50 points

    ReplyDelete
  4. Irma HernandezMarch 1, 2025 at 3:41 PM

    Hi Grace you choose great images and I like your one step futher of Frank Llyod Wright and added an example of his work on your blog

    ReplyDelete

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