Week 10: Modernism in America I

Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, CA.
by Richard Neutra, 1947.

Modernism is believed to have originated from Germany and France and it quickly spread to a lot of other countries around the world through different mediums like books, magazines, media, exhibitions and the ever-growing travel rates. The Second World War was also a huge factor in pushing Modernism and it's ideas around as it pushed designers to migrate from European countries to Britain and the United States. The war even caused the Bauhaus to close and the threat of the Nazi's in European countries made pioneers of modernism flee to America where they practiced and taught design.

Glass House in New Canaan, CT.
by Philip Johnson, 1949

As the European countries were still recovering from the war as a lot of the fighting happened in
Europe, America was affected less, was in good economic shape and was quickly able to come out of the war around the 1930s and '40s.

Entrance to The Museum of
Modern Art in New York 

Modernism switched from it's known characteristics of theory, seriousness, and idealism during its emergence to a more playful, practical and applied kind of Modernism after the war. There was a lot of experimentation and a rise in the use of molded plywood and plastic. Furniture was also very important and the creation of the colored television at this time created a broader range of options for interiors.

Schindler House in West Hollywood, CA.
by Rudolph Schindler, 1922.

The 1950s were optimistic in America and America, being the world leader economically, encouraged the growth of homeowners by offering government subsidies for first-time homeowners. These homeowners needed furniture for their homes and the manufacturing industry which was previously mainly for military equipment expanded and started to be tailored to meet the need for
furniture.

Here's a  link that gives more of an overview of what Modernism was in America in Literature, Art, and Architecture.

Current Applications:

Benguela Cove in Overberg, South Africa
By Saota Architects, 2017

Interior of Benguela Cove, SA.

MODECO in Los Altos, CA
by Curt Cline of Modern House Architects, 2013.

Interior of MODECO, CA.

One Step Further...

Kronish House in Beverly Hills, CA, 1954.

Richard Neutra was an Austrian-American Architect born in Vienna to a wealthy family. He studied under Adolf Loos at the Vienna University of Technology. He worked as a chief of architecture in a town called Luckenwalde in Germany and then proceeded to work with Erich Mendelsohn but when he moved to America in 1923, he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright before establishing his own practice in 1926. He was a modernist and was known for his great and intense focus on the client.

Lovell House, Los Angeles, CA, 1929.

Something I really appreciated about Neutra that drew me to him was his great focus on clients and meeting their unique needs. He was really good at listening to clients and making buildings paying attention to client needs as well as how the structure would adapt to its environment and the landscape around it. I feel like that is a huge part of what architecture and design is because how efficient is it really if the clients are not comfortable in it, happy with it and able to use it efficiently.

Constance Perkins House in Pasadena, CA, 1955.

He lived and built most of his career in Southern California and was one of the United States' most significant mid-century modernists because of the series of private homes he created with his personalized and flexible version of modernism. The first main project that made him known as a significant Architect in the West Coast was the Lovell House in 1929 and he continued his architecture characteristic of simple geometry and airy steel and glass.

Here are links to virtual looks of two of Neutra's case studies that were never built:
https://www.archdaily.com/780647/a-virtual-look-into-richard-neutras-unbuilt-case-study-house-number-6-the-omega-house
https://www.archdaily.com/870953/a-virtual-look-into-richard-neutras-case-study-house-number-20-the-bailey-house