Contextual and Cultural Referencing in Art and Design: Context that Changed Design

“The Modern Movement ……”

So far I have written about several art movements, different design styles and designers - starting from the Arts and Crafts Movement up to the Organic Design - and in my writings I have often referred to the Modern Movement or mentioned Modernism.

But what exactly was the Modern Movement?

Today I am going to touch on those movements and styles (that I have already included in my Blog) that are associated with the Modern Movement.

The Modern Movement in Design was actually initiated in the mid-19^th century by certain designers who wanted to reform their society by introducing a new approach to design. Such designers include John Ruskin and William Morris. As I explained earlier on, Morris was against the industrial production during the Victorian era. He favoured handcraftsmanship and he practiced what he advocated. The reforming ideas of Morris – mainly the simplicity, suitability, practicality and the good quality of the products, as well as his suggestion that design could be used as a tool to bring about good social changes – had a very important impact on the early origins of the Modern Movement. Then, as I have mentioned before, several craft-based guilds and workshops, especially in Britain, Germany and America, were founded because they were encouraged by the ideas of Morris.

Mia Minneapolis Institute of Arts, (2013), British Arts and Crafts [ONLINE].

Available at: http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/BAC.jpg

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Gradually it was understood that industrial production was important too in order for the reforming ideas to be realized. This was the time when the Deutscher Werkbund was founded in 1907 – a foundation that stressed on functionality. By getting rid of the unnecessary decorations the Deutscher Werkbund developed greater efficiency when it came to the production and to the material used, and this brought about benefits both to the user and the producer. This was the modern approach to design. The elimination of decoration was also recommended by De Stijl (in fact, when I wrote about De Stijl, I mentioned that the works were extremely simple) while the Constructivists and Futurists praised machine work and industrial production. Even Walter Gropius, who founded the Bauhaus in 1919, realized that Modernism was essential, after the wreck left behind by the First World War. Gropius put into practice the reforming ideals of those who initiated Modernism. And so, in the 20^th century, Bauhaus which promoted functionalism, industrial production techniques and state-of-the-art materials became associated with Modernism.

The Art History Archive, (2013), Peter Behrens, 1908 [ONLINE].

Available at: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/european/images/Deutscher-Werkbund-02.jpg

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Mia Minneapolis Institute of Arts, (2013), De Stijl [ONLINE].

Available at: http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/Destijl.jpg

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Mia Minneapolis Institute of Arts, (2013), Bauhaus [ONLINE].

Available at: http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/Bauhaus.jpg

[Accessed 03 December 13]

By 1927 the International Style of Modernism had already developed and Le Corbusier played an important role in promoting this new approach to design, even though his designs were much less practical than those produced at the Bauhaus. However, modernism almost came to an end when the Industrial Style promoters started going to extremes and distorting the social aims of Modernism.

architectures, (2013), A Crisis, For Real [ONLINE].

Available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nrOHNPouiwGIHfoltE2kZZG2eJpUJYxntkJ1OFF-oUASrp2eX9vLMZQDLiZ0DFPRqPsLmflwSee8ok9jmT1JHGKb2J7B55vALdkk7bvZjo6Lkl7tgOr2fPQpEoqpIR-JnLKcy3dWyGI/s400/villa_savoie2.jpg

[Accessed 03 December 13]

Thanks to Alvar Aalto and other Scandinavian designers, a humanizing form of Modernism was initiated – the Organic Design – which inspired a new generation of Modern Movement designers, including Charles Eames that I mentioned recently.