Chicago Loop area, Wacker Drive

Modern Architectural Forms of the Mid Century (Part 3)

Spread the love

The International Style

I have never liked the designation “International Style”, in particular the “Style” part. We don’t refer to the period after the Renaissance as the “Baroque Style”. Modernism is more of a general term and refers to all of the different forms that architecture took in terms of the modern. “International” indicates that architecture conform to certain ideals that other types of modernistic architecture is not quite willing to adhere to, such as organic architecture.

The main principles of International Style architecture are:

  1. A repudiation of excessive decoration. Stripping down the structure to the framework where it can be deduced or seen.
  2. An emphasis on the space rather than the heft of the structure.
  3. And a rejection of proportionality.

The International Style began in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s and is exemplified by the German Pavilion created by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the Barcelona 1929 International Exposition.

German Pavilion, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1929
German Pavilion, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1929

This building could easily appear in contemporary times. Constructed in rectilinear fashion with a post and lintel system, the overhanging roof and open spaces is emblematic of modern architecture. Decoration is provided by the materials themselves, the stone finishes and the metal supports. All extraneous details are excluded.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The term “International Style” originates from an architectural exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1932 accompanied by an essay written by Henry Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson titled The International Style: Architecture Since 1922. In this work Hitchcock and Johnson laid out the principles and justifications for the Modernist impulse. The exhibition and essay had a tremendous influence on American architecture which persisted through the mid-century and, truth be known, still echoes through contemporary times. I urge those interested in the modernist inclination to read The International Style: Architecture Since 1922. It reads as a manifesto, similar to the various art manifestos of the period.

As an aside, I must mention the tantrum thrown by Frank Lloyd Wright. He removed his offerings at the exhibition, offended by the lack of principal attention.

Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier 1929-30
Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier 1929-30
Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Seagram Building
Seagram Building

The iconic symbol of the International Movement, the Seagram Building, designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, holds an inimitable place among modernist buildings. Made of rich and modern materials, the Seagram Building demonstrates the main tenets of the International Style. Although sometimes also called a Functionalist construction, this building is more aptly called modernist because a building may follow function, but be bedecked with ornamentation and other superfluous decorations. The decoration displays itself as the skeleton and formation of the building without the need for adornment. Needless to say, this building had an incredible influence through the middle of the century.

Ironically, Mies van der Rohe’s attempt to expose the framework of the building did not come to fruition as the result of the building codes that dictated that structural steel be enclosed in concrete in order to prevent failure if exposed to fire. Instead, he framed the windows with bronze toned, non-structural beams to suggest the architectural bones of the building. This indicates how important the notion of the structure exclusively providing the decoration was to the Internationalists.

Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1955
Lake Shore Drive Apartments, Chicago, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1955

These Lake Shore Drive Apartments, 1955, also by Mies van der Rohe, exhibit many of the same features of the Seagram Building. The structure of the buildings are exposed to the viewer and provide the aesthetics. They appear lightweight, supported by the surrounding beams around the bottom. The rectilinear pattern is repeated and transfers from one building to another.

It should be noted that this International Style had more than just a modernist, aesthetic appeal. It was generally less expensive to build than traditional methods with lots of decoration and materials. The quickness of construction, further appealed to the capitalists who generally built the edifice. Besides expense, International Style buildings, or buildings with a steel frame, although pioneered earlier, were seen as the province of the skyscraper. Obviously, masonry buildings or even buildings clad in heavy masonry have huge disadvantages over buildings constructed in this style in terms of weight and possible height. Even so, they appealed to many people who saw artistic merit in them, and therefore, came to dominate the skyline of all modern cities.

New York City Skyline
New York City Skyline

Of course, the International Style was not limited to tall commercial buildings. Its’ importance in residential and small structures can not be underestimated. In fact, the most delicious aspect of International Style in residential structures comes from the ability of architects to control the final product to an extreme degree. There is no question as to exposing the frame of the building or creatively accentuating characteristics of a particular design for aesthetic purposes. Unmasking the steel frame of a building clad in glass provokes little difficulty.

The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson 1949 (Derived from the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe)
The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson 1949 (Derived from the Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe)
The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson 1949
The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson 1949
The Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1951
The Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1951
The Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1951 (as seen in 1971)
The Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 1951 (as seen in 1971)

As can be seen with the Farnsworth House and the Glass House, the open spaces and large expanses of glass predominate the linear designs. We are struck by the seeming weightlessness of the plans accentuated by the feeling of empty space as well as the slender spectre of the post and lintel framework.

One aspect of the International Style seldom mentioned in the literature is the sense of order. The International Style is not a flamboyant, playful expression. It demands a simplified order of taut lines and rectangles. Is it any wonder that many original proponents originated from Germany? The difference between the International Style and others during this time is the same sort of difference between ancient Greek architecture and the forms of the later Imperial Rome or between the Renaissance and the Baroque. For instance, take the Farnsworth House and add a long, gabled roof and substitute Doric columns for the beams and one can begin to visualize the austerity of the International Style. The introduction of decorations and bombastic elements in postmodern architecture becomes understandable.

Another major figure in International architecture is Walter Gropius who founded Bauhaus. His early buildings were a distinct movement in the Modernist direction.

Fagus Factory, Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer 1911-13
Fagus Factory, Alfeld on the Leine, Lower Saxony, Germany, Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer 1911-13
Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany, Walter Gropius 1925-26
Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany, Walter Gropius 1925-26

Forced out of Germany due to the closing of Bauhaus and the rise of the Nazis, Gropius and his family eventually moved to the US where his influence significantly boosted the rise of modernism.

Gropius House, Lincoln, Massachusetts 1938
Gropius House, Lincoln, Massachusetts 1938

Along with Gropius, his protegé, Marcel Breuer also made his way to the US as well as others from the Bauhaus such as Kandinsky and Mies van der Rohe.

Richard Joseph Neutra, an Austrian-American architect, advanced the cause of the International Style and featured prominently in advancing the movement in the United States. His most important building is the Lovell House in Los Angeles.

The Lovell House, Los Angeles, California, Richard Neutra 1928
The Lovell House, Los Angeles, California, Richard Neutra 1928
Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, California, Richard Neutra 1946
Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, California, Richard Neutra 1946

Mainly conforming to the International Style, Neutra, however, believed that architecture should be carefully placed in its’ environment, a feeling shared with the organic architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. As well as architectural work, Neutra wrote several volumes on modern design that are instructive and useful: Survival Through Design, Life and Human Habitat, and Life and Shape, which is an autobiography. These volumes are very much worth a look and can be found through a search on the MCM Groovy Associate Store.

This only scratches the surface of the International Style. Many other important figures brought the style forward. Examination of these individuals are for later articles. In this series, we are now off to the Americanization of the modernist inclination, which is significant and less severe.

HBosler

https://www.midcenturymoderngroovy.com

 

Self-Portrait

Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, an International Style residence by Le Corbusier, 1929–30.ui