Friday, December 28, 2012

A Brief Lesson in History Part I: The War to End All Wars


Hello again,

Our world is one of cause and effect; to begin a conversation on the impact of the Case Study House Program, one must first look to the events, individuals and the various movements that made such an undertaking possible, much less, conceivable.

World War One (yes, we’re going back that far) was historically called “The War to End all Wars.” In man’s collective naiveté he actually believed that this, hitherto, unmatched display of violence and bloodshed would never be superseded. History has taught us a harsh lesson through poetic irony; however, that not only did WWI fail to “End All Wars,” but it actually led to a Second World War. I digress: onward.

The beginning of the Twentieth Century ushered in a new understanding of, not only, art and architecture, but also society as a whole. For many of the European nations, the First World War stood as a testament to overwhelming nationalist sentiment and the distinct cultural stratification that eventually led to this unprecedented conflict. Following the war, artist and architects chose to utilize a non-regional, ahistoric aesthetic in an effort to transcend cultural and dogmatic biases to ultimately create an art form of unity.

Many movements developed during this time in many different nations around Europe; among them were the Dutch De Stijl and Italian Futurists. The members of the De Stijl canon believed art should go beyond representation, and instead, serve as a form of universal expression. The Italian Futurists; on the other hand, sought to embrace the wonders of the modern world with all of its technological advancements; these artists and architects used: movement, speed and power as their media. Both: De Stijl and Futurism are prime examples of European Avant Garde as well as stylistic precedents of the Case Study Houses and Modern Architecture as we know it today.

These are only a few example of this monumental developments in the history of art, and only represent the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The Twentieth Century would not pass before realizing a complete and utter revolution of art, architecture and quite possibly Western Civilization at large.

Until next time 

No comments:

Post a Comment