Modernism, as applied in architecture, is defined as a design language that emphasis on form as opposed to ornament; materials and structure. Modernism entails the attractiveness of constructions that adheres to the efficient and rational utilization of space. Modernism in literary history began in the period around the 1900s and progressed to early 1940s. The modern architecture movements in the US become popular at the beginning of the 1930s, and it had different design movement which expressed the modern models in varied ways. These movements included the Expressionist, New Formalist, International and Googie movements. The nature and meaning of architecture have been explored by Hannes Meyer, Josef Frank, and Bernhard Hoetger. These individuals came up with their different purpose and direction of modern architecture as in the twentieth century.
Meyer in his thesis of the building, define a structure as a biological process. Thus, a building is not considered to be an aesthetic process 1 . In designing a house, it is not only regarded as a machine for a living but also as a biological element that serves the needs of the body and mind. The modern way of building encompasses materials which entail new methods of constructing houses. The materials are organized into a constructive whole by economic principles. Thus, life determines the individual shape, the structure of the body, the material color, and the surface texture. An emotional act of an artist does not justify architecture. Architecture is a continuation of the building traditions which reflects the need for it to be carried along by architectural history. Meyer gave a functional and biological interpretation of what architecture is, which provides shapes to functions of life, logically leading to wholesome construction. It expresses an attitude in architecture that is exhibited internationally. A pure structure forms the basis and the characteristics of new world arrangements 2 .
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Hoetger in his “World of Architecture” considered architecture as the most popular arts of today. The machine age, objectivity, the practice of making construction visible, are attractive recipes and principles, which can make an amateur to outshine the expert. Guidelines for creation of art, promulgated with few, has become the body of knowledge of the vain. The vain strives for objectivity, beautiful floors, for intellect breeds of construction and denial of the creative spirit. An artistic creation and the need for a wise insight will break down all the restriction imposed by the guidelines and the principles. Creativity requires not having a transparent walls, beautiful floors, not construction but synthesis. However, the synthesis is not the aggregate of petty and disputed details but the results of intuitive frenzy. In objective architecture, the vain floor stretches in a larger area, and it endures neither picture nor sculpture, but it is self-sufficient at the place of cosines. The paintings and sculpture will continue to exist in spite of the attempts of the vain to suppress it, and this is because they have kept themselves with time keeping that sets them free from the architecture in attaining a powerful life and their content 3 .
Josef argues that there is no such thing as traditionlessness and it is an impossible task to free oneself from an inherited culture. The machine age is not a new concept, but it was being cultivated in Europe because having similar thoughts helps in distinguishing Europeans from other races of the world. Mechanization has nothing to do with art neither has it influence it in any way. The substitution of art for mechanization which is referred as the new design is not a new concept, but rather the goal of the earlier 19 th century was to substitute art for applied art and applied art for decoration. Whereas the old art become the new art, and the new design is the ancient applied art. The indifference towards incidental, awareness of the world diversity and having the knowledge that emotions contain value and form the foundation of modern life and its symbol of the modern architecture. A modern house can assimilate all the vitality of the current period and still be developed in an old-fashion in entirety. The structure of the modern Germany can be practical, objective, adhered to the principle and guidelines and is always attractive but exhibit no life 4 .
From the analysis of the definition of modern architecture as advanced by Meyer, Josef and Hoetger, it is demonstrated that there has been no explicit agreement on the meaning and direction of modern architecture. Meyer in his definition he suggests an orthodox functionalist apology which has been rejected by both Josef a self-confessed modernist and Hoetger who is an expressionist. Meyer advances that architecture is a continuation of the building traditions which reflects the need for regular application along with architectural history. Meyer gave a functional and biological interpretation of what architecture is, which provides shapes with functions of life, logically leading to wholesome construction. On the other hand, Hoetger suggests that architecture as the most popular arts of today. The machine age, objectivity, the practice of making construction visible, are attractive recipes and principles, which can cause an amateur to outshine the expert. Guidelines for creation of art, promulgated with few, has become the body of knowledge of the vain. Lastly, Josef believes that the indifference towards incidental, awareness of the world diversity and knowing that emotions contain value and form the foundation of modern life and it is a symbol of the modern architecture. A modern house can assimilate all the vitality of the current period and still be developed in an old-fashion in entirety. The modern architecture can be practical, objective, adheres to the principle and guidelines and is always attractive but exhibit no life.
Bibliography
Hoetger, Bernhard. “World Architecture.” In Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture . Edited by Ulrich Conrads, rev., 107-108. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1970.
Josef Frank, “Was is Modern?” In Architecture as Symbol: Elements of the New German Architecture (1931). Edited by Tano Bojankin et al., 133-135. Vienna: Institute for Posttaylorist Studies, 2012.
Meyer, Hannes. “Building.” In Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century Architecture . Edited by Ulrich Conrads, rev., 117-120. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1970.
1 Hannes Meyer, “Building ” In Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century
Architecture, (1928) , edited by Ulrich Conrads, rev., (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1970), 117.
2 Hannes Meyer, “Building ” In Programs and Manifestoes on 20th-Century
Architecture, (1928) , edited by Ulrich Conrads, rev., (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1970), 118.
3 Bernhard Hoetger, “World Architecture” In Programs and Manifestoes
on 20th-Century Architecture, (Worpswede, 1928 ), edited by Ulrich Conrads, rev., (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1970), 107.
4 Josef Frank, “Was is Modern?” Architecture as Symbol: Elements of the New German Architecture (1931), edited by Tano Bojankin et al. (Vienna: Institute for Posttaylorist Studies, 2012), 133-135.
