Post-Modernism/ Deconstruction

22 April 2023


During the time of the postmodernism movement, the west showed their support for Israel, therefore, the Middle east and Arab countries cut off the oil supply to the US and Western countries. Due to this decision, there was a global recession which affected people in many ways. Many consumers started to change their outlook on the economy and became "grab what you can get" mentality, which left modernism to stop progressing. 


The colorful image above is a style that derived from post-modernism called "the Memphis Movement." This movement started from a design exhibition in Milan in 1981. The reason for the movement was to deconstruct the style of modernism and take away the strict boundaries and rules that were set in place. The inspiration for the Memphis movement was the popular are called "Pop Art" and the design style "Art Deco." As you can see from observing this image you can see that they wanted to prioritize irony and distortion of scale by the color and furniture they used.



The image above is an example of post-modernist art. This is a famous painting done by Andy Warhol called Marilyn. The characteristic of postmodernism art that influenced postmodernist architecture and interior design is the use of abstract expressionism and the vibrant colors they used.



Another famous part of post-modernism design is the Vanna Venturi House in Philadelphia. This house was designed by Robert Venturi. This house is one of the most famous post-modernist houses due to the emphasis on Art deco and ironic design.

Another part of modernism is deconstructionism. The act of deconstructing modernism became popular during the rise of postmodernism. One notable architect during this time was Peter Eisenman. Eisenman design characteristics were described as unexpectable with a fragmented interior.

City of Culture Galicia: Peter Eisenman


Shifting into what postmodernism and deconstructionism can look like today we still find many architects and interior designers using this style of design or characteristics of this style and utilizing them in their own designs.



In the image above you can see post-modernism characteristics in the organic and ironic shapes of the chairs and the bright vibrant colors of the furniture and walls. The postmodernism movement has become very popular in the past couple of years, resurfacing many classic designs while adding a modern approach to the style as well. 



Many projects are being created and worked on today such as the building above. This building is a modern-day postmodernism/deconstructionism style design due to the rule-defying curves and the playfulness of the structure.


Pop art has resurfaced in the past couple of years and is becoming more and more popular. The recent playfulness of modern design has pushed artists to take a new approach to pop art and postmodern art by using different materials and recreating what we know to be post-modern art while also keeping the basic colorful and bold characteristics of post-modern art.

One Step Further: Charles Gwathmey


     Charles Gwathmey was a famous postmodernist architect who studied at the Architecture Yale University and was a part of the New York Five which was a group of famous New York architects. Gwathmeys style was a mix of art and architecture, he also emphasized geometrical form and the reality of materials when he designed. Gwathmey believed that material constraints were important because he loved to solve problems and create new ways to design. 

Gwathmey House (1965)

Extra Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbi2B_1hDls

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/postmodern-architecture

https://interiordesignedu.org/post-modernism/

https://artincontext.org/postmodern-art/



















Comments

  1. Izabella CleavelandApril 22, 2023 at 7:48 AM

    Eva,
    I really liked your layout and information on post modernism. Relating post modernism to pop culture, pop art, and art deco was a big key to what made up modernism, therefore it was good information to conclude. I really liked the detail you used in "one step further" especially the history of Gwathmey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Professor VanderNoordaaApril 22, 2023 at 10:52 AM

    Eva,
    Excellent summary of Post Modernism/Deconstructivism. You included great information on the Memphis movement and Pop culture and art. I appreciate your more extensive look into Gwathmey. Total Points: 50/50

    ReplyDelete

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