Modernism in America - Part 1

 In the early 1900s, modernism began in Europe, mostly in Germany and France.  It was a new way to think about design, with straight lines, basic shapes, and an emphasis on purpose over style.  Through design, the goal was to make the world better and more useful.  This movement quickly reached the US and other places around the world.

  

                            Interior Office Space                                   Modern Interior Office Space

 This happened a lot because of World War II.  Because of the war, a lot of European architects and designers left their homes and came to America.  It was progressive ideas they brought with them.  People in the U.S. were looking for new ways to build and live after the war, so these ideas fit in well.

 

                            Steel-Framed House                                  Modern Steel-Framed House

 A modern style was already being used by some American builders before this.  Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most well-known. He used natural materials and open floor plans.  A few, like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, were born in Europe and built light-filled, open homes in California that helped shape modern architecture there.

                            Museum of Modern Art                                    Museum of Modern Art Today

 Another important person was William Lescaze.  A modernist building was one of the first ones he worked on in New York.  Mies van der Rohe, a leader of the German Bauhaus school, came to Chicago and used steel and glass to make high-tech buildings. In the United States, modernism was more than just a style. It was a way to change the way people lived, worked, and built.  It still has an effect on design now.

One Step Further

Eero Saarinen was a builder and designer who was born in Finland and lived in the United States. He was one of the most important people in American modernism.  He was inspired by the modernist ideas that came to the U.S. from Europe, like clean lines, new materials, and design that works, but he also added his own creative style. Saarinen went to school at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where his father, Eliel Saarinen, and other modernist minds lived and worked.  After that, he went to Yale to study and worked with other famous modernists. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is one of his most famous works. Its strong, simple shape shows that he came from a modernist background.  He was also in charge of designing the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport. It had wide curves and open areas that made it feel like it was moving. Saarinen was influenced by modernism, but he wasn't afraid to try new things and break the rules.  His work helped make American modernist building more expressive.