Point 4 - Reflections

The reflections unit covers a vast amount of amendments to what is considered “good” design throughout architecture history. Spanning from the end of the renaissance to the modern world of the 20^th century, evolutions are great, but can be very confusing as this block of time suggests many versions of what is “good” design. Architecture is no longer a luxury only suited to high society as a middle class emerges throughout this time period to add voices to the question of what tasteful design is. From Baroque theatricality to William Morris’s toned down interiors considered minimalist in comparison, there is a countless conversations sparked up throughout the reflections unit that all conclude in three options; revive, revolutionize, or  a morphed combination.

            Stemming off of the Renaissance, the Baroque period took all the classical forms we saw throughout the past only to elaborate and multiply them. At first an effort to bring citizens back to the church via theatricality, the style spread into all types of building forms as we see in the Paris opera where exterior columns are multiplied, and surface decoration which adorns the walls comes in such mass that a certain chaos is born. Toning back all of this chaos, the search for the right or most “tasteful” smile continued in the Neoclassical style, prevalent in much of Robert Adams work in England and also translated to the budding country America. Following antiquity in a simpler form than that of baroque theatrically (which pretty much broke the rules), but none the less accumulating classical forms to buildings like the Kenwood estate, except with a more exact rule system to abide by, especially when dealing with surface decoration. The Neoclassical style was thought to show knowledge as is borrowed of ancient forms, bringing antiquity into the home and other structures of society. A rise in foreign trade sparked an eastern influence in design of the west, as culture was picked up alongside materials. Counties of western Europe had never seen eastern styles from countries such as China, Japan, and India and in turn, imparted these ideas gained through visitation and trade into their own structures, once again adding to this “good” design conversation. By uniting design aspects from the east into their own buildings however, western countries like England ended up with structures like The Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England that look entirely out of place. Borrowing on Indian and Islamic minarets and surface décor, places like The Royal Pavilion were clearly influenced by the ideas coming back from trade routes like the Silk Road.  As new materials were introduced buildings like the Crystal Palace encompassed a certain amount of confusion in their form as a green house like structure housed an array of classical objects. There was confusion concerning whether or not to hide iron supports or celebrate them in a classical form as we see in the French Biblietheque National. The mass production of the industry touched all levels of architecture, down to the artifacts that took up the space of the “modern” homes. At multiple points, even continuing in modern day people took on the philosophy that being surrounded by a lot of stuff would show insight into ones character; a very Victorian point of view. This is yet another style movement at the time, as the industries takes off; good can be manufactured cheaply and in bulk. This meant that the middle class could now afford to collect all of this bric-a-brac and a certain amount of clutter began to characterize Victorian homes. In response to this ranging and overly ornamental style, designers like Charles Macintosh and William Morris added their own input to the great design conversation. Through a style we now dub as Arts and Crafts, the designers attempted to create a singular style focusing on the craft of the buildings opposed to the amount of stuff adorning the walls. Morris’s own home, The Red House has white interior walls that contrast against the dark wood interior for example, with little or no surface decoration. By bringing in the handcrafted touch to his structures however, the price escalated making the movement unaffordable for the middle class at the time and limiting the span of this movement.  The new industry introduced the materials iron and glass, changing the shaping of architecture forever. The question of modernism began in some eyes as far back as the end of the Renaissance, as people began on a quest for the right design. As more people started adding input, the conversation of what modernism is simply got more opinions, destined to be a continually alternating definition throughout time.

I choose this as my photo to describe the Reflections unit because at a certain point, there became so many options one could be utterly confused on which route to take upon constructing a new building. In my own design, I believe in influences although I certainly never want to be in this guys position. By citing specific examples one can clear up the blur that occurs when looking at this unit as a whole.