Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and the Creed Building

In modernist architecture, there are a slew of different forms and methodologies: brutalism, deconstructivism, futurism, postmodernism, structuralism, etc. Even in its formative stages, during the 1920s and early 1930s, we still see very many different styles, like the constructivist architecture of the Soviet Union, the expressionist architecture of Europe, the "New Objectivity" style of German-speaking Europe, the organic architecture which influenced the design of houses and residences, and the International Style which influenced large commercial and industrial centers throughout the world. Undoubtedly though, one of the most predominant styles of architecture in the 1920s (in the United States, at least), is Art Deco.

Art Deco, in effect, "modernizes" many artistic themes and styles from the past, so it can be seen as "an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism." While the overall structure often derives from those of ancient cultures (in particular, Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, and Mayan/South American), it is based on fundamental geometric shapes, like cubes, trapezoids, and smooth circular curves, which gives the buildings a modernist, "building block" feel. In terms of materials, Art Deco often purposefully used exotic materials like ivory, stainless steel, and even sharkskin in place of more traditional materials - this often caused Art Deco buildings to be viewed as ornate, ostentatious, and gaudy (indeed, this is why Art Deco fell out of favor after the 1930s).

Art Deco was not solely influenced by the structures of ancient cultures, however. A branch of Art Deco, known as Streamline Moderne, imitated the technology of the Machine Age and in particular, forms of transportation: the automobile, the ocean liner, and the modern airplane.

A good example of Streamline Moderne in Toronto is the Creed Building:









(note: the above pictures are not taken by me; you can find them here)

To illustrate the Streamline Moderne aspects of the Creed Building...:

1. Note how the length/width/height ratio of the building (see third photo) mimics that of an ocean liner. In addition, the roof of the front of the building is a bit more elevated than the roof of the rest of the building, making it appear like the stern.

2. Notice the repetitive window pattern along the long side of the building. In particular, note how each window is divided into smaller cells, and how two middle cells are emphasized. As an Art Deco building, this represents the geometry and regularity of the elements. If you look closely, you can also see that above each window is what appears to be a black light fixture. This element is also repeated along the length of the building.

3. Long white lines stretch across the entire length of the building. Again, regularity. Indeed, long linear "elements" can be found in many other examples of Art Deco as well.

4. The curved corner (entrance) of the building. Curves are ubiquitous in Art Deco. This curve sort of compromises the appearance of the entire building as a ship (since ships are, indeed, streamlined, and streamlined objects generally do not have large round bulges), but it does serve a number of architectural purposes (like making the entrance very visible). Also, the curve is an exact quarter-circle: again, we see the importance of fundamental geometric shapes in Art Deco.


Art Deco influences are fairly common in our society today. If you want to see more examples of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne architecture, check out the link in the first post.

Reflections on Henry Moore's The Archer

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Henry Moore's The Archer as I passed by the Toronto City Hall. Now, I wish I could adequately describe the piece, but truth is, I think anyone would have difficulty trying to convey what it looks like. The best description I could come up with was "bronze, large, flowing, and blob-like", which really says very little. I could say that it looks like an archer, but honestly, it looks like an archer about as much as it looks like a horse. Or a bent spoon. Or almost anything you can imagine. So, to make up for this deficiency of description, here is a photo of the sculpture itself:


(If the above picture doesn't work, visit the link here)

Admittedly, from this angle, it definitely has a resemblance to an archer. The bow is on the right, and the form on the right is the archer's torso, postured upright and leaning back ever so slightly as he nocks the arrow on the bowstring. The grooves near the top of the bow could represent the archer's hand, and there is definitely a sharpness where the bowstring meets the bow. Nevertheless, this is all with the prior knowledge that it is called "The Archer" and looking at it from the right angle - I would be surprised if someone called it an archer without previously knowing that it was supposed to be one.

On that note, interestingly enough, the official name for this piece is not "The Archer" but rather "Three-Way Piece No. 2". It was designed by Henry Moore and installed in Nathan Phillips Square in 1966, placing it out of the classical era of modernism (but still sharing many modernist characteristics). Moore was a British architect and sculptor, and best well known for his flowing, free-form bronze sculptures (like The Archer). More information on Henry Moore is available here. Some of his other sculptures that I found interesting (and actually, more aesthetically pleasing than "The Archer") include Double Oval and Hill Arches . Needless to say, the concept of flowing curves (and flow in general) is crucial in both Moore's work and in modernism in general.

As an aside, the Toronto City Hall, outside which "The Archer" is placed, is also considered a great work of modernist architecture. A nice view of it can be seen here. Designed by Viljo Revell, from the air, it looks like a "giant, unblinking eye", thus its nickname of "The Eye of the Government". Apparently when it was first opened in 1965, many people felt that it was much too futuristic for the city, and ill-fitting neighboring the surrounding buildings - not the first time this has happened with modernist architecture.

Modernism References

Here are some modernism works and research materials that I've collected so far - I'll continue to update and annotate this post as I find more information:

Modernist Literature

Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

James Joyce's Dubliners

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Albert Camus's The Stranger

Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

- note, strictly postmodern, but still displays many modernist characteristics

Modernist Poetry

Most modernist poetry (esp. the works of T.S. Eliot and William Butler Yeats) can be found (in their original editions) at

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

or

http://www.archive.org/details/texts

Online Sources

Wikipedia has good overviews of most topics relating to modernism. Some more in depth sources are listed below:

Art and Architecture

John Haber's Art Reviews

A collection of reviews and essays on several dozen traditional pieces of modernist art and how they influenced art today. The essays are accompanied with reproductions of the paintings and sculptures

Decopix
Collections of photos of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings. The main site (above link) has a few essays on Art Deco and the state of architecture in the beginning of the twentieth century as well.

Victoria and Albert Museum Art Deco Study Guide

The Archer by Henry Moore

TIME Archive: reactions to modern art
The highlights of TIME magazine's coverage of modern art throughout the twentieth century.

Excerpt from The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
Discusses the famous architect LeCorbusier and how efficiency and science influenced the architecture of the time.

Music

Recordings of Schoenberg's Phantasy, Op. 47, and Chamber Symphony, Op. 9 .

Literature and General

Essay on Postmodernism by Dr. Mary Klages of the University of Colorado

Modernism in Five Chapters - good overview of modernism and it's effects on modern day society.

PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide - Chapter 7: American Modernism, an Introduction.

Some Attributes of Modernist Literature