Architect Drawings - A Selection of Sketches by World Famous Architects Through History

CHAPTER 5

THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

EUROPE AND ITS

INFLUENCES, PRELUDE TO

MODERNISM ( 1870 – 1910 )

The architects discussed in this chapter are generally considered premodern, although many of them

have been credited with initiating elements of a modern style. After the decline of the widespread

neoclassical influence, architecture was undergoing transition. At the turn of the twentieth century,

the technology of world travel facilitated the transfer of knowledge and thus carried architectural

ideas between countries. Industrialization, growing urban areas, and relative economic stability all

contributed to divergent thinking. These changing environments saw European influence penetrate

into India and Asia. Such transition also allowed for the emergence of new styles, such as the Arts

and Crafts movement in Britain; Art Nouveau, beginning in France, Belgium, and Spain; and

Secession in Austria. The United States suspended tradition by initiating construction of the tall

building and encouraging development to the western regions of the country. Japan opened its ports

to trade and consciously set a path toward westernization known as Meiji.

This period of transition also affected these architects’ use of sketches and drawings. Some of these

architects used techniques found in traditional sketches. Others such as Adolf Loos converted his

sketches in tune with his straightforward approach to architecture. Many of these architects experi-

mented with untested building materials that led them to find new ways to represent the material’s

use. Most of these architects depended upon sketches to resolve more complex relationships between

materials’ form and conceptual statements.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

As a result of extensive industrialization, architectural theorists as early as Pugin criticized the

machine’s part in the destruction of the human’s ‘spiritual and physical well being’ (Naylor, 1971 ,

p. 15 ). Begun in England, the Arts and Crafts movement was championed by several prominent

theorists such as John Ruskin who advocated the worth of the working populace. He was not

H5719-Ch05.qxd 7/15/05 3:37 PM Page 111