Modernism, an utterly problematic term describing an style of architecture, art, or even lifestyle, is one of the most dominant epidemic of our time. To randomly approach an individual and ask he/she to define the term "modernism" would be met with a wide range of answers. To clearly define modernism, we must go back to what modernism is all about : extraction of the essence.
I believe human civilization is comparable to a mature onion with numerous layers. As time progresses, the layers continue to peel off leaving us with "the actual onion", or "the essence"
Modernism in architecture can be defined in numerous different ways. "Organic architecture," a term coined by Frank Lloyd Wright is a architecture philosophy which focuses on unity with nature. Frank's philosophy often represents building in strong relation with the context, meaning depending mainly on factors such as passive ventilation and natural lighting. To Frank, Harmony is his answer to modernism. To unify, or blend in with nature through architecture design is his idea of getting closer to the essence. he sometimes refer to this as "the true meaning of life." The Robbie House designed by frank clearly reiterates his point of organic architecture. The space is designed to lay flat as if to blend in with the ground, the spaces are designed for natural lighting in certain times of day and even the smallest details like the unusually long horizontal red bricks strengthen his style of unification with nature.
In another case, the founder of the famous Bauhaus : School of Building, by Walter Gropius followed another philosophy regarding the term "Modernism." Bauhaus in contrast to Frank, defined modernism by functionality. his argument states that function equals the essence of the space. for Gropius, all space is designed to serve a certain function. The glass facades,for example, allows for vision throughout the campus while the mini balcony's on the dormitory allows for commuting between colleagues in a simple rectangular bedroom.
The Ambiguity of Modernism is sometimes problematic. A colleague of mine used to say : If Modernism is so vague and can be adapted to anything, then the term itself fails to serve its purpose. I somehow disagree with my dear colleague, as when tracing back all the various styles and versions of modernistic values, it comes from the phrase "desire of essence." Today, Modernism is represented in an eclectic mix of style. Bangkok Metropolitan is a great example of this mix. Frank's organic architecture is strongly cohesive with the going-green trend of today's popular culture, inspiring many buildings to have podiums and gardens, villas and boulevards (K-village.) Commercial office buildings adopted many of Gropius's ideas such as the glass facades, cubicles in dense areas of population and so forth. Modernism can be represented in many various different ways. One cannot simply pinpoint to a style and declare that modernism is that and only that. Unlike styles of the past, Modernism opens up for new and challenging opportunities. As an architecture student, my challenge would be to define your own modernism.
Sources :
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/56418/Bauhaus
http://www.pbs.org/flw/legacy/essay1.html
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