Modernism [Paperback]

Appropriately enough he begins with "Roots," a survey of 19th century precedents in Modern Architecture with the focus on the English Arts and Crafts Movement and how it spread throughout Europe and to America, influencing the Vienna Secessionists, the Deutscher Werkbund and Wright's Prairie School. From there he charts the development of a new style in "The Tradition of the New," influenced heavily by painterly movements such as Impressionism, Fauvism and Cubism. A new abstraction was born that inspired such architectural movements as Futurism, de Stijl and the Bauhaus, which he develops further in "Formulating the Future." He treats the Russian avant-garde separately in "Russia: The Art of Revolution," which gave modern art and architecture a revolutionary fervor and would eventually serve as the basis of the Deconstructivist camp that arose in the 1980's. He then covers the growth of the modern movement in "The International Style," effectively taking the movement up to WWII. He closes with a summary of post-war attitudes in "Triumph, Transformation and Rejection," which saw the fulfillment and eventual disillusionment of modernist ideals.

The book is handsomely illustrated and provides one of the best attempts to interweave art and architecture and its influences on commercial and industrial design. It is a must for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of the impact of Modernism on comtemporary society, illustrating how Modernism shaped so many of the current patterns in design. The narrative flows gracefully, offering a compelling overview of the movement.

Though the pictures make "Modernism" a great coffee table book, your beverage would be cultivating large clumps of blue fluff by the time the first chapter had been read. It took a great deal of stamina to digest the breadth of history, culture and philosophy presented to us in vast oceans of text. It is a book that, if you are lucky enough to have the time, should be read at least twice. Maybe the book could have been improved if the chapters were divided into manageable parts. To its credit, the book is consistent and efficient. Little (if any) space is 'wasted' on small talk or overt opinion. It is thoroughly crammed with dates, facts, names and many quotes.

I particularly liked the introduction, which describes the rise, during the 19th century, of the concept of the 'modern'. It was a pleasant surprise to find an entire chapter dedicated to the art and design of the Russian Revolution. Helpfully, the author gives an abbreviated reading list at the end of the book, as well as selected biographies of 'significant' architects, though, if I was being pedantic I might ask why such a very serious book does not have a full bibliography, or footnotes.

Several years ago I read "Shock of the New" by Robert Hughes. Hughes being an art critic, I imagine he felt entitled to express his opinion in colourful terms, so succeeded in making a book that was enjoyable to read. I would still recommend it to anyone whose interest in 'modernism' leans towards the Fine Arts. Richard Weston meanwhile is an architect - everything in his book seems to have a reason and a place. Like a good building, it looks great and functions efficiently. If your interest is seriously inclined towards modern architecture and design, my advice would be to buy it!

...I've been zipping through it because it's so readable and so interesting. The chapter on Revolutionary Russian movements such as Suprematism and Constructivism is especially fascinating, and could have been even longer as far as I'm concerned.

It's well-thought-out and apparently includes many photos not widely-published. There was slightly less detail on the Bauhaus than I was expecting, but for that I'd recommend Frank Whitford's "Bauhaus" anyway.