The Art of Architecture

One of the things that has really struck me this year, especially in reference to postmodern art, is the ability to express the cultural climate surrounding it, and sometimes be an advocate to make it better.  I found this especially evident in some of the architecture we have studied.  For example, modernist architecture began as an effort to build democratic, unassuming structures that placed all within them on a supposedly equal level.  It was begun by socialist architects and designers in Europe, and was called the International Style.  The plain, geometric nature of this style is effective at wiping away signals of class or wealth that are evident in much of the architecture that preceded it.  One of the American offshoots to this style was conceived by Buckminster Fuller.  His design for geodesic domes was touted as an energy-efficient and very democratic.  Fuller had hoped that his building designs would usher in a new age of progress and equality. Unfortunately, the prospective benefits of this and other modernist styles eventually ended up becoming the face of capitalism in America.

The Postmodern reaction to Modernist architecture does not advertise itself as world changing or progress.  Rather it can be seen as a reflection of the ideals and mindsets that permeate society at any given point.  Postmodern architecture tries to incorporate elements from surrounding cultural or natural sources, which makes it very much a conduit representing the world around it.  This makes the architecture very appealing, aesthetically and thematically, to people who view it.  Michael Graves is one of the more noted postmodern architects, and his works are noted for their radical eclectic style that excellently incorporate the surrounding culture.  An example is his "Denver Central" which shows direct connections to the surrounding mountainous region, as well as the prominent mining community in the area.  This style has ironically become more democratic because it doesn't try to make all people everywhere equal, but in a unique move gives each region the chance to have its own identity expressed through architecture.