Variations on the Modern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Variations on the Modern - Essay Example The aim of this study is to discuss different versions of modern architecture movements in Italy and Scandinavia in order to show how modern architecture responded to the political and cultural subtexts. Modern architecture was flourished later in both Italy and Scandinavia than Germany, Holland, France and Russia. William J. Curtis notes that Modernism's influence was slight in Scandinavia in the 1920s1 and it formed relatively late in Italy2. Furthermore, both Scandinavia and Italy brought their own interpretation to the â€Å"international style†. However, their similarities end here; since their political, cultural and also ecological conditions were extremely different. While modern architecture emerged in Fascist Italy ruled by a dictator, democratic welfare states prevailed in Scandinavia at that time; hence, there was a stark difference between the political climates of Italy and Scandinavia. Their cultures also differed; whereas nationalistic tendencies and nostalgia for the Roman heritage were predominant in Italy, communal values were strong in Scandinavia. In line with their differences, they both developed a different variation of Modernism. While Italian Modernism highlighted nationalism and magnanimous Roman heritage; Scandinavia adopted a modernism with a human face stressing organic and natural life. As a matter of fact, in Italy, modernism grew in two directions: Noveconto and Italian Rationalism. The Classical Novecento movement, represented by Giovanni Muzio, paved the way for the development of Italian Rationalism represented by â€Å"gruppo 7†3. Sebastian Larco, Guido, Frette, Carlo Enrico Raba, Adalberto, Luigi Figini, Gino Pollini and Guiseppe Terragni formed Gruppo 7 in 19264. Throughout the 1930's, both Novecento and Italian Rationalism coexisted as alternative variations of modernism. Although Novecento, originated in Milan, used modern technology of concrete construction, it was highly committed to the traditional Itali an house. Gio Ponti, the famous architect and editor of the magazine of the Italian house Domus, described Italian house as setting for Italian life as follows: â€Å"the place that we have chosen for enjoying our life†5. Ponti's description highlights the stark difference between Novecento and Le Corbusier's â€Å"international style†, since Le Corbusier defined the house as â€Å"a machine for living in†. While Ponti's approach stressed the organic and humanist aspect of the house, Le Corbusier's definition was more mechanistic. Furthermore the Novecento houses were more decorative and furnished in Italian taste, while â€Å"the international style† was against any ornaments. Indeed, modern Milan houses incorporated common features of traditional Italian chimneys and sundials6. Although Italian Rationalism could be regarded as more radical than Novecento and closer to the spirit of machine civilization, it was still â€Å"fully contextual as well, rela ting to historical Italian culture†7. Besides Italian culture, Italian Rationalism was also intertwined with Fascist nationalism. It was not just Italian Rationalists were ardent fascists, but their work also reflected the Fascist ideology; although The Italian Fascist Party's relation to Italian Rationalism was ambivalent. Giuseppe Terragni's Casa del Fascio could