Analysis of Architectural Precedents: Modernism

Catalog description

Analysis of architectural precedents of modernism from its multiple, disputed points of origin through the late twentieth century. What is "modern" architecture? What conditions gave rise to the various movements that have come to dominate design since the industrial revolution? What sort of design did these theoretical works and movements produce, and how did it contribute to architecture's development? An understanding of modernism and its legacy is crucial to a thorough understanding of the architectural culture of the 21st century. By examining buildings from early modernism to today, this course will introduce the theory of modern architecture from its multiple, disputed points of origin through the late twentieth century. Our operative term will be modernisms, in the plural. "Modernism" is a convenient and important label, but its suggestion of unity can camouflage the complexity of a phenomenon that spans decades, cultures, continents, and ideas.