I need our help. Urgently.

[Tinseltown]

Hi guys!
I am to write a paper (6 pages) in a course that has to do with European culture and intellectual life.
That means I can write about philosophic things (no thanks) art, and architecture.
My subject is modernism... Modernism spanned over about 50 years right?

I have no clue what angle I want to take on the subject. Architecture? Art?
But since I am an Flounger you must automatically know where some of my interests are.
Do you have any cool suggestions?

I was thinking maybe art deco architecture? (and if I am allowed, some fashion history in there too)...or Bauhaus...

Oh and by the way.. The paper needs to be a "communicative" paper.. Like a travel guide, art review etc.



Please suggest anything you can... I am desperate.

 

[Tinseltown]

Please..

 

[funneman]

Hello Tinseltown..

...Art Deco in general might be a good topic.

The style influenced everything from microphone design to furniture, fashion and even jewelry.

Good luck, hope this helps.


[EDIT: Live eBay links removed. Come on, you know better than that! -HJ]

Here are a couple of examples of the influence on microphones.

 

[RedPop4]

Moderne? Stickley or other custom furniture makers?

 

[Haversack]

In architecture, Modernism is rooted in the developments of the late 19th C. In part, it sought to incorporate the new materials and construction methods which were becoming available due to the Industrial Revolution. On the other hand, it also was part and parcel with the radical/revolutionary ferment that was then taking place in political, philosophical, artistic, and economic thought. Typically, the proponents of Modernism were young and aggressive, and not part of the architectural establishement. Two groups you might want to look up are "The Bauhaus" and the "Vienna Secessionists". A lot of their writings/ideas on architecture sound an awful lot like the political screeds of the time which gave rise to both facism and communism. i.e. "Ornament is immoral", "We must overthrow the old order and establish a new, purer architecture which will lead us all to a brighter, better future." "The machine is the new aesthetic." And so on...
A book which can give you a quick study on how this all developed and how it grew and changed is Louis Hellman's _Architecture for Beginners_. It is both informational and funny. I hope this gives you a start.

Haversack.

 

[Tinseltown]

In architecture, Modernism is rooted in the developments of the late 19th C. In part, it sought to incorporate the new materials and construction methods which were becoming available due to the Industrial Revolution. On the other hand, it also was part and parcel with the radical/revolutionary ferment that was then taking place in political, philosophical, artistic, and economic thought. Typically, the proponents of Modernism were young and aggressive, and not part of the architectural establishement. Two groups you might want to look up are "The Bauhaus" and the "Vienna Secessionists". A lot of their writings/ideas on architecture sound an awful lot like the political screeds of the time which gave rise to both facism and communism. i.e. "Ornament is immoral", "We must overthrow the old order and establish a new, purer architecture which will lead us all to a brighter, better future." "The machine is the new aesthetic." And so on...
A book which can give you a quick study on how this all developed and how it grew and changed is Louis Hellman's _Architecture for Beginners_. It is both informational and funny. I hope this gives you a start.

Haversack.

Would Art Deco be okay too?
I think that's what I wan't to write about, the more I think about it.

 

[Haversack]

There are many here who can give you better advice regarding Art Deco than myself. However, an overview you might want to run down is the catalogue of an exhibit which was shown in San Francisco and Boston three years ago. It was entitled "Art Deco, 1910-1939", and was put together by the V & A in London. The exhibit was very good in showing the origins and influence of Art Deco worldwide. As it was very international in scope, it may be a little broad for your course on European culture and intellectual life. Still, here is the URL for the exhibit:
http://www.thinker.org/legion/exhibitions/exhibition.asp?exhibitionkey=320

Haversack.

 

[Undertow]

How did your paper go?