Post-Modernism and Deconstruction

Delia Tacheny
INT 332 - History of Interiors II

Modernism, as we've been discussing the past few weeks, was a widespread transition in the world of architecture and design. However, given some of the critical backlash modernism was receiving, it is no surprise that it too was met with opposing movements following the 1960s. As for world events, the backdrop of the 1950s-1990s was the Cold War. In 1973, there was an oil embargo, and in 1975 a global recession which led to loss of hope and optimism. However, in the 1980s, economics began to improve, and consumer culture was born...

Post-Modernism

The 1980s marked the emerging movement of post-modernism. Revivalist movements began to pop up and there was a revolt against the strict rationality of Modernism. Recycling... environmental concerns... and DIY spirit grew in popularity and new inventions such as fax machines, camcorders, Apple computers, and MTV were born. 

Post-modern design has many Modernist principles, except for the idea of minimalism. Post-Modern design reflects the Pop Art seen at the time done by artists such as Andy Warhol. It took Modernism and put a rebellious twist on it. Many architectural designs emphasized Abstract Form and Geometric complexity. Additionally, historical precedence was reconsidered, and ornamentation was brought back under the idea that it brought meaning to a space. In the words of Robert Venturi, mocking Mies Van der Rohe, "less is a bore."

The Memphis Movement, an eclectic and internationally diverse group of designers, sought to abolish modernism, inspired by Art Deco and Pop Art. Amidst them were Ettore Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves, and George Sowden. They valued kitsch, irony, and scale distortion. They gathered in Milan in April of 1981 at an exhibition that would challenge Modernism. 

The New York Five was another post-modern group of New York City architects: Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, and Richard Meier. Each one contributing to Post-Modern design in their own unique way. 

Deconstructivism 

In the late 1980s another even more scandalous movement developed from post-Modernism... the idea of Deconstruction. Standard parts and pieces of a building were taken apart, moved around, and put back together into new forms with the purpose of surprising people. Furniture was made out of unlikely materials, including trash. 

Peter Eisenman is part of the deconstruction movement, disinterested in green design, and believing that "Architecture does not solve human problems." Frank Gehry is another influential and very experimental designer. His own house he designed is a great example of deconstructed architecture. 

One Step Further - Andy Warhol (1928-1987)

Andy Warhol was a modern, American visual artist, known for his pop art and abstract expressionism. Andrew Warhola was born in Pennsylvania to his Slovakian immigrant Parents, and he grew up heavily around a Slovakian culture and heritage and a Catholic faith. At the age of 8, Warhol contracted a rare disease of the Nervous system. Left bedridden for months, his mother used this time to give him art lessons, primarily in drawing. He fell in love with art and eventually photography as well. Sadly, Warhola faced another tragedy at the age of 14 when his father passed away.

In 1945, Warhola enrolled at the Carnegie Institute for Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) to study pictorial design. In 1949, Warhol graduated from college, moved to New York, dropped the "a" at the end of his last name, and pursued commercial Art, working for Glamour Magazine.

In the late 1950s, Warhol began working more with painting, and in 1961, he debuted the concept of "pop art." In 1962, he exhibited the now-iconic paintings of Campbell's soup cans. "These small canvas works of everyday consumer products created a major stir in the art world, bringing both Warhol and pop art into the national spotlight for the first time." Warhol began painting celebrity portraits as well and eventually opened his own studio becoming a celebrity himself. 

Andy Warhol - Death, Art & Facts (biography.com)