Protomodernism-Chapter 20

This chapter on Protomodernism is appropriately named in the sense of the era being a "prototype" of modernism. Artists and designers of this era were vastly spread around the globe and their movements. They experimented with materials and form in their mediums. Some looked to handcrafted product and some looked to product created by a machine. However, each one rejected Victorian historicism and rejected "ornamentation" in some varying degree.

Because of the vastness of this movement and its ideals, today we see very little consensus in works on how to best express this movement. Some artists, such as Josef Hoffman, formatted their design style so closely to Art Nouveau or another vernacular and became indistinguishable from it. Yet, this movement was not frugal and it planted the seeds for modernism. Each artist's different pieces all conveyed an aspect of Modernism; aesthetically, emotionally, politically, socially, etc.

Different movements from different parts of the world made up this era; in Germany, it was the Deutscher Werkbund Movement and in Austria, the Vienna Secession. The De Stijl was a movement of Dutch avant-garde artists. It brought about the artist Piet Mondrian and the architect/ designer, Gerrit Rietveld. Another movement that had impact on Protomodernism was, Russian Constructivism.

Avant-grade artists are the backbone of this whole Protomodernism movement. Avant-garde is referring to experimental and unorthodox works and people in the arts. This ultimately gave rise to modernism. These avant-garde artists did not have to be enlightened members to contribute masterpieces. And so most of them refuted institutions and schools, and just relied on intuition. Relying on intuition allowed for the designers to appeal to the public as a whole, instead of just focusing on the elite.

Mentionable designers and artists of the Vienna Secession are Otto Wagner, Gustav Klint, Josef Hoffmann, and Adolf Loos. Otto Wagner became known as the father of the Secessionist group. His writings defined the ideals, or ethos, of this movement. He hoped to integrate decoration with under lying forms and considered those in relationship to programmatic function. The Vienna Secession became known as the most formally predictive of modernism because of this. Secessionists were idealistic and rebuked historicism. However, they did keep aspects of Art Nouveau, such as vegetal motifs. They also believed that everyday objects are worth the praise. The rise of Nazis put an end to the movement as a progressive force for positive change.

Another movement that had mentionable designers within this Protomodernism movement was De Stijl. Here creators sought to reduce compositions to horizontal and vertical lines. Piet Mondrian was a painter to accomplish this. An architect to transfer this idea into the language of architecture was Gerrit Rietveld.

Design Examples: 

The Austrian Post Office Savings Bank banking hall built by
Otto Wagner. 

Willow Tea Room designed by
 Charles Rennie Mackintosh 

Current Applications:

Door design inspired by the painter Piet Mondrian. 

Restaurant decor inspired by Otto Wagner's designs. 

One Step Further: 

However, in America there was a star of architecture rising. Frank Lloyd Wright became such a big name because of his early contributions to modernism and the contribution to the development of a regional (vernacular) American architecture. Under the mentorship of Louis Henry Sullivan, Wright designed houses, eventually he left Sullivan and started his own office in Oak Park. Yet Wright's designs were not as impactful for modernism as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe. But the Prairie Style -also known as Wright's own style- could be found in multiple locations in the United States. Wright got inspirations for his color palettes from indigenous plants this created the Prairie Style. A Prairie Style home usually meant a hipped roof with strong horizontal profile. He also experimented with concrete blocks.

The interior of the Robie House in IL by Frank Lloyd Wright.

An interior picture of Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Exterior view of Falling Water designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.