Modernism

According to the Tate, Modernism started around 1850, the term “modernism” or “modern art” came from architects and designers who self-consciously rejected the past as a model for the art of the present. This concept proposes new forms of art that are more appropriate to the present time. It is also often characterized by constant innovation. Modernism has also been influenced by different social and political movements. Those ideas were often utopian, and modernism was in general asscociated with ideal visions human life, society and a belief in progress.

The term “modernism” and “modern art” are also often used to describe the succession of art movements that followed Realism and abstract art. Today modernism has become a dominant in Art, particularly interior design and architecture.

I particularly like Sheats Goldstein Residence. The house was designed and built between 1961 and 1963 by America architect John Lautner in Beverly Hills, California. The building itself was conceived from the inside out and built into the sandstone ledge of the hillside; a cave-like dwelling that opens to embrace nature and view.

“The purpose of Architecture is to improve human life. Create timeless, free, joyous spaces for all activities in life. The infinite variety of these spaces can be as varied as life itself and they must be as sensible as nature in deriving from a main idea and flowering into a beautiful entity.” — John Lautner. 16 July 1911 – 24 October 1994

Sources:

-http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=174

-http://chrisnadebruyn.wordpress.com/