THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE REVIEWER

Cubism

Cubism is an important art style designed/created by the famous Spanish sculptor,

painter, ceramicist, and theatre designer; Pablo Picasso who was accompanies by
Georges Braque in the early 20th century. Cubism is Avant Garde in nature, meaning it was
experimental and radical

Avant Garde: New and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people
introducing them.

Louis Vauxcelles coined the term Cubism in 1908 after observing the landscapes painted
by Georges Braque and remarking how the Geometric forms were “Cubes”

CHARACTERISTICS OF CUBISM
Multi-perspective

The use of linear perspective and the illusion of depth favored by the Renaissance
movement were in stark contrast to the two-dimensionality that “Cubists” worked to
define. Cubist artists depicted their subjects from multiple perspectives simultaneously,
working to represent every angle of the subject on a flat surface of a canvas and within a
single picture plane.

Geometric Shapes

Cube-like imagery as well as other geometric forms like cones, spheres and cylinders
appear in early Cubist paintings and again later in the movement in Cubist sculptures.
Cubists felt they could portray a subject’s form more accurately by using geometric
shapes to represent its various sides and angles.

Monochromatic Palette
Bright colors were not typically used in Cubist paintings until much later in the movement.
Early Cubist painters favored tones of muted gray, black and ochre over bold colors such
as green or pink. A simplified color scheme created a greater emphasis on the structure
and form of the subject matter.

Flattened Picture Plane

Before Cubism. Illusionistic painting treated the picture plane as a window to a scene,
where subjects were depicted representationally, and painters created the illusion of
reality within the work. Cubists rejected illusions and believed that all elements of a
subject should be visible on the painting’s picture plane. Cubists also thought of this as a
more honest depiction of reality in comparison to their more traditional or “academic”
predecessors.
CUBISM IN ARCHITECTURE
From 1912, Cubism had become an influential factor in terms of architecture and
architects of the movement borrowed heavily from cubists art regarding geometric forms
and shapes, diverse elements could be superimposed, made transparent or penetrate one
another.

Common Characteristics of Buildings of this Movement

• Transparency
• Spatial ambiguity
• Form-faceting
• Multiplicity
This building possesses basic geometrical designs.

Have sharp, clean lines, ensuring the building is in view of perspective with ease.

The Windows have cube rectangular forms and were not at the same level or height.

The shapes and patterns were not arbitrary but derived from a proportional system based
on golden section.

Cubism in Architecture brings out the conceptions like Abstraction, Geometrization,

Symbolism, Distortion, Fragmentation, and Illusion. The buildings were characterized by
sharp, clear lines to enable perspective viewing. The windows have a cubic or rectangular
form and do not necessarily line up with each other, creating a revolutionary appearance.
The use of reinforced concrete structures also gives cubism an edge in the building
industry.

FUTURISM in Italy

VORTICISM in London

CONSTRUCTIVISM in Russia
EXPRESSIONISM in Germany

CONSTRUCTIVISM

Constructivist Architecture was a form of “Modern Architecture” that flourished in the

Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. It combined advanced technology and
engineering of the era with an avowedly Communist social purpose.

Avowedly: in a way that has been admitted or stated in public.

A central aim of Constructivist Architects was to instill the Avant-Garde in everyday life.
Constructivism was literally about constructing the spaces in which the new socialist
utopia could be achieved. This led to the creation of utilitarian projects for the workers, as
well as outlandish projects like Gyorgy Krutikov’s “Flying City”.

The main characteristic of constructivism was the application of 3D Cubism to abstract

and non-objective elements. The style incorporated straight lines, cylinders, cubes and
rectangles; and merged elements of the modern age such as radio antennae, tension
cables, concrete frames and steel girders. The possibilities of modern materials were also
explored, such as steel frames that supported large areas of glazing, exposed rather than
concealed building joints, balconies and sun decks.
Constructivism has often been seen as an alternative, more radical modernism, and its
legacy can be seen in designers as diverse as Team 10, Archigram, and Kenzo Tange, as
well as in much Brutalist work. Their integration of Avant-Garde and everyday life has
parallels with the Situationists.

High tech Architecture also owes much to Constructivism, most obviously in Richard
Rogers’ Lloyd’s building. Zaha Hadid’s early projects were adaptations of Malevich’s
Architektons, and the influence of Chernikhov is clear on her drawings.
DICTUMS OF FAMOUS ARCHITECTS

Beauty is the harmony of purpose and form

-Alvar Aalto

“The Architects is not only the director, but he is the composer. And as a composer, the
Architects must bring a sense of creativity to each building”

-Santiago Calatrava
“The straight line belongs to men, the curve one to God.”

-Antoni Gaudi

“The architecture should speak for its time and place but yearn for timelessness.”

-Frank Gehry
“Art and Architecture, the new unity.”
-Walter Gropius”

“Function influence but does not dictate form.”

-Eero Saarinen
“Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space.”

-Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe

“I don’t believe Architecture has to speak too much. It should remain silent and let nature
in the guise of sunlight and wind.”

-Tadao Ando
“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?”
-Zaha Hadid

“Form follows function.”

-Louis Sullivan