Essay - Reviewed

Essay: Le Corbusier and Arne Jacobsen

Le Corbusier

Charles Edouard Jenneret or as we all know him better as Le Corbusier was born in 1887. Being only seventeen, Le Corbusier designed his first building. At the same age, were he was still young; he made his first trip to Italy. Moving to Paris in 1916 was his idea to practice and design architecture.  When he moved to Paris, Charles Edouard Jenneret adopted his name as Le Corbusier where at the same time he published and edited ‘L’Esprit Nouveau’.

Le Corbusier

Many of Le Corbusier’s projects have never been done due to some sort of financial reasons. One of these projects is the palace of the League of Nations. Le Corbusier believed that home is a ‘machine for living’ where it should include functional furniture. It was this belief where he was inspired to design his iconic tubular steel furniture.

Palace of League of Nations

During his career as an architect and a designer, Le Corbusier produced a series of proposals. His proposals included city plans and two housing types which were the basis for his career as an architect and a designer. These are ‘Maison Monol’ and the ‘Maison Citrohan’ which is also referred to as “machine of living”.

Maison Monol Sketch

Maison Citrohan

Le Corbusier was one of a group of architects to design the United Nations Headquarters in New York which the Secretariat building is Le Corbusier’s design. Another building in which Le Corbusier is famous to is The Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp.

United Nations Headquarters

As Ramzi Naja has quoted on his blog ‘Le Corbusier was the influence to other architects. He created a system based on human body where he created a relationship between human and architecture. He also influenced urban living.’ - [Ramzi Naya 2010]. Le Corbusier taught the world how to design modern buildings yet historical. His designs were clean and simple but very effective.

Today’s designers appreciate every design, every building, every detail of Le Corbusier but his houses and public buildings are more appreciated by residents and visitors. Every space Le Corbusier designed is being valued and cherished by every person throughout different generations starting from the Chapel at Ronchamp to the Unite d’Habitation in Marseille.

Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp

Unite d'Habitation, Marseille

 Villa Savoye

LC3 1 Chair

Chaise Lounge

Arne Jacobsen

Mentioning how influenced he was to other architects and designers, Le Corbusier influenced Arne Jacobsen. Arne Jacobsen, born in 1902, was an architect and a designer of furniture, textiles, lighting, wallpaper and silverware. Being also influenced by Gunnar Asplund and Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Arne Jacobsen has welcomed a new functionalist approach from the outset.

Arne Jacobsen

His most well common known works are the design and the furniture of the SAS Air Terminal in Copehagen and the SAS Royal Hotel, where he designed every detail starting from ashtrays to airport shuttle bus. The famous, yet elegant Swan chair together with the Egg chair are part of the sculptural furnishings that Arne Jacobsen designed for the SAS Royal Hotel amongst others. His designs were so pleasing that he was called “the punch card” as well as “the glass cigar box”.

One of the rooms of SAS Royal Hotel

Arne Jacobsen’s second most famous architectural building was the St. Catherine’s College at the Oxford University. There he designed everything starting from the dining room cutlery set to the species of fish for the ponds he designed himself.

St.Catherine's College

His independent success of his product designs was his goal. Being also an architect, he wanted to have all the control of a project and nothing was to be left to chance other architects. His designed buildings and products are such of high quality with their details that they have become part of the standard production. Many of his products have achieved the status of international success that has certainly helped his rise to certain heights. Throughout his career, Arne Jacobsen left a mark on different generations of architects, thus a very few of them have achieved the same fame as Arne Jacobsen did. 

Today, Arne Jacobsen stands for some of his best works produced in the 20^th century. Having said that, today the Swan chair and the Egg chair, together with the Ant and the Butterfly chair stand as some of the best produced products which are still being custom made from international companies.

Egg chair

Swan chair

Ant chair

References:

• CA Design, 2012. Le Corbusier [online] available at: http://www.cadesign.ie/inspired-by-designers/le-corbusier/ [accessed on 25^th January, 2014]
•  RIBA, 2014. Le Corbusier [online] available at: http://www.architecture.com/awards/royalgoldmedal/175exhibition/winnersbiogs/1950s/1953.aspx [accessed on 25th January, 2014]
• A+E Television Networks, 2013. Le Corbusier Biography [online] available at: http://www.biography.com/people/le-corbusier-9376609?page=1 [accessed on 25^th January, 2014]
•  Ramzi Naja, N.D. Le Corbusier’s  Influence on Architecture and Society [online] available at: http://blog.ramzinaja.com/2010/07/research-paper-on-le-corbusiers.html [accessed on 25th January, 2014]
• CA Design, 2012. Arne Jacobsen [online] available at: http://www.cadesign.ie/inspired-by-designers/arne-jacobsen/ [accessed on 25^th January,2014]
• Design Within Reach, 2014. Arne Jacobsen [online] available at: http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/h-l/arne-jacobsen.do [accessed on 25th January, 2014]
• Maraid, 2014. J is for… Arne Jacobsen (1902 -1971) [image online] available at: http://www.fireflyhouse.co.uk/blog/2011/10/j-is-for-arne-jacobsen-1902-1971/ [accessed on 25^th January, 2014]
• Danmarks Nationalbank, 2013. The Architect Arne Jacobsen [online] available at: http://www.nationalbanken.dk/DNUK/AboutUs.nsf/side/The_architect_Arne_Jacobsen!OpenDocument [accessed on 25^th January, 2014]

Blogs - Reviewed

William Morris 

"Art and Design is of poor quality"- William Morris. He believed that during his career, art and design was so poor. He claimed that this is all because of the Industrial Revolution and its poor life. 

William Morris & Co designs

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is known for its sinuous, elongated, curvy lines, whiplash lines, vertical lines and height. It is also known for stylised flowers, leaves, roots, buds and seedpods amongst others.

"Bieres de la Meuse", a French beer advertisement by Alphonse Mucha

Organic Design

Today most of the contemporary furniture we see in different stores, are well inspired by organic design which started right after World War II in the mid-20th century and continues to do so today.

Organic Design today. The Arm Chair by Onur Cabanli, 2009

Ray and Charles Eames

The married couple Ray and Charles Eames are best known for their designs in architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing and photographic arts. They are also best known for their moulded plywood designs.

McDonalds Tigne. Ray and Charles Eames chairs

Raymond Loewy

During his career, Raymond Loewy designed cars, ships, airplanes, appliances, toothbrushes, pens and everything that you could think of. Nowadays, critiques say that Raymond Loewy is the designer of the modern world. Thanks to his products, Raymond Loewy is the one who designed and made everything including the Coke bottle, the lucky strike cigarettes pack, IBM card punchers to massive cargo ships to sewing machine to NASA.

TIME Magazine

Norman Bel Geddes

Designing from commercial products to other designs like the bullet shaped train, Norman Bel Geddes was the beginning of the exploration of some products to what we have today. In 1927, he designed a set of commercial products in his own industrial design studio in which he opened the same year. Some of these products are the red, white and blue Patriot radio and the Soda King Seltzer bottle for Walter Kiddie.

Norman Bel Geddes

Post Modernism

Starting in the 1980s, Post Modernism consist of a set of ideas including art, architecture, music,film, literature, fashion and technology. When I think of Post Modernism, the first thing that comes to mind is modern and contemporary. 

During its period from the 1970 to 1990, Post Modernism brought the "liberty" to art and design. It was part of the beginning of what we have nowadays.

Juicy Salif lemon juicer by Philippe Starck, 1990s, Designed for Alessi

Kettle designed by Michael Graves in 1984-85

Anti-Design Designers

Looking at it for the first time, you'll think that it is a baseball catcher's mitt. In fact this is a giant baseball catcher's mitt sofa designed by Paolo Lomazzi and named the Joe Sofa after the baseball player Joe Di Maggio. It is made from polyurethane and leather.

Designer Donato D'Urbino on the Joe Sofa

De Stijl

Founded in the early 20th century, De Stijl was found by Theo van Doesburg. Another important designer of De Stijl is Gerrit Rietveld. The Rietveld-Schroder House in Netherlands is one of the most important architectural works of Gerrit Rietveld.

"The scaling of fun defined space to human proportions may be achieved by a line drawn on a road, a floor, a wall, a covering surface, a combination of vertical and horizontal planes, curved or flat, transparent or massive. It is never a partitioning or closing off, but always a defining element of what is here and there, above and below, between and around" - (Gerrit Rietveld 1924)

When I was doing my research I noticed that Verner Panton's "S" chair is so related to that of Gerrit Rietveld's "ZigZag" chair. Both containing oblique lines and cantilever form. The ZigZag chair is made out of wood while that of Panton's is made out of plastic in different bright colours.

"Choosing colours should not be a gamble. It should be a conscious decision. Colours have a meaning and a function." - (Verner Panton)

"Mondrian Swim" swimsuit collection inspired by De Stijl, designed by Sarah Schofield 

Focus Fireplaces inspired by De Stijl

De Stijl inspired bedroom

Verner Panton

Known for his "Space Age" nor "Pop Art", Verner Panton is one of the founders of Pop Art style. During his career Verner Panton created more than fifty different chair designs. His chairs are still being produced today.

Verner Panton chairs

Futurism

Creating movement and speed, Giacomo Balla uses diagonal lines in his paintings. Using these sort of designs in his paintings, Giacomo Balla studied light and speeding cars.

The futurist movement ended so quickly as it is a very short period. It ended in 1916 although today we can still find designs like posters.

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash - Giacomo Balla

Henry Dreyfuss

Consisting of the "Princess" telephone, the John Deere tractor, the square Mason jar and many others, were some first designs of Henry Dreyfuss. As the title says, The Forgotten Industrial designer giant, Henry Dreyfuss is not that much known today for his designs but having said that, every person has been interacted in a way or another with his designs so I think that his name should be clearly known like that of Steve Jobs.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was the person that has always been the influence to American architecture. Starting from homes to large buildings, he was the start to open plans. This led to the whole world being influenced by him and his organic architecture.

Frank Lloyd Wright with his model of the Guggenheim Musem

Bauhaus

Bauhaus operated in three locations. Starting in 1919 till 1925 Bauhaus was first in Weimar, then it moved to Dessau in 1925 until 1932 and last in Berlin in 1932 until 1933. During the time when it was still operating, Bauhaus has influenced every generation. It was to be considered as "radical step towards modernism."

Pass the Bauhaus by Steve Rura

Presentation Work - Bauhaus Cultural and Social Context

For the presentation, as a group of four, we decided to take the Bauhaus era. Bauhaus is one of my favourite eras during the 20^th century period. We all divided the work equally and at first it wasn’t easy to start dividing the movement so that we can talk a little bit on everything. I had the cultural and social context during Bauhaus and its influences on Bauhaus.

1914 – 1919 World War I Influences on Bauhaus

After First World War I, supplies in Germany were extremely low and in fact there was a huge impact not only in Germany but also in the majority of Europe. The Bauhaus movement was a reaction to the social changes that Germany was facing at that time. Their economy was collapsing in fact they were living in poverty and starving from the lack of supplies. Never-the-less, for the designers of Bauhaus, this was the beginning of a rewarding struggle. They said that is the beginning of something good.

1920 Women’s Suffrage

Before Bauhaus, as we all know, women did not have the exact same rights like all other men. It was during World War I when women finally started to show some effort to get the equality between men and women. During my research, I noticed that there were also women applicants. Bauhaus was a rare art school to accept women.

Gropius quoted that there should not be any difference between the prettier and the stronger gender. But in reality things were different as only men were allowed to paint, mould and design classes while women were only allowed to weave and ceramics workshop.

Bauhaus started with around 40 students in 1919, in which one fourth of them were women. By the time Bauhaus was closing, there were about 170 students which 51% of them were women. This means that there were more than half of the students.

1929 Stock Market Crash

As the Bauhaus was coming closer to its end, the stock market crash known as the Great Depression spread across the world, mostly in Europe. At this period of time, the Nazis rose in Germany and at this stage Bauhaus became stronger expressing new form of ideas and new forms of art. As a result of Germany being dictated by Adolf Hitler, Bauhaus under the pressure of the Nazis was closed on the 11^th of April 1933.

Bauhaus Today

Bauhaus had a huge influence on the history of design and continues to do so today. Almost anything that you see today and consider it as a modern look, whether it is architecture, graphic design, fashion, digital media and more – almost certainly had its roots from Bauhaus.

Bauhaus in Fashion and Style

Even though the Bauhaus school existed for only 14 years its influence is still felt today. Not only do you see Bauhaus influences in interiors and furniture design but also in fashion. Many designers are still inspired by the Bauhaus movement.

One of them is Carolina Herrera which was inspired from Bauhaus. Her Spring/Summer 2012 collection was her collection from Bauhaus.

Another good example is the work of Hussein Chalayan who applies the Bauhaus principle of Form Follows function. Here is a 1-minute video were Hussein Chalayan clearly shows how he applied this principle of Form Follows Function. 

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE07_aFF4no

Visual Chart

For my Chart, I started out by carrying a brainstorm to see with what type of movements I integrated most. By eliminating one after the other, I remained with five designers which all lived in different movements yet all effective today. The five designers I chose from five different eras were Gerrit Rietveld, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, Verner Panton and Tom Dixon.

After doing research one after the other, I realised that this chart is not as easy as I taught. Started with the eras then characteristics, influences and social influences that may have influence the designers at that particular time. Somehow all of them are influenced by each other, whether it is design or whether it’s an inspiration.

Finally everything was getting together and it was easier for me to match designer with another. This was not just a task to get corrected on but it was a task were I am inspired and influenced from. These designers are truly great ones.