Idiosyncratic Differences Between the Eames House and the Vanna Venturi House: A Case Study

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Journal of Literature and Art Studies, ISSN 2159-5836
February 2012, Vol. 2, No. 2, 323-328

DAVID

PUBLISHING

Idiosyncratic Differences Between the Eames House and the
Vanna Venturi House: A Case Study
Kyuho Ahn
University of Oregon, Oregon, USA
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In architectural fields, it is often unclear where to draw the line between Modernism and Postmodernism that often represent political debates between the ideology of orthodox modernity and the anti-ideology movement against
Modernism as a social and political movement, because architectural forms result from complex and multi-layers problem solving. This paper argues that a particular architectural style or vocabularies in these two eras could be described as architects’ idiosyncratic aesthetic tastes. Therefore, this study reveals two different architectural styles of two renowned architectural designs, the Eames House and the Vanna Ventri House that each represents
Modernism and Postmodernism. This paper demonstrates that Eames’ ideal image of home is depicted within a universal vocabulary and that Venturi’s idiosyncratic interest, curiosity of historical contexts, is revealed in a new neoclassical appearance in Mannerist manner. Also, this study reveals that the idea and presentation of the
Eameses’ house, representing their “love of objects”, is not only related to Venturi’s idea of complexity and contradiction, but also depicts a historical connection by “functioning decoration” for “extra cultural surprise”.
Keywords: Modernism, Postmodernism, the Eames House, the Vanna Venturi House, architectural style, architecture history

Introduction
Many times, especially in architectural fields, it is unclear where to draw the line between Modernism and
Postmodernism. In many artistic languages, such as music, painting, and the performing arts, political and cultural values reflect the values of humans and society. However, because architectural forms result from multi-layered problem solving, justifying cultural and

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