Influences on Designers Mies Van Der Rohe and Breuer, Europe, 1920's
To what extent did external influences shape what modernist design became in Europe in the 1920’s?
Focusing on chair designs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer.
In design, external influences have always played a vital role in any given trend. In the 1920’s, an era commonly referred to as the Machine Age , modernist design followed a very focused approach: a desire to create a better world. In this essay, I will make a brief overview of the socio-economic situation of this time period, with a short introduction to the life of the two practitioners whose work I will analyse: Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I will deliver an examination of their most famous designs, by considering three major themes: rejection of ornamentation, truth to materials, and form follows function. Finally, I will include a consideration of the influence of Mart Stam’s designs on the practitioners work. Together, this will account for my analysis of how external social and economic factors, shared experiences, and common influences, are reflected in the shared features of Breuer’s and Mies van der Rohe’s designs and to what extent they contributed to the shaping of modernism in Europe in the 1920’s. Therefore, how these came to become what could now be referred as modern design.
The term modern is very abstract and has been defined in many different ways. For the purpose of this essay, the term concerns a design perspective: an embrace of utopian ideas in a desire to create a better world; through machinery, new technologies, and the unity of the arts .
Context and life of practitioners
In the 1920’s, Europe was in a post World War 1 situation. New social and economic trends led to a reorganization of civilization: buildings, offices, streets and many cars now governed the city . The breakthrough of machinery and technological development created a desire for progress, which led to a strong preoccupation with efficiency and competence. This encouraged
Focusing on chair designs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer.
In design, external influences have always played a vital role in any given trend. In the 1920’s, an era commonly referred to as the Machine Age , modernist design followed a very focused approach: a desire to create a better world. In this essay, I will make a brief overview of the socio-economic situation of this time period, with a short introduction to the life of the two practitioners whose work I will analyse: Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I will deliver an examination of their most famous designs, by considering three major themes: rejection of ornamentation, truth to materials, and form follows function. Finally, I will include a consideration of the influence of Mart Stam’s designs on the practitioners work. Together, this will account for my analysis of how external social and economic factors, shared experiences, and common influences, are reflected in the shared features of Breuer’s and Mies van der Rohe’s designs and to what extent they contributed to the shaping of modernism in Europe in the 1920’s. Therefore, how these came to become what could now be referred as modern design.
The term modern is very abstract and has been defined in many different ways. For the purpose of this essay, the term concerns a design perspective: an embrace of utopian ideas in a desire to create a better world; through machinery, new technologies, and the unity of the arts .
Context and life of practitioners
In the 1920’s, Europe was in a post World War 1 situation. New social and economic trends led to a reorganization of civilization: buildings, offices, streets and many cars now governed the city . The breakthrough of machinery and technological development created a desire for progress, which led to a strong preoccupation with efficiency and competence. This encouraged
Bibliography: Boyd, Michael and Gabrielle (1998). Sitting on the edge. San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Design Museum (2006) Dyer, Aréss (2011). ‘Modernism and the machine’ lecture notes. ECA. Edinburgh on September 2011 Encyclopaedia Britannica Marcel Breuer (2012) International Style (2012). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. [Retrieved 18 March 2012], from < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/291280/International-Style> Forty, Adrian (1986) Griffith Wingon, Alexandra (2000).The Bauhaus, 1919–1933. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm (August 2007) [Accessed: 18 March 2012] Sparke, Penny (2009) Sparke, Penny (1986). Furniture – Twentieth-Century Design. E.P Dutton. Part One: Furniture for the Machine Age, Britain and the rise of the mass market. Vitra Design Museum and authors. (1997). Dimensions of Design – 100 Classical Seats. (1997) Weil am Rhein. Alexander von Vegesack. Wilk, Christopher (2006) Wolf Von Eckardt, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (2011). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. [Retrieved 18 March 2012], List of illustrations Image 1: Marcel Breuer, B 64 Cesca Chair (1928) Available from: < http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=15> [Accessed18 March 2012] Image 2: Marcel Breuer, Armchair B 3, Wassily (1925/6) Image 3: Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Barcelona Chair (1929) Available from: < http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id=71> [Accessed18 March 2012] Image 4: Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, MR 20 (1927) Image 5: Mart Stam, Chair W1 (1926) Available from: