Vision and reality (1960-1970)
The sixties of the twentieth century will be remembered by the rebellion young generation born
after World War II, especially the protests of students, with the sounds of the guitarists Jimi
Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Long hair, colorful clothes, "flower
children" versus mandatory manners. Constructed values of Western democracies have become
questionable; NATO opposite the Warsaw Pact, Martin Luther King, the Vietnam War, and the
Prague Spring. New York has finally grown into a renowned capital of art, Pop Art. Andy
Warhols poster of Campbell's soup can opens the way to 15 minutes of world fame created by
the presence of the media: advertising, trademarks, stars, Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara.
Brutalism
In the early 1920s Rudolph Schindler built his house in America in which he tried to formulate
new ways of collective life in the private sphere, as reflected in the shape of a house. At the same
time architects such as Gropius, who has worked on residential schemes in Europe were
influenced by socialist views on society. One of the most important ideals for which it can be
said that has left a mark on the history of modern architecture of the 20th century was an attempt
to discover the principles on which the building was constructed, and from it to discover how it
works. Structural elements of reinforced concrete structures have been discovered so they were
not covered by glass panels or lining of stone. Different functions of non-bearing parts of the
facade could be emphasized by using different materials. The contrasts between the materials
help the viewer to draw conclusions about the role of different parts of the building. Beyond that
lies the concept of honest architecture that does not hide its structure behind the facade of
changing varieties. American architect Louis I. Kahn has formulated this principle very clearly
when he postulated, architecturally designed space, where we can see exactly how it is made.
Separately Kahn and Smithson in English among the younger generation, has once again Le
Corbusier mostly applied this principle in his later work. His use of concrete brut (the French
"brut" means "rough", "rugged"), a clean, bare concrete is what we owe the idea of brutalism:
architectural direction based on ethical rather than the aesthetic concept of a coherent style and
as such remains important component of the architectural forms of expression until the
mid-1970s.
1
There is always a conflict between the priorities of the owner, who can put a
function or size in the first place, and those of conservationists, who will want to preserve all the
historic remains as complete as possible. In war-torn buildings are relatively easy to make a
decision: either you make a new building exact 1:1 copy of the old buildings, such as in Warsaw
after 1945 - or you look different, modern architectural design to replace the destroyed building.
The result is always a new building in the first case in the historical "clothes" and the second in
modern. But what do you do with the existing historic buildings that have been changed and
were changed many times over the centuries, and that in this way every epoch have left behind a
different layer? Do you choose a specific period, such as Gothic or Baroque and make all the
necessary alteration or restoration in this style, as it was often done in the 19th century? Or
decide to remain visible all historical layers, and add contemporary changes in style appropriate
for that time? Warsaw’s old town was completely destroyed in 1945 and the object after
renovation, Warsaw was founded in the 13th century. After the war, the city was rebuilt by
facsimile, through historical documents and architectural surveys of students before the war. This
last line has adopted Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa in his perhaps most important work, the
restoration of Castel Vecchio between 1956 and 1964, which is now used as a museum, in the
northern Italian city, Verona. Recognizing thoughtful mix of styles that is already there, Scarpa
tried with a combination of sensitivity and willingness to experiment, to reclaim prized cultural
unity of the building, which will take into account the demands of modern art. The result is a
magnificent work of art, in which the individual layers of historical periods, mixed with Scarpino
architecture that seeks to form a completely new interpretation of the building. Scarpa was
making a clear distinction between the materials for modern construction, such as concrete, steel
and glass, and historical material, so that the various different materials for edge were placed
next to each other, giving the whole original charm.
Le Corbusier, Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts (USA), 1961
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1
Modern Architecture Through Case Studies 1945 to 1990; Peter Blundell Jones, Eamonn Canniffe; Taylor & Francis; (January 3, 2007); page
112-120
2
The Architecture of Landscape, 1940-1960; Marc Treib; University of Pennsylvania Press (September 3, 2002); page 15-35
