Brutalism in Art

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Modern Movement

Architecture is the most visible way of art, and every building has a certain type of style that resembles and tells the story of the time and place they were built in. Several movements took place during the 19th/20th Century. Some of the movements were:

Art Nouveau: It is characterized by having an abundance of odd shapes such arcs, curves, and designs. This style was prominent particularly in Paris, where the artist Siegfried Bing displayed this kind of style in the “Maison de l’Art Nouveau”. The Art Nouveau artists were inspired in nature, such as flowers, clouds, butterflies, marine creatures, as well as the female figure.

The Art Nouveau was well accepted in Mexican society because of its daring composition. Some examples of this style in Mexico are the “Gran Hotel de México” and the “Roma” colony.

Arts and Crafts: This movement was similar to the Art Nouveau, although it began in Great Britain in the late 19th Century. In architecture, the style advocated a return to the Gothic architecture in order to restore the values missing in the industrialized world. “Perhaps nowhere else does art and architecture capture this vernacular and cultural landscape as perfectly as is the case in New Mexico.” (Cummings, 2001, p. 8)

Art Deco: Art Deco is a combination of many styles that already existed, but with a modern touch. One of the most well-known Art Deco buildings around the world is the Chrysler Building in New York, which includes materials such steel and aluminum.

One of the first examples of this type of architecture in Mexico was the “Alianza de Ferrocarrileros Mexicanos” building by Vicente Mendiola in 1926. Later on, many buildings were made with this Art Deco, which still...

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...in Great Britain. The exhibition was a compilation of personal interests of Paolozzi ranging from all kinds of photographs. The show’s principle was similar to the unity assumed in a person’s life. ‘Parallel of Life and Art’ was Autobiographical as Paolozzi put it. The exhibition depended on the parallels which might be drawn from one photograph to another.

More than the images, it was that brutal aspect of the material in the exhibition. The parallels established similarities where there was no connection. Banham (Unknown Year, p.10) Implied that “They were of a purely arbitrary and formal kind”. This review was then denied by Tom Hopkinson. The images showed that all things were also languages which were parallel and connected. That’s why it was possible to make connections between several images of the Exhibition. This was the essential meaning of Brutalism.

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