week 10: The Iron Skeleton Frame

Larson, G.R. (1987). 'The iron skeleton frame: Interactions between Europe and the United States', in Zukowsky, J. (ed). Chicago architecture 1872-1922: Birth of a metropolis. Munich: Prestel-Verlag. pp38-55.

This article by Larson details the history of iron framed buildings and looks at the evolution of these buildings during the mid 19th century to the late 19th century. Larson begins with a theme that I have seen in some of other readings, and this theme is related to Ruskin’s impact on industrialisation in England.   Although a great country of this period and the place where the industrial revolution started, England dropped out of the skyscraper race due to its Parliament passing a bill to toughen the building code in relation to the use of iron in buildings. It was because of this that the French and the Americans went on to become the great innovators in iron frame building construction. Larson details the impact events such as Napoleon's rebuilding of Paris  and the 1845 New York fires, the 1871 Chicago fires  and the rebuilding that followed these events had in the development of building construction. 

Bogardus and Badger were early exponents of iron skeleton structures filled with brick or stone in the spandrels, but it was William Jenney who improved this system with the National Home Insurance building in Chicago. Jenney's method was to fill the iron columns with concrete as well as encasing them with brick or stone. The girders were then supported by brick ledgers in the columns and an exterior masonry facade ran the full height of the building. However it was Leroy Buffington who perfected this system with a method he learnt from the French, specifically the iron structures of Gustav Eiffel using riveted wrought iron plates and lattice cross bracing.

This was a really engaging article by Larson, however it was a little heavy with descriptions of construction techniques and I understand that not everyone knows their mullions from their lintels. One observation I have from this piece is that I don't think Larson pays enough attention to the significance of the statue of liberty and Eiffels iron structure that lay under the copper exterior. My understanding is that this is the first ever example of curtain wall construction.

The rise of the iron skeleton is not unlike many great designs, in that there are usually many contributors to the perfection of a design.  

Week 7: A National Spirit

Bogel, M. (1998). A National Spirit: Designing with Australian Flora and Fauna. In Design In Australia, 1880-1970 (pp 44-53). Craftsman House.

This book chapter by Bogel presents an evolution of Australian design and the people who were prominent in promoting the use of Australian flora and fauna in Australian art and design. Two of the early exponents of Australian flora and fauna were Lucien Henry and Richard Baker. Lucien Henry was a Frenchman who taught at the Sydney Technical college and wrote extensively about the importance of a national art for Australia using our unique surroundings. While Richard Baker was a curator at the Sydney Technology Museum  he formed a large Australian botany collection, and published several books on Australian plants and timbers. Both these men lay the early foundation for an  identifiable national art to emerge. Also during this time artists such as Tom Roberts, Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton and Samuel Rowe were being influenced by international style such as the Arts and Crafts movements and the beginnings of the Art Nouveau movements. This had an influential effect on internal Australian style with unique Australian Art Nouveau appearing in many places from advertising posters to biscuit tins. Eirene Mort also had a significant role in making icons of Australian native plants with her extensive graphic work and range of publications.  Bogel also makes special mention of May Gibbs and her unique art and illustrations that popularised Australian flora and fauna through her still published children's books 'Snuggle Pot and Cuddle Pie'. As well as Gibbs, Bogel also mentions the important role the Australian Native association played in lobbing for indigenous flora, including the emblematic use of the wattle. Bogel also mentions two technical college teachers, Harvey and Linton.  Both of these men were influential in teaching young artists and worked in and advocated for the use of Australian timbers in furniture.   As a cabinetmaker I find this interesting as we host some of the finest and colourful timbers of the world in this country.  As for making furniture, many of our timbers are extremely hard and different techniques from traditional European had to be devised in working with them.  I think it is our timbers that make our furniture uniquely Australian, rather than a specific style. 
Bogel presents a great article about Australian identity, art, design and those who are influential in the evolution of our own unique style.

Week 6: The End And The Beginning, European Art Nouveau

MacMillan, A. (1993). The End and The Beginning. In Europe Beginning and End (pp.14-21). Japan Art and Culture Association.

This Chapter on Art Nouveau looks into the historical influences and the philosophical under-pinning's of  Art Nouveau. MacMillan looks closely at Ruskin, his writings on nature and design and his own idea's on the moral disdain of industrialisation. Ruskin's ideas were the basis behind the work of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement that evolved in England around the same period that Art Nouveau swept continental Europe. And his ideas also played a key role in the philosophy of Art Nouveau. MacMillan begins the chapter with a great description of the style of Art Nouveau

          "spatially fluent it drew on nature for its shapes favouring the stem over the bud, the bizarre over the common place, rich surfaces over plain: there is an echo of a Celtic past." (pg. 14)

MacMillan provides great descriptive language to set out exactly what constitutes Art Nouveau. The two movements Art Nouveau and the arts and crafts movement had a philosophical difference between the historic Classicism that lay before. And this difference was that now items from every day life were designed and crafted with regard to materials and methods used. Therefore making everyday objects works of art. Both the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau had influences from Japan and Celtic Europe however Art Nouveau embraced  industrialisation and the Arts and Crafts were opposed to the Industrial revolution and MacMillan goes into a lot of detail discussing these differences. MacMillan in his article discusses the artists that influenced Art Nouveau like Galle, Hoffman, Wagner and Horta. However he does devote quite a bit of space in the paper talking about the Scottish architect/designer Charles R Mackintosh, and I wonder if this piece had of been written by someone other than a Professor at Glasgow University whether the same treatment would have been given to him. I have also noted that MacMillan's piece failed to mention the role Alphonse Mucha played in the influence of this new style.  Mucha in 1895 produced a poster in Paris as an advertisement for the play Gismonda featuring Sarah Bernhardt. According to Dr Bell in her week 6 lecture and many other sources I have read this poster marked a key point in the popularisation of this new style.
This was a good article on the history of Art Nouveau and was a great artcle to start with for any student of design.