Modernism

5 cards. Each one is a 40-second story with a five-minute read behind it.

1. How a sense of spiritual emptiness birthed a revolution in designModernism wasn't just a style; it was a psychological response to a world falling apart. Following the trauma of World War I, artists abandoned Victorian optimism to find new ways…
2. The world's most famous architecture school didn't teach architecture for its first eight years.The Bauhaus lasted just 14 years, moved city twice, had three directors, and closed in 1933 under Nazi pressure. Its manifesto said all creative work aimed at building, yet it off…
3. Le Corbusier called a house a 'machine for living in'. His masterpiece leaked so badly its owners left.In 1927 Le Corbusier set out five rules for modern architecture made possible by reinforced concrete: stilts, roof gardens, open plans, ribbon windows and free facades. The Villa …
4. The architect who coined 'form follows function' covered his buildings in ornament.Louis Sullivan wrote the phrase in 1896, and modernists turned it into a war cry against decoration. But Sullivan's own Chicago buildings erupted with lush ironwork and terracotta…
5. The architect of the Sydney Opera House never saw it finished.Jørn Utzon's sketchy competition drawings won in 1957. The build ran ten years late and more than 1,300 percent over budget in real terms. Utzon resigned in 1966, left Australia a…

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