Bay Adelaide first tower nearing completion - cropped

Neomodern or neomodernist architecture is a reaction to the complexity of

postmodern architecture Postmodern architecture is a style or movement which emerged in the 1960s as a reaction against the austerity, formality, and lack of variety of modern architecture, particularly in the international style advocated by Philip Johnson and Henry ...

and

eclecticism in architecture Eclecticism is a 19th and 20th century architectural style in which a single piece of work incorporates a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original. In architecture and interior design, t ...

, seeking greater simplicity. The architectural style, which is also referred to as New Modernism, is said to have legitimized an outlook of comprehensive individualism and relativism.

Background

The move to reboot architectural design is not a recent phenomenon. There are scholars who trace new modernist thoughts to

Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...

's ''Vers une Architecture'' published in the 1920s. This text, which was reprinted in English in 1931 as ''Towards New Architecture'', proposed the replacement of Paris' architectural fabric with crystalline towers. His ideas were taken up by scholars like Earl Baldwin Smith, who criticized the lack of "functional" directness" and "simplicity" of modernist architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. The subsequent writings of Vautier, identified emergent characteristics of the new architecture, which include the centrality of rationalism, mathematics, and calculation to the aesthetic experience. Neomodernist architecture holds that contemporary architecture has surpassed postmodernism and neoeclecticism. The scattered trends developed in response to this view coalesced and reinforced each other leading to a new complete form. Several factors contributed to this development and these include the triumph of

global capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

, the emergence of new architectural forms, and the generation of new and more complex architectural theories. There are scholars who also cite the role played by Jewish architectural projects that were erected in European cities such as

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. These were products of experiments in form that were oriented towards greater simplicity and the rejection of aristocratic values.

Architecture

Neomodern architecture continues

Modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

as a dominant form of architecture in the 20th and 21st centuries, especially in corporate offices. It tends to be used for certain segments of buildings. Many residential houses tend to embrace

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

new classical New classical macroeconomics, sometimes simply called new classical economics, is a school of thought in macroeconomics that builds its analysis entirely on a neoclassical framework. Specifically, it emphasizes the importance of rigorous founda ...

and neo-eclectic styles, for instance, and major monuments today most often opt for

starchitect Starchitect is a portmanteau used to describe architects whose celebrity and critical acclaim have transformed them into idols of the architecture world and may even have given them some degree of fame among the general public. Celebrity status i ...

inspired uniqueness. Neomodern architecture shares many of the basic characteristics of modernism. Both reject classical ornamentation, decorations, and deliberate ambitions to continue pre-modernist traditions. Neomodernist buildings, like modernist ones, are designed to be largely monolithic and functional. The emphasis on rationalism and calculation in creating the aesthetic experience is augmented by the focus on utility, economy, and natural selection.

Artist group

The neomodern artist group was founded in 1997 by Guy DenningSherwin, Brian
"Art Space Talk: Guy Denning"
myartspace.com, 14 November 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2008. on the premise that the diversity of contemporary art was being stifled by the state supported art institutions and organisations. The group have no common style or media but there is a bias towards figurative painting. Original artists listed: Jim Butler,

David Cobley David Cobley (born 27 June 1954) is an English portrait and figure painter and founder oBath Artists' Studios Early life David Hugh Cobley was born in Northampton in 1954. He grew up in Higham Ferrers and was educated at the county primary sc ...

, Emily Cole,

Mark Demsteader Mark Demsteader (born 1963) is a British figurative artist. According to The Daily Telegraph, he is "one of Britain's best-selling figurative painters". Biography Born in Manchester, his formative years were spent in Manchester’s meat mark ...

, Guy Denning, Ian Francis,

Juno Doran Juno Doran is a visual and sound artist based in North Dorset, United Kingdom. Life and work Juno Doran is a visual and sound artist based in the UK. She was born in 1966 in Abrantes, Portugal, and moved to London, United Kingdom, in 1992. Selec ...

Ghislaine Howard Ghislaine Howard is a figurative artist who works with paint to describe the human figure and the universal experiences of the human condition. Early life and education Ghislaine Howard was born in Eccles, Lancashire in 1953. Her father was an a ...

, Jamin, Maya Kulenovic, Mark Stephen Meadows,

Antony Micallef Antony Micallef is a British contemporary artist and painter working in London. He appeared on the British art scene after being a prize winner of the BP Portrait Award competition. Since then, his mix of political imagery fused with contempora ...

, Motorboy, Carol Peace, Graeme Robbins, Harry Simmonds, Tom Wilmott, Franklin Torres, Kit Wise and

Claire Zakiewicz Clair or Claire may refer to: * Claire (given name), a list of people with the name Claire *Clair (surname) Places Canada * Clair, New Brunswick, a former village, now part of Haut-Madawaska * Clair Parish, New Brunswick * Pointe-Claire, ...

Examples of neomodern architecture

File:Beetham Tower from below.jpg, Beetham Tower in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, UK File:18-07-2020 plac budowy Varso, 3.jpg, Varso in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

File:Neomodernist facade in Pretoria.JPG, Building in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

with a neomodern architectural design.

Notes and references

External links