Nordic classicism
Nordic Classicism (also known as Classical Modernism of the North ) describes an architectural style that can be roughly assigned to the 1920s and was widespread in the Nordic countries . The style is characterized by a combination of classical elements and forms from Greco-Roman antiquity.
Nordic Classicism was a relatively brief appearance in architecture and developed from Art Nouveau and Classicism. From 1930 functionalism reached the Nordic countries and slowly put an end to the era of Nordic classicism.
history
The development of Nordic Classicism is based on both classicistic elements and the traditional architectural style of northern European countries. Many Nordic architects were inspired by the architectural styles there on educational trips to Italy and Germany and then implemented these ideas in their Nordic homeland. This fact has the consequence that today some Nordic buildings from this time bear elements of neoclassicism and the modern age of the Deutscher Werkbund. Le Corbusier's thoughts were also taken up in the drafts.
Not only the appearance and design were the reasons for the new architectural style. The growth of the Nordic cities and the need for public buildings as well as changed building regulations required further development. Furthermore, politics in the 1920s was left-wing and the welfare state began. Despite these developments, not only schools, hospitals and administration buildings were built, but also simple workers' houses.
At the beginning of the 1930s, the end of the era became apparent, not least due to the Stockholm exhibition in 1930 and the designs there by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz, although buildings in this style continued to be built for a few years after this point.
Representative
There were numerous representatives of Nordic Classicism in all Nordic countries. The following list represents a selection of outstanding representatives of this era.
- Alvar Aalto
- Sigurd Lewerentz
- Ragnar Ostberg
- Gunnar Asplund
- Carl Westman
- Sven Markelius
- Arne Jacobsen
- Carl Petersen
- Johan Sigfrid Sirén
features
It was difficult for the Nordic countries to develop their own architectural style at the turn of the century, as the regions were rather sparsely populated and the structure of the population was more rural.
Although the style was only fully noticeable from around 1920, Carl Bergstein had already recognized in 1914 that Nordic Classicism would be the prerequisite for modern architecture in Northern Europe. In the early days, the first works were a mixture of classicism and traditional architectural styles. Only over the years did the buildings gain clarity and structure.
swell
- ^ Astrid Feltes-Peter, Silwen Randebrock: Finland , Mair Dumont Baedeker, 2006, p. 69, ISBN 3-8297-1110-7
- ↑ Ursula Kleefisch-Jobst: Architecture in the 20th Century , Dumont Verlag, 2003, p. 66, ISBN 3-8321-5574-0
