1. The 20’s & 30’s The Roaring Twenties The Red Scare
Europe & America afraid of socialism
challenged their way of life
End to capitalism
End to monarchies
Known socialists were evicted
Prohibition
America was deemed too decadent
Many unwanted pregnancies & Abortions
Led to invention of the Condom
Alcoholism skyrocketed after WWI
Organized Crime began bootlegging -became viable enemy
Woman’s Suffrage
Women finally allowed to vote in 1920
Equality measures taken

2. The 20’s & 30’s The Roaring Twenties Revolution Once Again
Mexico declares independence
Pancho Villa led the resistance
assassinated in 1924
Spanish Civil War
Final shred of Hapsburgs evicted from Europe
General Francisco Franco takes control
India Uprising against Britain
Turkey declares its independence
Racial Tensions in the South
Rosewood, Fl
Ku Klux Klan membership at all time high
Economic Tensions
Advent of Labor Laws to protect workers
Coal strikes in Europe & America

3. The 20’s & 30’s Science of the Times Greater Understanding of the Atom
Neils Bohr determined path of the electron
Francis William Aston found atomic isotopes
Milliken finds cosmic rays in space
Vavilov determines gene centers in human cells
Greater Understanding of medicine
vaccines for tuberculosis
advent of birth control
Culture of the Times
Greater Understanding of People
Charlie Birdseye develops frozen food
The mass production of the automobile
Baseball & Football gain national attention

4. The 20’s & 30’s Communication Increases
The radio goes into mass production
Most households had radios & telephones
People could communicate more freely
News could be disseminated more freely
World becomes smaller / ideas & culture are passed
The invention of the Television
German Scientist Theorized it could be done in the 1880’s
1906 – Lee De Forrest patented the triode vacuum tube
In 1920 the tube became advanced enough to show images
Ernst Alexanderson displayed the first home television in 1928 – sold patent to General Electric
The first television broadcast occurs in England in 1936
First American Television Broadcast in 1939
The ability to pass information on visually
TV suspended during WWII

5. The 20’s & 30’s The Roaring Twenties The Movie Age Silent Films
Charlie Chaplin – the comedy
Mary Pickford – the diva
Douglas Fairbanks – The swashbuckler
Flash Gordon – The Future
Cecil Be DeMille – The Director / Producer
Rin Tin Tin – The first famous animal
German Avante Garde – Nosferatu (1st vampire movie)
Japanese Avante Garde – Yoru (the night)
Ideas & Fantasy passed to the public
The birth of the Movie House
Appealed to all classes
Lee Deforest invented film that could hold sound & Color
Wizard of Oz – one of the first & most influential

6. Daily Express Building – lobby
Art Deco
Ellis & Clarke
Daily Express (1931)
One of the First Art Deco spaces in England, this building lobby is a series of decorative panels of black Glass, Chrome and Mirrors.
The Art Deco style took from the Art Nouveau & Ornament from the 19th Century. The ornament was now of modern materials. The advent of electrical light as well played into it. The shiny machined surfaces reflected light and created the illusion of depth.
Daily Express Building – lobby

7. Art Deco Michael Roux-Spitz Salon des Artistes Decorateurs (1928)
In Paris in the Late 1920’s there was a series of exhibitions of the Art Deco style. This one exhibit highlights new furniture & patterns. The Dressing table takes on a series of steps that build up to the front. The finish on the dressing table is polished to almost a mirrored quality. The screen wall displays African patterns. This same pattern is seen in the carpet.
The Art Deco Movement highlight not only the new materials of the time but also color & Sheen. It was supposed to be opulent & bold. Its aggressive patterns mimicked that of the Jazz of the time. The two go hand in hand
Salon – Exhibit

8. SS Normandie – Dining Room
Art Deco
Roger Expert & Richard Bouwens
SS Normandie (1935)
Art Deco invaded the high seas. As luxury liners became the most popular mode of continental travel, the need to be extravagant increased. Art Deco forms such as the Urns & tower light fixtures brought a level of whimsy. The furniture was deeply cushioned on metal frames. The walls were of variegated marbles displaying rich vein patterns. The color schemes were deep colors accented with either Silver or Gold Metal tones.
SS Normandie – Dining Room

9. Radio City Music Hall – Theater
Art Deco
Donald Deskey
Radio City Music Hall (1932)
Art Deco in America found its capital in New York. Rockefeller Center was the largest Art Deco development of the time. Radio City Music Hall was the centerpiece of the development. The theater is a series of Shells that form a Proscenium arch. The Shells are accented with cove lights to add to the visual texture. The furniture designed by Deskey combined aluminum & Bakelite.
Radio City Music Hall – Theater

10. International Building - Lobby
Art Deco
Raymond Hood, Reinhard & Hofmeister
Rockefeller Center (1935)
This huge development was highlighted by the International building. The lobby mixed marble with metal, bold colors with electric light. There was a lot of pedestrian traffic through the lobby since the building housed studios for radio shows of the time. The lobby was treated with bold colors. The Blues were thought to represent electricity, Black & Chrome were supposed to represent new technology.
International Building - Lobby

11. Art Deco Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) Design Exhibition New York 1934
Loewy as seen here created the Art Deco office for this design exhibition. The office comprised of Modern & Art Deco furniture highlight curved forms & Shiny materials. Loewy was very influential in America. He not only designed furniture but also automobiles.
Mock up office

12. Art Deco Russell Wright Tableware circa 1939
The tableware seen here became all the rage. The bright colors and fluid lines was very successful in terms of popularity. Items such as these available to everyone, helped bring modern design to the public with a high level of acceptance.
Household tableware

13. Casa del Popolo - exterior Casa del Popolo - interior
European Modernism – 1930s
Giuseppe Terragni
Casa del Popolo 1938
Terragni was able to produce modern architecture during the Fascist Period in Italy. This building was meant to house political meetings. The concrete structure was in the Rationalist style. The style dictates strict geometries used in strict repetition. This is to create ideal proportion.
Casa del Popolo - exterior
Casa del Popolo - interior

14. Town Hall - Council Chamber
European Modernism – 1930s
Willem Dudok
Town Hall
Dudok created this modern town hall in a the small Dutch town of Hilversum. It’s rigid lines & strict geometries create a strong presence on the countryside.
The Council Chamber has a dignified presence created by the modern materials. The use of rich materials & vivid colors create a warm space prominent space.
Town Hall - Council Chamber
Town Hall - exterior

15. European Modernism – 1930s Marcel Breuer
Breuer upon the closing of the Bauhaus fled to England. He became not only a successful architect but also an industrial designer.
Here we see the furniture he developed for mass production for the Isokon. Both Breuer & Alvar Aalto were the forerunners of bentwood furniture.
Plywood Long Chair

16. Finland
Finland
Sweden controlled the country from the 12th-19th Century
Russia took control in 1809
Gained its Independence from Russia in 1917
Became a republic
Finally after nearly a millennium was free
Early 20th Century brought Industrialization
Previously was an agrarian society
Nature still dominated its culture
Rise of the Nazis & Communists
Both sides hated each other
Finland was in the middle
Had to fend off invasion
Finland Remained peaceful
Country continued to Industrialize
Cities began to develop

17. European Modernism – 1930s Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Turun Sanomat
Sanomat - Exterior
Aalto designed this industrial building to house a newspaper and its printing facility in the city of Turku. The Concrete structure is influenced by the Art Deco style. This is evident in the column forms. The ceiling was sealed to give it a shiny finish.
Sanomat - Warehouse

18. European Modernism – 1930s Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Turun Sanomat
Sanomat - Warehouse
The Lobby was sealed concrete & Plaster walls with tile floors. Again the Art Deco style comes through. This is one of the better concrete structures in all of Europe.
Sanomat – Office Lobby

19. European Modernism – 1930s Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Paimio Sanitorium
In designing this hospital, Aalto began to look at the human condition. The design was based on how human’s heal. This was truly a case where form followed function. The Sprawling building stretches out & creates courtyards which allow natural light into all rooms. Nature blends its way from exterior to interior throughout this building with all of its roof decks. It was Aalto’s belief that nature was truly necessary to heal oneself.
Sanitorium – Exterior
Sanitorium – Plan

20. European Modernism – 1930s Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Paimio Sanitorium
Aalto also believed that bright colors made people feel better and be more active. Psychological tests proved this to be true. So the lobby was treated with Bright yellow walls and floor tiles to offset the white. Blue was used as an accent.
Sanitorium – Stair
Sanitorium – lobby

21. European Modernism – 1930s Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Paimio Sanitorium
Aalto studied rigorously the effects of lighting & heating on the infirmed. The diagrams show the interplay of natural & artificial light. The beds designed by Aalto were designed to be flexible. The spaces were designed for being horizontal. The ceiling colors were darker to give the patient a more restful color to look at. Even the bent wood chair had its purpose. It was designed to put a person at the correct angle to enhance their breathing.
Sanitorium – chair
Sanitorium – diagrams

22. Villa Mairea - Exterior
European Modernism – 1930s
Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Villa Mairea
One of Aalto’s most impressive buildings. In it Aalto combined many different materials to create diverse forms.
The Finish culture is extremely in tune with nature. Aalto’s work highlights this through the use of natural materials & Organic forms. Also design elements such as the pool and the rubble masonry wall add to the aesthetic.
Villa Mairea - Exterior
Villa Mairea - Plan

23. Villa Mairea - Entrance Villa Mairea – Living Room
European Modernism – 1930s
Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976)
Villa Mairea
Aalto uses wood ceilings and floors. The walls are plaster. All the furniture is designed by Aalto as well. Again, he likes to bring nature into the building. At the fireplace, Aalto carves out an opening that allows him to add a window and create a shelf. The form is as if it had been eroded away over time.
Villa Mairea - Entrance
Villa Mairea – Living Room