One of the most enduring and pervasive myths about modernist architecture is that it was white—pure white walls both inside and out. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The Color of Modernism explodes this myth of whiteness by offering a riot of color in modern architectural treatises, polemics, and buildings.

Focusing on Germany in the early 20th century, one of modernism’s most foundational and influential periods, the book examines the different scientific and artistic color theories that were advanced by members of the German avant-garde, from Bruno Taut to Walter Gropius to Hans Scharoun. German color theory went on to have a profound influence on the modern movement, and Germany serves as the key case study for an international phenomenon that encompassed modern architects worldwide from le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto to Berthold Lubetkin and Lina Bo Bardi.

Supported by accessible introductions to the development of color theory in philosophy, science and the arts, the book uses the German case to explore the new ways in which color was used in architecture and urban design, turning attention to an important yet overlooked aspect of the period. Much more than a mere correction to the historical record, the book leads the reader on an adventure into the color-filled worlds of psychology, the paranormal, theories of sensory perception, and pleasure, showing how each in turn influenced the modern movement. The Color of Modernism will fundamentally change the way the early modernist period is seen and discussed.

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Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Color in German Architecture of the 1920s
2. Color and Mysticism
3. Color and Fourth-dimensional Space
4. Color and Spatial Perception
5. Color and Optical Pleasure
6. Color Healing, Color Psychology and Emotion
7. Epilogue: The Problem with Color
Bibliography
Index

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Dismantling the myth that early modernist architecture was white.
This book dismantles one of the most pervasive myths in modern architectural history

Product details

ISBN
9781350251335
Published
2022-02-24
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight
398 gr
Height
232 mm
Width
154 mm
Thickness
16 mm
Age
U, 05
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Number of pages
256

Biographical note

Deborah Ascher Barnstone is Professor of Architecture, Course Director for undergraduate studies in Architecture, and Associate Head of School at University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Barnstone is a licensed architect in Germany, holds a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University, and holds a PhD from TU Delft.