Reflections Unit Summary

The reflections unit picks up at the end of the Baroque design period. After the rejection of the idea of breaking the rules and testing boundaries came the desire to revert back to the traditional forms of design and to the Renaissance. In other words, after the Baroque design period, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the design world became a reflection of the traditional and ancient design world. The turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought about conflict, exploration, industrial revolution, media, and communication. This time period also brought about a definite middle class which attempted to mock the high class forms of design. Classical and traditional forms were incorporated into architectural design. As a result of exploration, colonies were established in North America under British rule. The colonial style structures were similar to that of England. There was the incorporation of the “hall and parlor” plan within the design of the home, similar to that of the palazzos in Italy. There were separate quarters for sleeping and entertaining, which still is in residential design forms today. During this time there were also worldwide revolutions taking place. A revolution is a drastic and far thinking ways of change, thus causing motion and turning the world “upside down.” Revolutions are a cycle to which change is brought, comprised of revival, rotation, cycle, reform, and Renaissance. Effects of the revolutions were prevalent and incorporated into designs. Colonial America showed their desire for separation from Britain through design; they returned to “inside the box” design forms, rebelling against heavy Baroque styles, and returned to classical, clean-cut forms. The interior of homes became the defining point of the individual, and therefore a concentration on the interior began developing. Colonial America would imitate ancient Grecian style as opposed to Roman because England was more inclined to imitate the Roman form of design; this is displayed in the American capital city, D.C. This time period also brought about the crossing of east and west in designs. The west developed a desire for an exotic appeal in the interior of structures which were represented through eastern art forms as well as eastern goods. The Silk Road and other trade routes brought the ideas of eastern design to the west. Westerners imitated Egyptian, Chinese, and Japanese design forms by including symbols on the surface of goods while creating a “new” form from eastern ideas. During the time of eastern and western design mingling, the aesthetic movement presented itself. There was a desire that art touched every wall of the interior space. Exotic design forms often consumed a space, like in the Peacock Room. The industrial revolution heavily affected Europe and America. The introduction of machine capability brought about easier manufacturing, as well as quicker. The machine also allowed a sense of mass production of goods. The machine brought controversy because many designers like William Morris favored the originality of a hand-crafted piece as opposed to the conventional machine crafted piece. Glass and iron also brought about a change in the design world. Structures were build out of glass and metal, which could be easily produced in mass forms and brought about easy construction. These materials gave structures a more delicate appeal. Greenhouses and train stations were created through the use of glass and iron. Iron was lightweight, had more tensile strength, and was thought to be fireproof. Structures such as the Crystal Palace, created out of glass, brought a delusion of interior and exterior. In America, the industrial revolution and the introduction of iron and metal into construction brought about the development of the skyscraper which had a vertical emphasis as opposed to horizontal. Jenney’s development of the iron skeletal system in a structure while building in Chicago made the vertical expansion possible. The nineteenth century design world brought about new building types and significance of art forms in design; yet the central essence of these centuries were to stay away from breaking boundaries, and to be a reflection of the ancient traditional design rules.