Nordic Classicism
Nordic Classicism (also Modernism of the North ) describes a style of architecture that can be assigned roughly the 1920s and was used in the Nordic countries. The style is characterized by a combination of classical elements and forms of Greco-Roman antiquity.
The Nordic Classicism was a relatively brief appearance in the architecture and developed from Art Nouveau and Classicism. From 1930 functionalism reached the Nordic countries and put the epoch of the Nordic Classicism slowly to an end.
History
The development of the Nordic Classicism is based both on classical elements as well as on the traditional style of northern European countries. Many Nordic architects were inspired by the local architectural styles on educational trips to Italy and Germany, and put these ideas to then in their Nordic home. This fact has the consequence that today carry some Norse buildings from this time elements of Neoclassicism ' and the modernism of the Deutscher Werkbund. Thoughts of Le Corbusier were picked up in the draft.
Not only look and design were the reasons for the new architecture. Also the growth of the northern cities and the need of public buildings as well as modified building codes required the further development. Furthermore, the policy was left-wing in the 1920s and the welfare state began. Despite these developments, however, not only schools, hospitals and administrative buildings were built, but also ordinary workers houses.
The end of the era in the early 1930s it became apparent, not least by the Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 and the local designs by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz, where after that date a few years buildings were still being built in this style.
Representative
In all Nordic countries, there were numerous representatives of the Nordic Classicism '. The following list represents a selection of outstanding representatives of this era
- Alvar Aalto
- Sigurd Lewerentz
- Ragnar Östberg
- Gunnar Asplund
- Carl Westman
- Sven Markelius
- Arne Jacobsen
- Carl Petersen
- Johan Sigfrid Sirén
Features
Our own architectural style was at the turn of the century are difficult to develop in the Nordic countries since the land was sparsely populated and the structure of the population was affected more rural.
Although the style only fully been felt from around 1920, had in 1914 already recognized Carl Bergstein, that the Nordic Classicism will be the prerequisite for modern architecture in Northern Europe. Thus, the first works were in the early days, a mixture of classicism and traditional architecture and traditions. Only over the years won the buildings of clarity and structure.