Postmodernism vs Modernism

Framing

This is the central architectural debate of the late 20th century: whether architecture should continue the Modernist project (functional purity, rejection of ornament, universal solutions, social progress through design) or embrace postmodern alternatives (symbolism, ornament, historical reference, popular culture, contextualism). Learning from Las Vegas (1977) is a foundational postmodern text that challenged Modernist orthodoxy. Foucault and Latour complicate the binary: Foucault's archaeology undermines modernism's claims to progressive rationality, while Latour argues that postmodernism is merely a devalued version of modernism — suggesting we should suspend modernism's key features rather than simply invert them.

Positions

Position A: Modernism

Modernism holds that architecture should express its time through new forms derived from function, structure, and technology—not historical styles or applied ornament. Key principles include:

• "Form follows function"
• Rejection of ornament (Adolf Loos: "Ornament and Crime")
• Universal, international style
• Social progress through rational design
• Space as the essence of architecture (Giedion)
• Process over image

Key texts:

• Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture (1941)
• Gropius, various manifestos
• Mies van der Rohe, "Less is More"

Position B: Postmodernism

Postmodernism argues that Modernism became dogmatic, ignoring symbolism, context, and popular taste. Key principles include:

• Symbolism and communication over spatial purity
• Ornament as legitimate architectural element
• Historical reference and eclecticism
• Acceptance of commercial vernacular
• "Ugly and ordinary" over "heroic and original"
• Decorated shed over the duck

Key texts:

• venturi-1977-learning-from-las-vegas
• Venturi, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966)
• The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977)

Key Texts

• venturi-1977-learning-from-las-vegas — Postmodern position
• Venturi, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966) — Early postmodern critique
• Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture (1941) — Modernist position
• elliott-benjamin-for-architects — Benjamin's alternative modernism
• yaneva-latour-for-architects — Latour's complication of the binary
• fontana-giusti-foucault-for-architects — Foucault's archaeological critique

Current State

The debate is historically resolved in favor of postmodernism's critique (Modernism's claims to universality and purity are widely questioned), but the terms continue to shape architectural discourse. Contemporary "parametricism" and "starchitecture" can be read as late Modernist or as new forms of the duck.

Relevance to Geoffrey's Research

This debate is central to understanding:

• The critique of iconic architecture
• The legitimacy of everyday/commercial architecture
• The role of symbolism in architectural meaning
• The relationship between architecture and popular culture