I didn't really like the International style architecture. As Scandinavian architecture, the International style seems to me pretty plain and boring, with no remarkable designs (and the International style applied in housing is even more boring and ordinary). However, some architects did appeal my eye: Le Corbusier, Niemeyer, Barragan and Tange actually made some great pieces of architecture in their respective countries. Their designs are innovative and fresh: they seem to have been built the last year! I think that the most interesting designs are from the Brazilian Niemeyer and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium from the Japanese Tange:
Curves! I think Le Corbusier, despite the Villa Savoye, is questionable as a member of the International Style (compared to someone like the very boxy Mies van der Rohe).
ReplyDeleteI remember that my town library in the 1970s had individual studies of modern architects, which I borrowed and read with great interest. The books on Tange and Aalto stand out in my mind.
Niemeyer should be a great favorite of yours! You ought to visit Brasilia someday.