Le Corbusier 'Plan Voisin' in 1927 was a modernist idea that there was one logic to the way things were made, that was based on equality and taking the disorder out of the world and replacing it with order, celebrating the technological advances and using them for the best of humanity. However this extremely modernist idea loses personal, human elects to it, and it mechanical, soulless and impersonal. This frame of mind started in the 20th century and wasn't a favourite for the public, as they thought it too impersonal and neutral.
In the 20th century grids were very popular as they were a tool of creating order. Most typefaces were designed using a grid, such as Helvetica. Helvetica is a true modernist font, designed to be effectively neutral and simple, so that the meaning was in the content or the publication rather than in the typeface itself.
Massimo Vignelli was a true modernist, whose designed the New York Subway system map using the typeface Helvetica. To do this he used a grid rather than making into to scale, meaning that the stops may actually be further apart or close together than they may appear on the map. Colours were included, however this was only to make it easy to distinguish one subway line from another, rather than to make it look 'pretty'.
Post-modernism however is characterised by exhaustion, pluralism, pessimism, and disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
Post-modernism began in the 1960's, and was a recognisable style in the 1980's. However today we are tired and simmering, in a post-post-modernism era.
Post-modernism was an artistic and stylistic eclecticism that was equivalent to 'late capitalism'. It was the opposite to modernism, so is kind of fitting it came after modernism.
There have been many attempts at modernism, however the one that stands out the most is the demolition of the Pruitt-Igor development in St Louis. The government tried to build a nice new home for the people of St Louis, however the place just became a slum, with everyone rammed together in close proximity. It eventually got blown up and discarded as a total failure. they used lots of concrete in the building of this 'new age' housing development, however what they didn't realise is that after a coupe of years, concrete starts to look shoddy and rough. This was demonised during the post-modernist era, when the neutrality and depersonalisation of architecture was thrown out the window.
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