7/26/2019 Architectural Style

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ARCHITECTURAL STYLE:

MICHAEL GRAVES

A member of the "New York Five", Graves re-interpreted the rational style that had been

introduced by Le Corbusier in the 1920s into a neoclassical style. By the mid-1970s, Graves

had become less concerned with the roots of Modernism and had developed a wide-ranging

eclecticism in which he abstracted historical forms and emphasized the use of color.

Michael Graves generates an ironic, vision of Classicism in which his buildings have

become classical in their mass and order. Although influenced by the fundamentalists in

developing an architectural language, Graves has become an an opponent of modern works

who uses humor as an integral part of his architecture. Indeed, many of his recent designs

seem to celebrate architectural pastiche and kitsch.

Graves' designs are simple, bold and have modern appeal while featuring classical

styles found in ancient architecture. These elements appear timeless and give his buildings a

sense of monumental nobility while still pleasing contemporary commercial society. The clean

elegant lines soar and at the same time relate well to human scale. Shapes are rendered in

their most basic forms yet translate to a sophisticated and practical reality. "He re-interpreted

the rational style that had been introduced by Le Corbusier in the 1920s into a neoclassical

style. By the mid-1970s, Graves had become less concerned with the roots of Modernism and

had developed a wide-ranging eclecticism in which he abstracted historical forms and

emphasized the use of color. Michael Graves generates an ironic, vision of Classicism in which

his buildings have become classical in their mass and order.

  Graves continues to turn to architecture itself for his inspiration.

  He has a deep interest in existing

o  Architecture :- ancient, neo- classical, modern - & derives pleasure from

reinterpreting it‟s forms & compositions. 

  He gives credence to the basic tenet that there is no such thing as an original idea but

that everything original is based on the reworking of what already exists

  Graves has been steadily developing his practice in japan for the last 15 years.

  He explain that japan has “become a place to experiment a bit withabstraction. In europe & america i‟m  probably a bit more conscious of historic

context”. Because so often the cities we‟ve been asked to design for there arecompletely rebuilt. 

  IN JAPAN GRAVES ARCHITECTURE WAS SEEN AS „HUMANISTIC‟RATHER THAN„MECHANISTIC‟ i.e.IN TERMS OF MATERIALS & THE ANTHROPOMETRICQUALITIES OFTHE BUILDING. HE USED MAN AS THE METAPHOR RATHER THANTHE MACHINE