Modernism and Modernization in Architecture

Despite the plethora of books on the 1930's Modern Movement and the post-war interpretation of the International Style, there has been little or no attempt to address the resurgence of modernism in the 1990s. Rather than a contemporary style "the modern" represents a cultural shift. It spans all aspects of contemporary life from politics to furniture design. This movement distinguishes itself by its thirst for modernity, for its desire to pursue the progressive and the innovative, and to modernize and rationalize, whatever discipline is involved, whether it is in tackling legislation or an interior's styling. Consumer orientated, unlike its aesthetic antecedents, contemporary modernism's image is one that owes much to the propagation of the media. Unlike the earnest intellectuals of the modern movement, contemporary modernists are portrayed as hip, urban young hedonists with money to spend. This text invites discussion by placing architecture in this broader context.