thumb|The [[Bay Adelaide Centre in Toronto. When first proposed in the 1980s the building had a strongly postmodernist design. The final design, completed in 2009, adopted the neomodern style.]]

Neomodern or neomodernist architecture is a reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism in architecture, seeking greater simplicity. The architectural style, which is also referred to as New Modernism, is said to have legitimized an outlook of comprehensive individualism and relativism.

Background

The move to reboot architectural design is not a recent phenomenon. There are scholars who trace new modernist thoughts to Le Corbusier's Vers une Architecture published in the 1920s. This text, which was reprinted in English in 1931 as Towards New Architecture, proposed the replacement of Paris' architectural fabric with crystalline towers. The subsequent writings of Vautier identified emergent characteristics of the new architecture, which include the centrality of rationalism, mathematics, and calculation to the aesthetic experience.

Neomodernist architecture holds that contemporary architecture has surpassed postmodernism and neoeclecticism. The scattered trends developed in response to this view coalesced and reinforced each other leading to a new complete form. These were products of experiments in form that were oriented towards greater simplicity and the rejection of aristocratic values. on the premise that the diversity of contemporary art was being stifled by the state supported art institutions and organisations. The group have no common style or media but there is a bias towards figurative painting. Original artists listed: Jim Butler, David Cobley, Emily Cole, Mark Demsteader, Guy Denning, Ian Francis, Juno Doran, Ghislaine Howard, Jamin, Maya Kulenovic, Mark Stephen Meadows, Antony Micallef, Motorboy, Carol Peace, Graeme Robbins, Harry Simmonds, Tom Wilmott, Franklin Torres, Kit Wise and Claire Zakiewicz.

In Slovakia, Slovak Matica also joined the "national neomodernism" (Manifest národnej neomoderny), the manifesto was initiated by the DAV DVA project.

Examples of neomodern architecture

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File:Beetham Tower from below.jpg|Beetham Tower in Manchester, UK

File:Varso, July 2024.jpg|Varso in Warsaw, Poland

File:Neomodernist facade in Pretoria.JPG|Building in Pretoria with a neomodern architectural design.

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See also

  • Neo-futurism
  • Metamodernism
  • Remodernism

Notes and references

  • Neomodern group manifesto
  • Remodernist Manifesto