Formalism: From Modern To Postmodern

In the information age of today, we may keep ourselves informed about the currenttrends of architecture from all over the world through the mass media like books,magazines, newspapers, televisions and the internet. China, the state with the largestnumber and astonishing speed of building construction, is becoming the most openpractice base for international architects. Nevertheless, neither Prompt informationnor large scale construction means the flourishing of architectural discipline. Moderndiscourse systems of architectural history、theory and practice have yet to beeatablished in China, which seems to me may have its root in the lack of profound、comprehensive and systermatic understanding of the trajectory of modernarchitecture.Through the analysis of architectural formalism in works of Rudolf Wittkower、Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman, three figures with master-apprentice relationship,this dissertation investigates the trajectory of modern architecture, particularly how itwas invented, institutionalized, reversed and subverted. The shift from modern topostmodern is not treated as the shift of styles or a clean break in architectural thought;instead it is shown in the continuous development with both rebellions andinheritance.This dissertation employs the popular methods in theoretical and historical researchof the west after Structuralism, emphasizing particularly on the problem of"methodology" of the subjects. The research issues are explored at four levels: thetransformation of social patterns, the general condition of humanistic disciplines inthat period, the paradigm shift in architectural discipline, and finally the subject of thestudy:architectural formalism from Rudolf Wittkower、Colin Rowe to Peter Eisenman.Architectural formalism is studied in terms of both the longitudinal and the crossaspects. The longitudinal aspects focus on the sources of their thoughts andmethodology(philosophy、political ideas、art theories、architectural theories); and thecross aspects include the comparision of these main figures and some of theircontemporaries and the debates between them.Hopefully, through multidimensionalresearch, the "golden age" of contemporary architectural criticism which is also theturning point from modern to postmodern will be clearly and vividly presented.