Post Modern Architecture

I thought for sure I was going to be bored to tears by a lecture on "post-modern architecture". What a surprise to find it is one of the most fascinating things I've learned at college so far.

The quick little history of architecture was something I had never learned before, but was so obvious after being pointed out. The images and samples the provost used made the timeline of influence so easy to understand. Art Nouvelle finally made sense to me. I've heard the words so many times and just nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah, sure, Art Nouvelle. It's a very nice train station".

The jump from Art Deco to Bauhaus was clear, and the jump from Bauhaus to New Modernism as obvious as the former. Through the example of architecture, post-modernism began to make sense. It's deconstruction in retaliation of overly formalized construction, it's disharmony in the face of cohesion. It's the binary opposite of modernism (Art Deco comes to mind).

The buildings that are missing their centers - those are truly the essence of post-modernity, I think. We imagine the most important part of the building must be it's core, and thusly, when we remove the core, it becomes a parody of modernity, of normalcy, of the construct. It becomes post-modern.

I apparently have a love of architecture I never knew about. Each building was more fascinating than the next. I know I must sound a bit exaggerated, but I was honestly enthralled. If only architecture wasn't so mathematical it could be a dream of mine to become the next Rem Koolhaas.