Mies van der Rohe, documentary film, Mies directed by Michael Blackwood., 1986 http://BestDramaTv.Net
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Together with documentation of his life, this film shows all his major buildings, as well as rare film footage of Mies explaining his philosophy. Phyllis Lambert relates her choice of Mies as the architect for the Seagram building. Mies's achievements and continuing influence are debated by architects Robert A.M. Stern, Robert Venturi, and Philip Johnson, by former students and by architectural historians. Mies is seen in rare documentary footage.
I am convinced that architecture is the most significant expression of a civilization.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
This film opens with a view of a construction site for the replica of the Barcelona Pavilion that was constructed for the 1986 centennial of the architect. The original Barcelona Pavilion was Mies' European masterpiece and established him as among the greatest architects of the era. Later, his work in America would elevate his stature even further, as he became one of the most respected and imitated architects of all time. Mies was uncompromising in his pursuit of architectural perfection, which he believed was embodied by a painstaking effort to express clearly an abstract concept. In the film James Ingo Freed explains: "Mies always felt he was waging a war on the modern movement for the soul of the modern movement. He reduced his buildings to the absolute Platonic, pure minimum evocation of the idea."
Mies was born in 1886 in Aachen, Germany. His father was a master stonemason, and Mies very early on apprenticed as a bricklayer. His background and early work experiences supplied him with a lifelong appreciation for building materials. In 1905, at age 19, he moved to Berlin where he worked in the studio of Bruno Paul. His first commission was for a suburban residence for Professor Alois Riehl, which earned him the following praise from Paul: "The house has only one thing wrong with it that I didn¹t build it!"1
Peter Behrens, one of the notable architects of that era, with a small office in Neubabelsberg later hired Mies to work in his office. In this environment Mies was introduced to the work of the great 19th century German architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, as well as the influential Dutch architect H.P. Berlage, both of whom had a strong impact on his own work for their adherence to classical simplicity and clarity. In 1914 he opened his own practice in the Berlin borough of Steglitz, where for the next few years he designed residences in and around the city.
After the chaos and horror of World War I, artists and architects embraced the concept of a Utopian society - ordered and structured, with architecture, or the New Architecture, playing an important role. In 1919 the Bauhaus was established in Dresden.
In the 1940's Mies investigated his concepts of "universal space". These concerns centered around a hall that would be open and flexible enough to accommodate any function. The Farnsworth House (Plano, IL), completed in 1951, realized Mies¹s goal of a versatile structure, uniting universal space with steel structure. With its references to a classical temple, the Farnsworth House best exemplifies the rebirth of the classic spirit in modern architecture.
In 1962 Mies was invited by the Berlin Senate to design the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. This building, with its clear-span space and classical temple design, reminiscent of Schinkel, is the culmination of a vision developed over a lifetime. The hall is entirely walled in glass, with a 26' height. The roof is constructed of a grid of web girders and rests on eight columns. The hall was designed to exhibit temporary exhibits, while the podium housed the administrative offices and permanent collection. The Neue Nationalgalerie is Mies¹ final statement for his homeland.
Endnotes
1. Schulze, Franz. Mies van der Rohe, A Critical Biography, The University of Chicago Press, 1985, p. 24. http://BestDramaTv.Net
I am convinced that architecture is the most significant expression of a civilization.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
This film opens with a view of a construction site for the replica of the Barcelona Pavilion that was constructed for the 1986 centennial of the architect. The original Barcelona Pavilion was Mies' European masterpiece and established him as among the greatest architects of the era. Later, his work in America would elevate his stature even further, as he became one of the most respected and imitated architects of all time. Mies was uncompromising in his pursuit of architectural perfection, which he believed was embodied by a painstaking effort to express clearly an abstract concept. In the film James Ingo Freed explains: "Mies always felt he was waging a war on the modern movement for the soul of the modern movement. He reduced his buildings to the absolute Platonic, pure minimum evocation of the idea."
Mies was born in 1886 in Aachen, Germany. His father was a master stonemason, and Mies very early on apprenticed as a bricklayer. His background and early work experiences supplied him with a lifelong appreciation for building materials. In 1905, at age 19, he moved to Berlin where he worked in the studio of Bruno Paul. His first commission was for a suburban residence for Professor Alois Riehl, which earned him the following praise from Paul: "The house has only one thing wrong with it that I didn¹t build it!"1
Peter Behrens, one of the notable architects of that era, with a small office in Neubabelsberg later hired Mies to work in his office. In this environment Mies was introduced to the work of the great 19th century German architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, as well as the influential Dutch architect H.P. Berlage, both of whom had a strong impact on his own work for their adherence to classical simplicity and clarity. In 1914 he opened his own practice in the Berlin borough of Steglitz, where for the next few years he designed residences in and around the city.
After the chaos and horror of World War I, artists and architects embraced the concept of a Utopian society - ordered and structured, with architecture, or the New Architecture, playing an important role. In 1919 the Bauhaus was established in Dresden.
In the 1940's Mies investigated his concepts of "universal space". These concerns centered around a hall that would be open and flexible enough to accommodate any function. The Farnsworth House (Plano, IL), completed in 1951, realized Mies¹s goal of a versatile structure, uniting universal space with steel structure. With its references to a classical temple, the Farnsworth House best exemplifies the rebirth of the classic spirit in modern architecture.
In 1962 Mies was invited by the Berlin Senate to design the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. This building, with its clear-span space and classical temple design, reminiscent of Schinkel, is the culmination of a vision developed over a lifetime. The hall is entirely walled in glass, with a 26' height. The roof is constructed of a grid of web girders and rests on eight columns. The hall was designed to exhibit temporary exhibits, while the podium housed the administrative offices and permanent collection. The Neue Nationalgalerie is Mies¹ final statement for his homeland.
Endnotes
1. Schulze, Franz. Mies van der Rohe, A Critical Biography, The University of Chicago Press, 1985, p. 24. http://BestDramaTv.Net