Conspicuously Quotidian

The international style of Bauhaus was intended as a promotion of a new lifestyle and way of thinking. This promotional character of modernism, however, was an issue of critique and debate among the Danish modernist designers and architects over decades. They tried to define Danish modern design as product of a national tradition of modest, user-centred objects. As the Bauhaus directors also fought against the reduction of their project to a ‘Bauhaus Style’ or a commercial fad, this was perhaps a fight on words. Beyond the ideal of modest, no nonsense object convincing users through their mute form only, promotion did, of course, had to be part of Danish modernism as well. The design had to be conspicuous in its simplicity through some kinds of presentation to sell to a broader public. Especially in the writings of the Danish architect and cultural criticist, Poul Henningsen, we find a constant negotiation of the two sides of this issue, as he made rather advanced explanations and advertisements for his famous lamp system, the PH-lamp.

La Embajada de Estados Unidos en Madrid y la arquitectura moderna de posguerra

Between 1950 and 1955, the United States Embassy in Madrid was planned and built on the former Huerta de Cánovas estate. This building has already been studied in its pioneering and controversial implementation in the Paseo de la Castellana. Some reference has also been made to the link between Mariano Garrigues, the Spanish architect who directed the construction works, and North America. This article goes deeper, however, into some issues that have not yet been explained; in particular, the aim is to reveal how a prototype of the International Style was adapted to local circumstances. For this purpose, both foreign sources related to the North American architectural office (Foreign Building Operations, FBO) and local sources related to the Spanish architect are used. Likewise, graphic analyses are carried out to complement the available information and to focus on aspects of the site, construction, and spatial organization. The analysis is not limited to the general aspects of the building. Its link with post-war modern architecture is increased with considerations of site, structure and furnishing. The final assessment falls somewhere between absolute adherence to modern ideals and local mediation.

Communication strategies and PR technologies for the formation of the country’s image (on the example of the Republic of Kazakhstan)

The country’s image is becoming more and more important for scientific research. This is of great importance in the context of growing globalization. This can be explained by the fact that a positive image of a country is a valuable and promising resource for its internal and external relations. The construction of a country image is based on a common view of states, which is mainly formed in the field of mass media, where there is a wide range of tools and means. Research object: international image of the state. Subject of research: factors and communication strategy for the formation of the international image of the state. The purpose of the study is to create an effective communicative strategy for the formation of the country’s international style on the basis of the analysis of the moments of style and the study of the skill of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Achievement of the established goal implies the formulation and conclusion of a number of research tasks that reflect the project of work. The methodological basis of the study is substantiated by the task of conducting an all-encompassing analysis of the process of forming the country’s style within the framework of a political science study, based on the strategy of methodological synthesis, based on: the method, the method of historical retrospective, the logical and methodological foundations of historicism, the methodological toolkit of systemic and structural-functional layouts. The proposed work examines the process of creating a positive image state using positioning as the main method of formation and communication strategy to facilitate its development. This aspect deserves detailed scientific and practical research. As part of the study, the existing theoretical developments in the field of building and positioning the image are considered, the main factors in the formation of a national international image and strategies for its dissemination are identified, this issue is analyzed. The actual implementation of the concept is carried out on the example of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

LA ILUSORIA EN LA ARQUITECTURA MODERNA EN LA CIUDAD DE LOJA A TRAVÉS DE LA OBRA DEL ARQUITECTO JORGE AUQUILLA ORTEGA

El presente trabajo se enmarca en el ámbito de la Teoría y Crítica de la Arquitectura. Se fundamenta en el concepto de formas ilusorias de la arquitectura moderna desarrollado por el profesor Antón Capitel. Una ilusión arquitectónica evoca algo que no está presente físicamente pero que puede recordarnos formas que en algún momento despertaron en nosotros diversas sensaciones o emociones y que nos permite evaluar espacios u objetos con diversos matices. Se analiza la vida y obra del arquitecto Jorge Auquilla Ortega y la presencia de la ilusoria en uno de sus proyectos arquitectónicos construidos en relación con la arquitectura moderna de la segunda mitad del siglo XX. El análisis arquitectónico de la obra permitió identificar la ilusoria presente en ella, a través de figuras retóricas como metonimia, elipsis, prosopopeyas, metáforas, alegorías, y quiasmos. Palabras clave: Ilusoria, arquitectura, estilo internacional, arquitectura moderna, Loja, Ecuador. AbstractThe present work was framed in the field of Theory and Criticism of Architecture. It was based on the concept of illusory forms in modern architecture developed by Professor Antón Capitel. An architectural illusion evokes something that is not physically present but that can remind us of forms that at some point awakened in us different sensations or emotions and that allows us to evaluate spaces or objects with different nuances. The life and work of architect Jorge Auquilla Ortega and the presence of illusory in one of his architectural projectsbuilt in relation to the modern architecture of the second half of the twentieth century are analyzed. The architectural analysis of the work allowed us to identify the illusory present in it, through rhetorical figures such as metonymy, ellipsis, prosopopoeial, metaphors, allegories, and chiasms. Keywords: Illusory, architecture, international style, modern architecture, Loja, Ecuador.

Stílus, forma, esztétika

Olyan átfogó stílusok, mint a gótika a reneszánsz vagy a barokk voltak, napjainkban nem segítik az építész munkáját a formaalakításában, de különböző stílusok, brandek és ideológiák nagy számban választhatók. A választás létre is jön – elsősorban az azonosíthatóság és a jó eladhatóság érdekében – az építészirodák formaalkotási metódusát alapvetően meghatározva. Az így létrejövő építészeti formák nem az adott feladatból következnek, nem az adott feladathoz kapcsolódnak, hanem a meglévő formakészlet elemeinek használatával, adaptálásával jönnek létre.A kortárs művészetben nem csak az építészet küzd a forma ellehetetlenülésével, kiüresedésével. Az irodalomban ugyanúgy kérdésessé vált a forma, a stílus, és kérdésessé vált a gondolat, a mondanivaló direkt ábrázolása. Az irodalomra is figyelve, a párhuzamok segíthetnek a helyzet pontos leírásában, értelmezésében, és szélesíthetik az építészeti horizontot.Azonban nem csak a huszadik század végi, huszonegyedik század eleji építészet sajátja a formai dogmatizmus, az már a kezdet kezdetén megjelent a Modern Mozgalomban. A CIAM és Le Corbusier stiláris diktátumával szemben aktív és passzív ellenállás fejlődött ki. Több jelentős, korszerűen gondolkozó építész hangoztatta, írta le ellenvéleményét, tiltakozva a Modern Mozgalom kiáltványai ellen. A passzívan tiltakozó építészek egyszerűen távol tartották magukat a Mozgalomtól és járták a saját maguk szabta, de modern útjukat. Az aktív és passzív ellenállást tanúsító építészek vonulatát St. John Wilson a modern építészet másik hagyományaként írta le.A modern építészet másik hagyományának folytatásaként – a kortárs tervezésben – a stiláris, formai, esztétikai, gondolati, ideológiai megközelítések elutasítása lehetőséget jelenthet az építész számára egy olyan tervezés gyakorlására, ami a sokrétű építészeti feladatra tud koncentrálni, nem a formai kérdések határozzák meg a tervezést. Az építészet elemi sajátosságaira alapozva, a tervezési helyzet kiértékelése, a funkció betöltése a fundamentum. Minden más ezekből kiindulva alakul, következik, az építészetet praktikus művészetként (techné) gyakorolva.Ez a vonulata az építészetnek nem használ olyan formákat, amelyek nem a tervezési helyzetből következnek, így az épület populáris gesztusok, formák híján a legtöbb esetben nem lesz érdekes a primer érzékelés számára. Az ilyen mű befogadásához csend és elmélyülés kell.However, such overall styles as gothic, renaissance and baroque do not help contemporary architects in creating forms but different styles, brands and ideologies could be chosen freely. The choice is maid – usually for identification and marketability – defining the form creation method of the architecture offices. The forms created like this do not follow the assignment task nor are connected to the architectural or natural context, but these forms are stylistically or ideologically preconceived.The architectural form, structure which is independent from task is not only the contemporary architecture’s peculiarity. At the beginning of the architectural Modern Movement Le Corbusier and the CIAM canonized the International Style. But W. M. Dudok, the Dutch architect (and several other prominent architects) protested against a regime of pre-ordained geometrical form.In the contemporary architecture the MVRDV is diligent to create interesting architectural forms to raise their popularity, however, a few decades ago Winy Maas protested against the formalism: admonishing the architects to design buildings just with transforming the abstract statistic information into a concrete form. Daniel Libeskind said about his Jewish Museum in Berlin: “that was my intent in creating a building that tells a story. Architecture just like any art should tell a story.” And he developed a useless populist building using deconstructive ornaments.But there are a few star architects who do not care about brand building and popularity. One of them is Peter Zumthor, who wrote about the design process of Thermal Baths in Vals: “I remembered how we recently developed a project…not by forming preliminary images of the building in our minds and subsequently adapting them to the assignment, but by endeavouring to answer basic questions arising from the location of the given site, the purpose and the building materials – mountain, rock, water – which at the first had no visual content in terms of existing architecture.”

Overlooked Heritage: Interiors in Slovakia

The creation of interior spaces is the main cognitive characteristic of architectural creation. Architecture creates a basic spatial framework for the interior. Interior design is a complex type of architectural activity that forms both the space (basically the interior) and the individual elements of the interior space. The professional interior design of architects or designers intentionally creates an environment specifically intended for human life. It is where people are in the most personal contact with the environment surrounding them. Just as an artificially created environment has a strong influence on a person’s life and feelings, it has also been proven that it works the other way round as well, i.e. that human needs and demands are a decisive factor in creating space for a person. The case studies demonstrate the development of the interior design in the second half of the 20th century, its current state and level of care given to these works. Architecture from this period has often lost its struggle for survival. As regards the style, these are works in international style, late modern and postmodern, and the local element makes them a unique and attractive testimony to the era. Despite the natural properties of interiors which seldom survive as long as the architecture itself, some contemporary statements about the interior design of the period under review have been preserved. The research focused on the public interiors of both well-known and less-known buildings by Slovak architects from various parts of Slovakia. The research calls attention to the fact that architects worked here even then and their works were of certain quality.

Instrumental Works from the Library of the Royal Conservatories, Brussels

Brussels native Petrus Hercules Brehy (1673–1737) composed twelve sonatas for two violins, viola, basso viola, and continuo around 1715–22, and two sonatas for five instruments and continuo approximately ten years later, all during his tenure as zangmeester of the Collegiate Church of SS. Michael and Gudula. Since 1929 the autograph manuscripts have been conserved at the Library of the Royal Conservatories of Music, Brussels. Unlike Brehy's earlier symphonias, these were not published during his lifetime and were written to be played by a mix of professional musicians, able clerics, and older choirboys. Six of the twelve sonatas for four instruments and continuo reflect the earlier polyphonic ensemble sonata da chiesa of the late seventeenth century, four feature the violin in more flamboyant soloistic passagework, and two contain elements of both idioms. The two sonates à 5 are consistent with the late Baroque international style. All the sonatas in this volume reflect the somewhat conservative religious style of a Habsburg Empire territory capital during the early eighteenth century.

Art-Nouveau and the Portrait of the Fin de Siècle Woman in Jules Massenet’s Cléopâtre

The present paper strives to evoke the context in which one of Jules Massenet’s last operas, “Cléopâtre” was created: the Belle Époque period with its various stylistic orientations. Among the numerous art movements of the fin de siècle, Art Nouveau establishes itself as one of the most important styles, gradually becoming an international style often associated with the Belle Époque. Characterized by curving forms and undulating lines, Art Nouveau was used in architecture, fine and applied arts. One of the aims of this style was to dissolve the distinction between the various forms of art. Art Nouveau representations gave birth to a particular feminine type, also represented in Massenetțs “Cléopâtre”, an opera inspired by the vocal and dramatic endowments of French singer Lucy Arbell. The analysis focuses on the vocal characterization of Cléopâtre as sonorous representation of the fin de siècle woman, highlighting some of the musical innovations employed by Massenet in this final work.