Custom essays Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Beginning this paper I want to get acquaint you with brief biography of prominent architect and with creation of this greatest master, who left indelible track in history of architecture. Informative riches of our time are in truth infinitely. It is needed only to want, and it is possible to know practically about everything. It touches architecture, certainly. True, in a greater degree architectures of modern times. You should judge by yourself: the splendidly illustrated papers, perfectly published books, lectures and television, can give the more or less complete picture of creations those, whose names are world-renowned, and merits are evident… I would like to remember an architect, whose name made a noise in the world one day. I’d like to write about creative person in this paper. It will be research work about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose works are popular all over the world. It is possible to say briefly about him: Master of 20th century, who wrote the alphabet of modern architecture.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of leading architects of Germany and the USA, creator of international style in architecture of 20th century. First of all it is necessary to make a brief analysis of Ludwig’s biography that will help us understand the roots of his talents. Rulli wrote that “Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was born in Aachen, Germany, on March 27, 1886. His father operated a construction business, and at a fairly early age van der Rohe acquired some experience in stone carving. As a teenager, he was also employed as a draftsman for architect Peter Behrens, who specialized in building modern industrial buildings. Walter Gropius, who later became the famous founder and director of the Bauhaus school of design, was also employed with Behrens. While with Behrens, van der Rohe was exposed to the current design theories and to progressive, avant-garde German culture. Having no formal architectural training, he nonetheless gained considerable experience and confidence through several independent commissions. In 1912, at 26, he opened his own architectural firm.” (Rulli, 2007) As we see from this short information van der Rohe is very creative and active person whose talents find own reflection in his works.
Let’s imagine era of technological revolution. Engineering triumph! In the latest style and categorically not acknowledged architects steel and reinforced concrete grow into a build material of grandiose bridges, towers and hangars for dirigibles… It was the time that was named an era of Technique, literally breaking a secret in architecture. Van der Rohe, as anyone else felt it, and glorifying an epoch, named architecture’s “quintessence”, its “salt” or even “essence”.
Identifying Ludwig’s career path we see that metal was his real passion. Ludwig saw in it not only a novelty and durability but also special beauty, deserving architectures. Leaning against properties of metal, he formulated the conception of framework and a metal “led” in architecture, thinking of for it a warrant, poetry, language taken to the absolute… Van der Rohe made incredible things with metallic constructions, it is possible to consider base for any modern architect nowadays. His experiments with glass are considered new step in contemporary world practice. Frankly speaking, he was a first person in world practice, an architect, who used it as a new drawing tool. As early as 1920th, designing the skyscrapers in Berlin, Ludwig comes to the revolutionary opening: located under different corners to each other of plane of the glazed walls reflecting houses, nature, become giant mirrors and dissolve building architecture.
Nobel said that “historians never discuss Mies; they wield him. This grand tradition began, as so many did, with Philip Johnson’s 1932 “Modern Architecture” exhibition at MOMA and the publication the same year of his book The International Style. To further his vision of an architecture that would transcend people, place, and politics, Johnson stripped Mies of the expressionist and even romantic tendencies that were his birthright.” (Nobel, 2001). Quoting Nobel we see that Ludwig van der Rohe’s activity was interesting for many researches and gave new ideas to architects. His projects became the precursors of one of the most widespread now images of architecture – height framework building with a shell from glass. In general, idea to do glass houses belongs wholly to Ludwig van der Rohe. For example, his glass villa called the Farnsworth House is exist in the system of framework, taken away outside building, and glass, and connects a structure with a park. It is total glass building that demonstrates work with new for architecture material; in fact this is architecture of “doing”. Notably, that at this time in the imitation of van der Rohe and being inspired by his ideas American architect Johnson builds own glass house. But, unlike Ludwig, he uses not metallic, but wooden framework in it, than substantially complements an idea, enriching it so likable our modern architecture by “connection with an environment”. Possibly, therefore work of Johnson got a large fame.
It is necessary to add that during the building of multistoried dwellings buildings in Chicago Ludwig van der Rohe goes back to pulled out by him as early as 1919 and 1921 years idea of height house from glass. It was his old dream and one day dream became reality. Glass and steel are unique materials that were applied by van der Rohe for embodiment of the architectural project. Due to the avarice of the used materials, to expressiveness of clear architectural form his leading architectural idea “than less than, so much the better” got clear expression. In the decision of planning of the Farnsworth House is visible that simplicity. Round a central kernel which apartments of engineering equipment are in, bedrooms and dwellings rooms of separate apartments are located. Chosen by an architect industrial materials are steel and glass – require for their use in architecture of highly developed artistic flair. During work with these materials it is important carefully to develop all details, take into account the least changes of proportions. On the utterance of Mies van der Rohe, “organic principle” of accordance of every element the place is here important in building. Therefore, master Mies van der Rohe at first made the templates of details of bearing part of building and their joining in a scale to 1:1, because diminishing of scale could distort the artistic impression.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned it is possible to conclude that using metal and glass, Ludwig van der Rohe created simple, accessible architecture, defiant a desire to imitate it. The look of strict rectangular forms, mounted in framework, was independent neither of materials and specific of local building nor from some national traditions. It was so newly, that formed whole direction in architecture, well-aimed adopted critics “international style”. And, as we understand from our research work the basis for its creation became Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with his creative ideas of glass masterpieces creation.

Works cited:
Garver, Newtone. This Complicated Form of Life: Essays on Wittgenstein. Open Court Publishing, 1994.
Jones, Cranston. Architecture Today and Tomorrow. McGraw-Hill, 1961.
Modernism Worthy of Preserving; Pei Complex Is Part of the City’s Legacy. Newspaper article; The Washington Times, December 1, 2007.
Nobel, Philip. Mies in America. Artforum International, Vol. 39, May 2001.
Rulli, Daniel. Less Is More: Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Glass Houses, and Immigration. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, Vol. 32, 2007.