Scandinavian classicism

The Scandinavian Classiscisme was a architectural Style which briefly has flowers in Scandinavia between the years 1910 and 1930.

Until an renewed interest for this period in the Years 1980 (marked by various érudites publications and of the exposures), the Scandinavian Classicism was seen like a simple bracket between two architectural currents well better known, the style romantic national or the Art nouveau and the functionalism.

History

The development of the Scandinavian Classicism was not an isolated phenomenon, but derived from the traditional tradition already existing in the Scandinavian countries, and of which new concepts had been continued in the Germanic countries of culture. The Scandinavian Classicism is characterized by a direct and indirect combination of influences coming from the vernacular Architecture (Scandinavian, Italian and German) and of neoclassicism, but also by the first manifestations of the Modernisme via the Deutscher Werkbund - in particular their exposure of 1914 - and of the new Spirit , the review of the Corbusier in the medium of the Années 1920.

The Modernism influenced this style towards more simplicity: the Urbanization related to the techniques of modern construction and the introduction of regulations at the same time into the construction industry and the Town planning. Moreover the rise of social actors make take into account considerations of left, bringing the policy of welfare state and new programs of public buildings like hospitals (for example the Hôpital Beckomberga of Carl Westman, 1927-1935) or schools (for example the Fridhemsplan school of Georg A. Nilsson, 1925-1927). However, whereas the Scandinavian Classicism was used for many public buildings of first importance, it was also used as model for cheap dwellings (for example the garden city of Käpylä in Helsinki de Martti Välikangas, 1920-1925) and architecture domesticates in general.

1930 are often regarded as the final point of the Scandinavian traditional style because it was the year of the exposure of Stockholm, conceived mainly by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz. Purer a Modernisme style was then proposed like model of the modern society. However important buildings continued to be built in a traditional style after this date, in particular the maritime museum of Stockholm built by Östberg (1931-34).

Architect-keys of the Scandinavian Classicism

Certain architects of these Scandinavian regions had already produced the essence of their work when the style romantic national developed, such as for example Ivar Tengbom and Ragnar Östberg although their later works were carried out in the Scandinavian traditional style. Others on the contrary (for example Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto and Sven Markelius) will obtain a great fame thereafter but in a style Moderne. The two figures which will succeed in having a great importance during the two time were the Swedish architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz.

In Sweden: Ragnar Östberg, Gunnar Asplund, Carl Westman, Sigurd Lewerentz, Carl Bergsten, Sigfrid Ericsson, Torben Grut, Ragnar Hjorth, Cyrillus Johansson, Erik Lallerstedt, Gunnar Licks, Sven Markelius, Gunnar Morssing, George Nilsson, Ture Ryberg, Albin Stark, Eskil Sundahl, Lars Israel Wahlman, Sven Wallander, Hakon Ahlberg and Ivar Tengbom;

In Denmark: Kay Fisker, Hack Kampmann, Kaj Gottlob, Ivar Bentsen, Povl Baumann, Poul Holsøe, Edvard Thomsen, Thomas Havning, Holger Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, Arne Jacobsen, Carl Petersen, Aage Rafn, Steen Eiler Rasmussen, Sven Risom and Fried Schlegel;

In Norway: Lars Backer, Lorentz Ree, Sverre Pedersen, Nicolai Beer, Fine Berner, Harald Halls, Hermann Munthe-Kaas, Gudolf Blakstad, Fine Bryn, Jens Dunker and Johan Ellefsen.

In Finland: Gunnar Taucher, Uno Ullberg, Martti Välikangas, Johan Sigfrid Sirén, Alvar Aalto, Pauli Blomstedt, Elsi Borg, Erik Bryggman, Hilding Eklund, Heikki Siikonen and Oiva Kallio.

Although these architects are introduced here according to their nationality, it should be known that there existed important bonds and cultural exchanges between these countries during this period (much of architects worked in one or more of the other Scandinavian countries), but also a considerable development of the architectural sphere of activity, since the trade of consultant for the middle-class to town planner supervising the development of the infrastructures, the dwelling and the public services. Henrik O. Anderson, as Swedish historian, proposed to regard this style as an architectural demonstration of the democratic society, avoiding all too radical avant-gardism. Moreover, except for Finland, the Scandinavian countries had put all at the variation of the hostilities of the Great War, making it possible to continue their cultural development.

Bonds with other currents of the architectural thought

The interest for the Scandinavian Classicism, particularly in its most traditional forms, increased at the end of the Seventies and with beginning of the year 80 with the rise of the Postmodernisme, when the critics, the historians and the professors of architecture sought historical antecedents with work of Michael Graves, Leon Krier and Robert Stern. The Scandinavian Classicism got these convenient roots, especially with the buildings of Asplund which made school like the Scandia cinema in Stockholm (1924), the law courts of the area of Listers (1917-21), the Snellman villa in Stockholm (1917-18) and the Public library of Stockholm (1920-28), or work landscape of the cemetery Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm (1917-40) drawn by Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz.

With the sights of the architectural traditions of these areas, one can see several antecedents or reasons which would explain the emergence of the Scandinavian Classicism, since the traditional tradition supported by the architecture of the Absolutisme – i.e. the architecture of the symbols of the capacity of monarchies Swedish and Danish – until vernacular architecture, for example in term of symmetry, detail or proportions. I During the 19th century there were many factors contributing to blossoming of a purified classicism. The teaching of Jean Nicolas Louis Durand with the Polytechnic school of Paris at the beginning of the 19th century tried to rationalize the architectural language as well as the techniques of construction of the Classicism, allowing then the composition starting from simple elements. The teaching of During was spread through Europe, with in Germany the Romanticism of which holding them are Friedrich Gilly and Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The archeologists reflect up to date the ruins of Pompéi, and the scientists discovered on this occasion the current use of bright colors in Roman architecture - an aspect which had been more or less forgotten by the Renaissance - and which was also highlighted in the construction industry Greek and Egyptian. This aspect were incorporated in the Neoclassicism and were continued in the Scandinavian Classicism (see the museum Thorvaldsen with Copenhagen (1839-48) drawn by M.G. Bindesbøll, incorporating reasons égyptisant as also Asplund in the public library of Stockholm did it).

There were also movements which ran the counter to these influences. The Art nouveau and the national Romanticism had little impact in Denmark, whereas in Sweden, Norway and in Finland national the Romantique opposition was important. The Neoclassicism had arrived to Finland via Saint-Pétersbourg, and was then felt like a universal architectural language, but as of the end of the 19th century, it became the symbol of a foreign occupation - in this case, Russian. Then when the germs of a political independence in Finland and Norway pointed, a tormented national romantic architecture - a local variation of the Art nouveau - exploiting the nationalist myths settled. The Scandinavian Classicism was thus a reaction to this style and the eclecticism in general; a movement seeking the Universalisme, internationalism and simplicity.

Many architects who adopted the Scandinavian traditional style made their voyage in Italy, especially in the north of the country, to study Italian vernacular architecture. Having at that time particularly close links with Germany, another important source of inspiration came from criticisms German of the Art nouveau, in particular of Hermann Muthesius - one of the promoters of the movement Arts and British Crafts and founder of the Deutscher Werkbund in 1907 -, and Paul Schultze-Naumburg, like, later, of the thinkers Heinrich Tessenox and Peter Behrens.

Alternatively the thought developed by the Scandinavian Classicism became one of the bases of the development of the Modernism in the Scandinavian countries. The idea that this movement would have ensured continuity between the vernacular one and the Modernism was seen like an alternative position of the historical opinion accepted with regard to the rise of the Modernism, starting with Le Corbusier and her Five points of the modern architecture seen like the counterpoint of the five basic principles of the Classicism. A demonstration in real-time of passage of the Scandinavian Classicism in pure Fonctionnalisme is given by the Bibliothèque of Viipuri (1927-1935) of Alvar Aalto which knew a deep transformation since the original proposal at the time of the contest in 1927 (strongly inspired by Gunnar Asplund) with the strongly functional end result delivered eight years later, inspired, him, by Le Corbusier.

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