History of the Modern Style

History of the Modern Style Modernism in art, architecture & design is not just another style - it presents a new way of thinking.  In the early 20th Century, there was a lively constructive rebellion against traditional European styles in the visual arts.  Exploration & experimentation greatly expanded our horizons and sensibilities.  New goals and values, together with new materials and technologies and different ways of using older ones, led to art forms uniquely expressive of this age.  Architects and urban planners became increasingly aware of the visual arts to the qualities of modern living.  Structures became more than a shell to protect their contents and became expressions of our search for identity during a period of rapid industrialization, social change and scientific advancement.  Modernist architects attempted to apply scientific and analytical methods to design by emphasizing function over ornament. The idea of space as opposed to mass was used as an inspiration for design and led to innovative choices of materials such as reinforced concrete, steel, aluminum and glass to free up the structure.  By the 1950s, modernism became widely established in the USA and marked the high point of american civilization.