Charles Rennie Mackintosh

1868-1928

A Scottish pioneer of modern architecture and design.

The chronological contextof Mackintosh’s architecture

Chronological context in Architecture- Modernism to Postmodernism -

1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

First generationmodernists

Second generation modernists

Third generationmodernists

The pioneers of modernism.They each treated form, space, structure, materials and ornament in novel ways.

These were the architects of ‘high modernism’- the universal International Style- as well as the fashionable Art Deco period.

These were the architects of Postmodernism.They reacted against the orthodoxy of high modernism.

Peter Behrens - Berlin Walter Gropius Frank Gehry

Auguste Perret - Paris Le Corbusier Philip Johnson

C. R. Mackintosh - Glasgow Mies van der Rohe Charles Moore

Otto Wagner - Vienna Gerrit Reitveld I. M. Pei

Adolf Loos - Vienna William Van Allen Michael Greaves

Louis Sullivan - Chicago Napier Art Deco architects Louis Kahn

Frank Lloyd Wright - Chicago and mid-western states of USA Robert Venturi

The context of his architecture

Geographical context:

All his buildings are located in and around the greater Glasgow area of Scotland.

He visited Vienna, Austria, several times and while there submitted interior designs for competitions.

Glasgow

Context continued…Historical context:

He was a pioneer of the modern movement, his buildings dating from 1898 to 1916, when he gave up his architectural practice due to disillusionment and lack of clients.

He is associated with the British Arts and Crafts tradition of the late nineteenth century and the Art Nouveau movement of the 1890s.

He was a first generation modernist who sought to rid architecture of its revivalist tendencies.

He rejected the foreign historical styles that his fellow late Victorian- and Edwardian-age architects imitated. He believed these styles had no relation to modern life; “how absurd it is to see modern churches, theatres, banks made in imitation of Greek temples. There are many such buildings in Glasgow, but to me they are as cold and lifeless as the cheek of a dead Chinaman”, he said. They were “envelopes without contents”.

Context continued…Social context:

He built only a handful of buildings as he struggled to attract clients that would accept his austere and sparse new style.

His wife Margaret McDonald was herself an accomplished designer and worked with him.

He was very influential with the Secessionists (Art Nouveau designers) in Vienna who recognised the significance of his work more than his fellow countrymen.

He did not seek a new modernist style for its own sake, but rather an artistic, honest and practical architecture that was relevant to the modern age and that drew strength from Scottish traditions.

He utilised modern ideas and technology to enhance the functional aspects of his buildings; steel, plate glass, concrete, air conditioning and heating systems, electricity; he wanted to build around the needs of individuals living in a machine-age society. “All great and living architecture has been the direct expression of the needs and beliefs of man at the time of its creation”, he stated.

Significant buildingsThe Glasgow School of Art, 1898-1909

The Hill House, 1902-4The Willow Tea Rooms, 1903

The Mackintosh House, 1906-14

Stylistic contextMackintosh’s designs broke with the prevailing Glaswegian taste for buildings in a classical style. In

1907 thecommission for the Mitchell Library, one of the largest reference libraries in Europe, was won by W.B.

Whitiein a Neo-Baroque style.

W.B. Whitie, Mitchell Library, Glasgow, C.R. Mackintosh, Glasgow School of Art1907-11 1898-1909

Classical, symmetrical, formal, dignified vs. Vernacular, asymmetrical, sculptural, playful

Classical ornamentation vs. restrained Art Nouveau ornamentation Stone, bronze and glass vs. Stone, rough cast, plate glass, iron, steel, concrete Regular, rhythmic composition vs. Abstract, cubist composition

Stylistic context continued…Mackintosh’s interiors were strikingly different to the typical late Victorian rooms of his day.

Late Victorian drawing room The Mackintosh House drawing room Busy, cluttered appearance vs. Sparce, serene, spacious appearance Dark, heavy upholstery vs. White furniture, delicate and refined Patterned wallpaper, rugs, carpets vs. white wall surfaces, curtains and carpets Heavily ornamented to display wealth vs. A few, carefully chosen ornaments Layers of curtains to keep the light out vs. Simple curtain to enhance and soften light Variety of period styles vs. One single, unified stylistic environment Elaboration, artiface, accumulation vs. simplicity, natural materials, restraint,

economy

Stylistic features and influencesThe influence of Japanese art and design.

Structure is clearly expressed Clean lines and abstract geometric design Simplicity, spaciousness and serenity Use of screens to articulate space Space given equal importance to structure

Stylistic features and influencesThe influence of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late Victorian

era:

Heavy stonework or roughcast finish Tall slim windows, turret-like forms Asymmetrical planning and massing Construction materials are clearly expressed Severe, sober, austere appearance Design for practicality rather than artifice Inspired by vernacular forms rather than foreign styles Symbolist handcrafted ornamentation

Stylistic features and influences

The influence of Art Nouveau in the 1890’s

Ornamentation based on abstracted naturalmotifs with curved and flowing lines

Exposed, ornamental stone and iron work Unified design of all elements of the building

The Glasgow School of ArtFeatures of this building that show adevelopment toward a modern styleare: The arrangement of rooms of

different sizes and heights and at different levels within the building.

Stairs, corridors and rooms are modeled as if from a continuous volume of space, not a separated entities.

The exterior composition is partly dictated by the arrangement of interior spaces (and hence the building’s function) rather than vice versa.

The main façade features large, unadorned, steel-framed windows that flood the studios with light.

The inspiration for the building came from regional farm buildings and baronial halls. This interest in the structural honesty, unadorned simplicity and functionality of local building traditions is a precursor of modernity.

The restrained use of ornament, in the form of abstracted motifs in the ironwork of the railings, fence and cleaning brackets on the main façade, is also a move toward modernism.

The effect of the library with its structural clarity, stripped rectangular forms, open spatial effect and the independence of the verticality of the library windows that unify multiple levels of space are central to the modern movement.

- The Mackintosh House -Click here to view the official website of this house and to find answers to thefollowing questions about this building’s context and style:

1. How did Mackintosh increase the spaciousness of the entrance hallway?2. State TWO Japanese influences present in the dining room.3. From where did the dining room chairs originate?4. For what reason did Mackintosh design his dining chairs with such high

backs?5. Identify TWO rooms where Mackintosh opened up space by removing walls.6. The bedroom is completely white except for touches of what three colours?7. Identify THREE elements of Art Nouveau style evident in the bedroom.8. State THREE words to describe the mood or feeling of the drawing room

(living room). 9. Contrast THREE aspects of this drawing room with typical late Victorian

drawing rooms of the time.10. Identify FOUR different furnishings or fixtures that the Mackintoshs’ brought

with them into this house from their earlier residence at 120 Mains Street.