Towards the end of 19th century a new artistic movement takes its first steps in Europe. In England it is known as Arts and Crafts, in France as Art Nouveau, in Germany Jugenstil and in Italy Stile Liberty (after the department store in London). In these years the industrialization of the cities shows its first consequences and degradation and social discomfort become more and more visible. The first working-class districts begin to appear, with their lack of public services and their need for low quality products, based on a matter of quantity more than quality.
In this social context a new issue arises amongst the artistic communities: there is a need to make a change in every aspect of the modern life.
The aim is to create a "global aesthetic design" (G. C. Argan. L'Arte Moderna. RCS Sansoni editore, 1990), able to change for better all aspects of every-day life. One of Modernism's main ideas is that "A modern man's life should be functional, enjoyable and sheltered".
In order to create such a change it is fundamental for the barrier that existed between arts and crafts to come to an end. In the new "design" process the collaboration between the artist and the industrial production is extremely important to create a mixture of aesthetics and functionality.
In architecture this approach means an enormous change of perspective: architecture is no longer the design of public/main buildings, it becomes the creation of human sized living spaces. Everything in modernist architecture is functional, pleasant looking and tailored on men's needs.
G. C. Argan. L'Arte Moderna. RCS Sansoni editore, 1990
Arte Enciclopedia Universale, Leonardo Arte editrice.
La Nuova Enciclopedia dell'Arte, Garzanti. 1986
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