Look Through the Surface of the Skin: Postmodernism Architecture

Charles Jencks' reading threw out some very interesting points about post-modern architecture and art. His arguments about “returning back to content” is very persuasive, but I found his concept on the trope of anthropomorphism reflected in architecture to be quite intriguing. The definition of  anthropomorphism on Google says, it is “an attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal or object”. Jencks believes that in order for architecture to embody a post-modern vibe that the building then needs to reflect human characteristics. Jencks' says, “Almost all of the new classicists incorporate ornament and moldings suggestive of the human body” (Jencks 2014, 285). I find that the human body is very complex individually, but when combining the human body with architecture that creates an entirely new level of complexity. Simultaneously, Jencks is pointing out something quite beautiful and fascinating within our post-modern architecture. 

In this reading, Jencks discusses the “Thematic House,” so I decided to do a little bit more research on this particular house. First, I just want to say that this “Thematic House” is absolutely stunning, detailed and something that I’ve never seen before in architecutre. I also found out that the Thematic House, built in Londown, is owned by Charles Jencks himself (“Status Symbol” 2011). According to the Independent, Jencks wanted to build a house that expressed deep layers of meaning, so post-modern of him (“Status Symbols” 2011). Jencks believed that postmodernism lost the meaning of ornament, so he wanted to build a house that reflected symbolic design, because symbols are very complex in nature (“Status Symbols” 2011). The Independent describes his house as the “apogee of symbolic architecture”. 

This house definitely screams post-modernism but when looking at the photos on Google and from http://www.charlesjencks.com/#!architecture, I noticed that Jencks’ home does embody the subliminal anthropomorphism touches while also incorporating the explicitness in detail and ornament (Jencks 2014, 286). All of the curves, bends, arches, corners, circles and shapes, do somewhat resemble the human form. In order to achieve this specific type of post-modern architecture, one must look deeper into the body and mind, rather than only hitting the surface of the skin. Jencks’ says, “[F]or instance, head, shoulders, arms, belt and legs are as much arches and windows as they are anatomical parts” (Jencks 2014, 285). This quote is so deep on so many levels and that’s why I had to pull it out of the reading. I love this concept of conceptualizing architecture with the human body, because its so out of the ordinary.

As Jencks would say, “the human presence remains a valid departure point” (Jencks 2014, 286).  

References

Jencks, Charles. 2014. “The Emergent Rules: Postmodern Poetics and the New Rules.” In Postmodernism: A Reader, edited by Thomas Docherty, 281-294. New York: Routledge.   

“Status Symbols: Charles Jencks’ Townhouse Embraces Postmodernism, Kitsch and Theory of “Cosmic Time.” 2011. Independent. Accessed September 14, 2016. Online. http://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/status-symbols-charles-jencks-townhouse-embraces-postmodernism-kitsch-and-theory-of-quotcosmic-2366758.html