“Metametaphors And
Mondrian: Neo-Plasticism And Its
Influences In Architecture”
By Barie Fez-Barringten
www.bariefez-barringten.com5,431 words on 23 double spaced sheets
A review of an original work by Abdulaziz Al-Saati
"Mondrian: Neo-Plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
Original Article published in October 1-2, 1990 issue of the
Journal of the Faculty of Architecture of the
Middle East Technical University (M.E.T.U.)
Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saati was the Dean of the
College of Architecture and Planning of
King Faisal University in
Dammam, Saudi Arabia while I was professor of Architecure from 1991 to 1996.
Introduction:
In an age where subjects, issues and themes come and go; where there are no heros nor villains we tend to rely upon the imagination of artist to conjure figures for our entertainment. We benefit from persons who exemplify high ideals, whose lives have met exemplary standards. In this way persons are types of metaphors, embodiments and archetypes with whom we identify. We can also turn to other contexts of our not- so-distant past to find both heros and issues. Issues which are today as relevant as they were yesterday, but with a commitment surpassing momentary benefits and rewards, pomp, glory or success. Throughout Al Saati's analysis of Mondrian this commitment and perseverence is between the lines. (1.0)"But, he maintained the idea of horizontal and vertical lines with the right angles". Even, in contrast to so many others who were pursuing material form and its representation.
Artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso needed to live through their work. "The art is everything". Art identifies with life. It is an experience amongst an infinite range of possible experiences which sanctifies a segment of the world and, which gives one a unique identity. It is a unique set of experiences upon which one can build. It is also the basis for communications with others. This is the crux of metaphor where we think our way into life through experience, observations and assumptions. If we don't follow-through and create them we read and appreciate the metaphors of lives which parallel our own. Their metaphor becomes ours. We share, as Mondrian and van
(1.0) A.Al-Saati; "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
Doesburg, a common desire to make a difference in a world which was owned by the heros of yesterday. Without our tenacity it will remain their property.The combination of the Mondrian/van Doesburg world is a metaphor of true apparent aliens with one about art and painting and the other about architectural (1.0)expression of life, art and technology. They converged on Mondrian's concept that a (1.0)work of architecture is made up of planes possessing a multi sided plasticity in accordance with the theory of relativity. This concept was an outward expression of an underlying essence. What follows reveals that essence.
Mondrian's principles are limited and specific to the two dimensional surface which he adamantly defined. In addition to the other differences between him and his predecessors (and contemporaries) he also noticed that the others were involved with emulating the three- dimensional world on two-dimensional surfaces. He experienced the delight of restraint subordinated to the discipline of two-dimensions, including the point and its extension into a line. The choice of ninety degrees was all in respect to the dimensions, proportions and properties of the angles and size of his canvas. His preoccupation with tones, color and the unused spaces respected the two dimensions not even allowing his primaries, tones or unused space to either appear to "lift" or "recede" from the plane. His work was planer and two dimensional. Then how can we understand his experience when he added the third dimension? It was more than (1.0)"constructing lines, planes and color weight". It was not three-dimensional space, planes in space nor color which had weight nor the analogies they might conjure.
(1.0) A.Al-Saati; "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
It was purely and simply placing his two dimensional principles into a relationship with three dimensional reality and letting one influence the other. His alien two dimensional standards, theories and principles transformed three dimensional thinking. Indeed, by themselves, Mondrian's principles are limited by his own very full experience with the world of his discipline but much of what can be said of two can also be said for three dimensions. Buchminster Fuller additionally moved his work from the third to the fourth and so on. However, "Bucky's" movement was linear from the first to the forth and fifth etc. through a geometry of dimensions. This is not true for Mondrian.
Metametaphor reveals Mondrian when he compares (1.0)"Neo Plasticism and color" he describes its pure and definite color within planes which (1.0)remain equivalent to the surface of the picture; in other words, color remains flat on a flat surface". "Neo Plasticism is still pointing" says Mondrian: "its means of expression is pure and definite color, in planes which remain equivalent to the surface". Mondrian's metaphor is his experience with a common context of the flat surface which incorporates elements composed into relationships by means of expression. (2.0)The artist's experience employs the painting technique to 1reveal his experience.
(1.0) A.Al-Saati; "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
1. revelare : "To uncover; insight; expose; to make something hidden known.
(2.0) G.Dodds, "On the place of Architectural Speculation"
Metaphor:
(1.0)Art is the making of metaphors. Architecture is an art because it too makes metaphors. The artist as metaphorician experiences the world which he exudes through a media. What is produced we call a work of art, painting, sculpture, dance, etc, which only annotates its distinctive media but is not itself what is art. Art is a metaphor. All works of art have that in common. They are instruments of change, transfers and transformers. They are composed of components, assembled of parts, etc. and whose parts interact in a certain way.
1Metaphor is associated with a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object (or idea) is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. By applying the concept of metaphor to all arts, including architecture, we expand the scope of the metaphor's usual application to speech using other communications vehicles which may substitute words for color, form, shape, scale, movement, gesture, sound, harmonics, mass, volume, etc . We do so to enhance our understanding of any one and all 2arts and to see the relations and interactions of one to another 2art. It is based on our assumption that the message of one form may be expressed in another. There are commonalities and differences between one and other vehicle but they work essentially the same. It is how they work, and that they are the embodiment of an expressed experience (which can later be read) that links them together. It is their ability to express one thing in terms of another and make the strange familiar that they all have in common.
(1.0) A.Al-Saati; "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
1. Metaphora: metapherien: to transfer - to bear
2. Art: ars: arm
Their skill is conscious and acquired by experience, study or observation. When we apply the metaphor's structure, operation, use, etc. outside of literature we are changing its scope. In that way we designate a new but related form designed to deal critically with the original. So we can call our expanded form 1metametaphor (This is discussed in detail later in this article).
Metaphors include alien with known elements assembled on the basis of common essences. Mondrian's neo plasticism is replete with such influences and transformations (1.0)"Peter Blake and Vincent Scully both claim that Mondrian and de Stijl were influenced by Wright's works. The Metaphors, indeed, works in two directions. If metaphors are a result of communications then (1.1)J.J.P. Oud's artistic intentions were shaped around the 1917 1919 period from numerous discussions with van Doesburg and Mondrian.
The influence, work and projections of Mondrian form his commitments, context and media to architecture is metametaphoric. It is not analogous, logic or scientific. Since there are already many examples of the applications, use and experiments using Neo plasticism in architecture we can benefit by analyzing neo plastic metaphors. But first what are the peculiar characteristics of the metaphor.
1. Meta : change, among, with; as a prefix to modify.
(1.0) A.Al-Saati; "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
(1.1) J. Joedicke (1965) J.J.P. Oud., Baun and Wohen (9:2) 1-2 from A.Al-Saati: "Mondrian: Neo-plasticism and its influences in Architecture"
Metaphor's characteristics:
The dominant characteristics of metaphors are that they:
1. Speak about one element in terms of another;
2. Have an essence common to both;
3. Have elements that are apparently unrelated;
4. Have at least one of their elements that are alien and another known;
5. Make the strange familiar;
6. Transfer, transform, bridge and change;
7. Link reader to maker, user to universe, and perceptor to society;
8. Are interactive and dynamic; and
9. Are a manifestation of composer's creative experiences.
The Mondrian Metaphor:
(1.2)Art of building establish the harmonious proportions between ourselves and our surroundings (A.Al Saati; deStijl, 11, p.53). The art of painting has demonstrated abstractly what the art of building has got to make, 1tangible. Upon what basis can the art of building achieve what paintings' accomplished. (1.2)"What are our actual surroundings today? We are living in somebody else's house with somebody else's furniture, carpets, china, paintings". The metaph...