Introduction
This paper focuses on an architect of the 20th century, Alvar Aalto. Hugo Alvar Hendrick Aalto was born in Kuortane, western Finland on 3rd February 1898, at a time when Finland was still part of Russia. He is one of the most famous architects of his time, especially in Finland. He made major contributions to architecture and public buildings’ furniture. He was the firstborn among the three children born to Selma Hackestedt who was from Sweden and a postmistress (Schildt, 22). He passed on in 1902. His father was Johan Henrik Aalto who was a land surveyor. Henrik remarried after Selma’s death, and in 1902, his family moved to Alajärvi then Jyväskylä, which is located in the central parts of Finland. Alvar attended the Jyväskylä Lyceum School where his best subject was drawing. He graduated in 1916 during the spring season (Schildt, 28).
Alvar Aalto’s life and contributions to the Architectural world
During the summer after he had graduated from school, he accompanied his father as he went to survey the land. In the same year, Aalto joined the Helsinki University of Technology which was formerly a polytechnic where he studied architecture under the guidance of Armas Lingren. While still in school, Aalto worked for Carolus Lindberg. It was while working for Carolus that he worked on the “Tivoli” design for a national fair that took place in 1920. He graduated in 1921 with good grades. After graduating, Aalto traveled around Europe as an exhibition designer hence developing a wide array of knowledge of art and architecture in the contemporary world (Aalto, Reed, and Frampton, 83).
Two years after graduating, Aalto set up his very own studio in Jyväskylä. He employed an assistant named Aino Marcio in 1924. Later on, he married her, and they were blessed with two children. This included Johanna who was born in 1925 and Hamilkar born in 1938. Aino was an architect herself. They traveled to Italy for their honeymoon. They designed and worked on many buildings together. Aalto and his family relocated to Turku in the late 1920s. Here, he established a working relationship with Bryggman who was also in the same field. However, he moved back to Helsinki in 1933. Aino died on 13th January 1949 after a long battle with cancer. Aalto remarried Elissa Makiniemi on 4th October 1952 and they stayed together until his death. She was also an architect (Aalto, Reed, and Frampton, 84).
Aalto had several achievements including being a member of “Congrès International d’Architecture Moderne” (CIAM). These were architectural conferences held between 1928 and 1959. He was head of the Finnish Architects association from 1943 to 1958. Aalto was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also served during the civil war after the revolution in Russia following Finland’s independence. Aalto was still doing his architectural work when he died on 11th May 1976 in Helsinki (Schildt, 117).
Aalto is regarded as one of the greatest architects of his time. He designed many famous buildings and derived inspiration from different places. Although he is said to be a contemporary and modern architect, the designs he came up with depict a traditional feel as they are intricate with a carefully crafted edge. The traditionalism in his work was from the Finnish environment and culture. His works were influenced by a wide array of concerns and not just the industrialization of modern times. He mixed the obvious needs of a modern society that has undergone a revolution with the rich cultures of Scandinavian architecture with a soft blend of Finnish environs. This is evidenced by Aalto’s experience in Italy during his honeymoon with Aino whereby the Mediterranean culture greatly influenced his works. For instance, the “Architettura mic wire” of the northern parts of Italy influenced his style. Indeed, this became his style with proportions that were harmonized and used in stucco or sometimes wood (Fleig and Aalto, 37).
The early designs of Aalto were inspired by the neoclassical era. However, he later incorporated the aspects of the modern movement in his works. This was quite mature and full of expression and was used in libraries and churches among areas. Aalto’s works were also seen to avoid too much romance and the monotony of neoclassicism. Instead, his works remade the modernized architecture in Europe at the time and recreated them into creative Finnish architecture (Aalto, Reed and Frampton, 193). He mixed ideas from the different experiences that he had undergone. This is what set him apart from most of his peers. His works and designs stood out mostly due to their relation to form and material. Aalto designed works that related to their users. Thus, he gave architecture a new face in a time when there was no clarity between modernism and post-modernism. His designs were exclusive and admirable for that matter. Aalto’s works were also unique in that they went beyond the exterior of the buildings alone and paid close detail to the interior too including the furniture, glassware, and furnishings. It was this approach that went beyond the normal designing of buildings to establish the art that gave him recognition (Fleig and Aalto, 55). To depict this, in one of his quotes he says:
There is an ulterior motive, too, in architecture that is always peeping out from around the corner, the idea of creating paradise. It is the only purpose of our buildings. If we do not carry this idea with us the whole time, all our buildings would be simpler, more trivial, and life would become- well, would live amount to anything at all? (Grawe, 21).
He noted that all architectural works symbolize the aspiration of building a paradise for humans (Fleig and Aalto, 121).
Notably, Aalto also specialized in glassware design. He is credited for the famous Aalto vase. The vase was unveiled in 1937 during the Paris world fair. It is iconic due to its mystical form. Most people claimed that it was based on Aalto’s sketches named “The Eskimo Woman’s Leather Breeches.” However, other people argue that the shape was aroused by the contours of the Finnish panorama. Despite the obscurity about its origin, the absolute fact was its placid beauty. The Aalto vase is still available even today as iittala’s artisans continue to produce it. Aalto’s designs were also inspired by Pablo Picasso and his Cuban counterpart Georges Braque. His unique style was also influenced by his love for painting. It was this passion that led to the extraordinary styles of cubism and collage (Schildt, 213).
Some of the buildings that Aalto designed had some aspects of Nordic classicism. An example is a summer villa for the chief constable at Jyväskylä, a farmhouse in Tarvaala, and a workers corps building also in Jyväskylä. Later on, when Aalto changed his architectural designs, he designed the memorable Vipuri library. In this design, a change in Aalto’s thinking is seen from the initial drafts to the completion of the design. The Vipuri library was built between 1927 and 1935. However, it was partially bombed during World War II (Ray, 73).
Aalto also designed the Turun Sanomat Building and the Paimio sanatorium. It was after the construction of these two that Aalto received recognition worldwide. Later on, Aalto designed the villa Mairea in 1939 for a young couple who inspired both Aalto and Aino to be daring in their design. The building includes a swimming pool shaped like a kidney and an inner garden bordered by a U shape. Additionally, next to the swimming pool was an ancient sauna that depicts previous Japanese designs (Aalto, Reed and Frampton, 213).
During his time as a professor in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aalto designed Baker’s house that was used as a dormitory for students. The Baker housework was finished in 1948. It was initially a symbol of the Ivy League long-lived tradition (Loftin, 14). However, this was another source of inspiration for Aalto who continued using the design on a number of his designs when he returned to Finland. Some designs that adapted this design include the Saynatsalo town hall built in 1952, the Helsinki Pensions Institute that was constructed in 1954, and the Helsinki house of culture constructed in 1958. Apart from these buildings, Aalto also designed and constructed his summer house using the same design (Ray, 119).
Other famous works by Alvar Aalto include the national museum, the railway station, and the town plan for a void in Helsinki. For the town plan, Aalto advised marble buildings that would serve as the houses for cultural institutions. Of all the schemes he proposed for the town plan, only two fragments were adapted (Loftin, 66). Aalto was also responsible for designs such as the bell tower at Kauhajarvi church, a municipal hospital in Finland, Essen opera house in Germany, mount angel abbey library in the United States, and the Nordic House in Iceland among others (Ray, 289).
Other works like furniture and glassware by Aalto include the Primo chair, armchair 406, the three-legged stool, and armchair 404. Lamps include floor lamp A805 and floor lamp A810. Aalto’s wife, Elissa continued with Aalto’s works in his office after his death in 1976 before it was taken over as the Alvar Aalto Academy. Its main role was to offer advice on rebuilding and refurbishing Aalto’s works. The Alvar Aalto also reorganized materials in the archive (Ray, 180).
Conclusion
Aalto is one of the most renowned architects of his time. His intricate designs were mainly influenced by his experiences including his surroundings, life ordeals, and people he met. They were also influenced by the different cultures that he encountered. It was his ability to inculcate his experiences into his designs as a body of art that made him stand out. He was also an architect who was willing to learn and borrow ideas from others even of different forms of art. This is depicted by the influence of Pablo Picasso in his works among others. His love for art must have been his biggest drive that led to his international fame.
References
Aalto, Alvar, P. Reed, and K. Frampton. Alvar Aalto – between Humanism and Materialism: [published on the Occasion of the Exhibition Alvar Aalto: between Humanism and Materialism… February 19 – May 19, 1998]. New York, 1998. Print.
Fleig, Karl, and A. Aalto. Alvar Aalto. Barcelona: G. Gili, 1991. Print.
Grawe, Sam. (2010). Furniture options. Dwell. 10. 2(2010): 21. Print.
Loftin, Laurence K. An Analysis of the Work of Finnish Architect Alvar Aalto. Lewiston [N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005. Print.
Ray, Nicholas. Alvar Aalto. New Haven [Conn.: Yale University Press, 2005. Print.
Schildt, Göran. Alvar Aalto: The Complete Catalogue of Architecture, Design, and Art. New York: Rizzoli, 1994. Print.