The question of the architecture of both key urban buildings and the general spirit of urbanism is a pressing issue in contemporary American society. The country’s architectural traditionalism has been displaced by the architectural brutalism of the 1950s, represented by “tasteless concrete blocks” (Blair, 2020, par. 4). However, in recent years, society has become concerned about the trend and has expressed a desire for urgent change (Blair, 2020). Such a solution was the “Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” campaign and the subsequent Executive Order Draft, which proposed the refurbishment of the facades of buildings and government offices (Blair, 2020, par. 1). Thus, it is necessary to summarize current public trends toward traditionalism and brutalism in architecture and the document mentioned above.
First, one needs to analyze statistics regarding people’s attitudes toward traditional architecture. Based on publicly available data, regardless of social status, political preference, or level of education, most people support traditionalism over brutalism or modernism (National Civic Art Society, 2020). A similar conclusion can also be drawn for the Executive Order Draft based on independent analysts and government workers (Blair, 2020). As a result, this decision is fully justified with a predominantly positive evaluation and will positively impact both the visual factor of urbanism and the public mood.
Moreover, such a phenomenon is comparable to the Renaissance due to its specificity manifested in the need for nostalgia. Following the Middle Ages, was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, and institutional “rebirth” characterized by the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature, and art (Onion et al., 2021, par. 1). The situation with the rejection of brutalism is a complete analogy of the period mentioned above in terms of architecture and approach to design. However, in the current situation, the focus is on the period of the formation of America, based on the statements of public figures about the founders and their attitude to urbanism (Blair, 2020). Thus, the traceable connection between these events may speak of a recursion of public interest in art matters.
In conclusion, the summary and analysis show a positive public attitude toward the coming changes. Moreover, such a phenomenon has proven to have manifested itself in the past and shows signs of recurrence, which may indicate its possible future manifestations. The conscious rejection of some innovations and the revision of old visual trends in the visual arts speaks of the public’s awareness and readiness for large-scale changes.
References
National Civic Art Society. (2020). Americans preferred architecture for federal buildings. Web.
Blair, E. (2020). “Ugly,” “discordant”: New executive order takes aim at modern architecture. NPR. Web.
Onion, A., Sullivan, M., & Mullen, M. (2021). Renaissance. HISTORY. Web.