Part 3 – The Brutalist Image

Lecture Summary:

Considered by many a direct descendent of the Modern Movement, Brutalist architecture inherited its photogenic qualities. As opposed to the more understated forms and textures of the so-called Festival of Britain style, the bold forms, sculptural qualities and expressive volumes of many Brutalist buildings perfectly suited the sharp-focus, high contrast imagery of post-war mainstream architectural photography. Often grander in scale than their mid-century predecessors, they lent themselves to the expression of monumentality, especially when seen through the right camera angle.

Unlike the smooth exteriors of inter-war modern buildings, the rough surfaces of raw, washed or hammered concrete and of exposed brickwork also offered photographers the opportunity to emphasise textures and materiality. All these aspects contributed to the creation of powerful images that conveyed optimism and confidence in the ‘regeneration’ of modern architecture.

Cracks started to appear in the late 1960s, when wide-spread disillusionment towards the achievements of post-war architecture and town planning opened the door to a more critical outlook, especially as seen through the eyes of photojournalists and architectural photographers influenced by social documentary and street photography. The high-contrast, large format photographs of the previous two decades were replaced by grainier, more informal images often taken in flat light and populated by people.

Thereafter Brutalist architecture fell out of favour, supplanted by very different approaches in design, until its revaluation in the new millennium and its subsequent rise in popularity. In the meantime, the visual representation of Brutalism appears to have come full circle, as many architectural photographers have rediscovered the same photogenic qualities that inspired their mid-century predecessors.

Speaker: Valeria Carullo

Biography