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Alison Smithson

On Brutalism

On
by Deane

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Time for a look to the origins of Brutalism. Brutalism as a concept evolved, according to architectural critic and theorist Reyner Banham, from 

“reference[s] to béton brut (raw concrete), which had been one of the most controversial features of Le Corbusier’s recently finished Unité block in Marseilles… and, not least, the art brut of Dubuffet.” [quoted from Reyner Banham’s Historian of the Immediate Future, p 125]

If we’re dealing with a literal French translation, the word brut translates to rough, raw, or unhewn (also, dry, in the sense of champagne). Brut comes from Middle French, so it’s a toss-up as to whether or not this preceded the Latin brutus, meaning heavy (according to Merriam-Webster) or fierce (according to dictionary.com), as both date from the mid-15th century. But thankfully this is less of an etymological discussion than one about Jean Dubuffet’s style, art brut, and Corb’s descriptions of raw concrete, béton brut, so that should help end debate. 

Briefly (and according to Wikipedia), “Dubuffet coined the term Art Brut (meaning “raw art,” oftentimes referred to as ‘outsider art’) for art produced by non-professionals working outside aesthetic norms, such as art by psychiatric patients, prisoners, and children.” [quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubuffet]. Le Corbusier, for his part, constructed so many of his projects from raw concrete that a book was later written on the subject, entitled Le Corbusier: Béton Brut and Ineffable Space (1940 – 1965): Surface Materials and Psychophysiology of Vision (Essays in Architecture). 

In a continuation of this examination of Brutalist origins, Banham goes on to say,

“The term was first used in public by Alison Smithson to describe a small house project of 1952 for a site in the Soho district of London. The statement which accompanied the design indicates an art brut aesthetic of materials ‘as found’: ‘It was decided to have no finishes at all internally, the building being a combination of shelter and environment. Bare bricks, concrete, and wood…’ The New Brutalist attitude to materials was to present them as fact, the effect of which might be inelegance and even ugliness.” [also quoted from Reyner Banham’s Historian of the Immediate Future, p 125]

For their part, the New Brutalists Alison and Peter Smithson said that “Brutalism tries to face up to a mass production society, and drag a rough poetry out of the confused and powerful forces which are at work” [as quoted in Reyner Banham’s Historian of the Immediate Future, p 117]

Lastly, for a more everyman-friendly read on Brutalism, we can find the following:

The Bauhaus architect Le Corbusier used the French phrase béton brut, or raw concrete, to describe the construction of his rough, concrete buildings. Brutalism grew out of the Bauhaus Movement and the béton brut buildings by Le Corbusier and his followers. Heavy and angular, Brutalist buildings can be constructed quickly and economically. Common features include: