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Brutalist Connections
2023-26DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Architectural History
SUPERVISORS: DR RICHARD WILLIAMS and DR ALISTAIR FAIR
The origins of Brutalism are often tied to British New Brutalism. The term first appeared in an article by the Smithsons in the December 1953 issue of Architectural Design (Architectural Design, 1953). Banham’s 1966 book, The New Brutalism: Ethic or Aesthetic?, solidified Brutalism as a British phenomenon, with Alison and Peter Smithson as its pioneers. But is ‘Brutalism’ the same as ‘New Brutalism’?
Understanding the origins of New Brutalism in England requires considering Banham’s efforts to promote the Smithsons. Alison and Peter contributed to the intellectual debate of the time, capturing the essence of post-war austerity in England and popularising the New Brutalism label. Banham’s work helped historicise New Brutalism, linking it to ideological architectural debates, clarifying and articulating the movement, and emphasising its English roots.
But researchers eventually began detaching Brutalism from New Brutalism. Many have tried to pinpoint the essence of Brutalism. There is a new challenge: too many ways of thinking about Brutalism exist. The historians, critics, and architects who coined and elaborated on the term offered subjective and evolving definitions, making its use widespread but imprecise. Is it a movement? A style? A trend?
One such voice is Verde Zein, who builds on the ideas of German art historian Jürgen Joedicke. Joedicke noted that Brutalism has undergone two different phases. It is necessary to distinguish between New Brutalism in the strict sense, as it was used in the discussions of the Smithsons group in England, and the international Brutalism that developed subsequently (Joedicke, 1964). Verde Zein expands this view, arguing that Brutalism evolved not after but parallel to New Brutalism.
The starting point of this research is the history of Brutalism’s history. A historical review of how the Brutalism label was assimilated into historiography, including when and why it was adopted, needs to be explored in Britain and Brazil. Later, this research will uncover and discuss the Brutalist conversations between Brazil and Britain. By doing so, it will investigate reciprocal influences among architects in both regions. The hypothesis is that there is no unilateral influence. Instead, ideas were travelling between these countries, possibly intermediated by architects around the globe. Perhaps Brutalism is transnational.
This research is not about identifying international influences on Brutalist architecture in Brazil. Instead, it aims to position Brazilian Brutalism within architectural historiography. It will highlight the impact of Brazilian Brutalism by scrutinising how it was perceived and represented internationally and by identifying publications, ideas, and individuals that connected Brazil and Britain.