Modernistic architecture
Since the second decade of the 20th century, bradly defined modernism has been the dominant current in architecture, it evolved in many subtypes, but general assumptions, such as functionalism or rejection of decorative forms were still in common. In resources of libraries belonging to the Digital Libraries Federation there is a considerable set of newspapers and articles of the modernistic architecture subject. The biggest collection of a popular during 1920s and 30s monthly periodic Architecture and Construction is available in the Warsaw University of Technology Digital Library. Each issue contains a few massive articles about certain building or a group of buildings, illustrated with photographs and many architectural plans. However, it not only a magazine for specialists – it can be a perfect and affordable source of knowledge for passionate readers interested in design and architecture. They can be even more worthwhile for present readers, because of the fact that most of them exist till now and we can successfully compare their look and goals of developement with plans and photographs from before many years (e.g. library edifice of the Warsaw School of Economics or a sanatorium in Istebna on the Cieszyn Silesia). Another interesting object is a French magazine called Art et décoration available in the Pomeranian Digital Library, introducing movements in art, architecture, fashion and design of that time. Unfortunately, this periodic released once in a half of the year in Paris, was written wholy in French, but plurality of photographs lets the foreign reader to figure out the subjects of articles. For example, we can look over the amazing Dutch modernism, the leading trends in the modernistic domestic design or the projects of villas from 1930s. Apart from journals, in DLF we can also find different kinds of articles concerning modernistic constructions, e.g. Modernistic architecture – the equality towards ideas in the Silesian University of Technology Digital Library – the work about the idea of comfort and luxury in modernistic architecture; the Dusk of Gods – the decay of buildings about neglects in the modernistic heritage conservation, and the Yesterday’s architecture today about present fortunes of modernistic buildings in the Cracow University of Technology Repository.
