Alvar Aalto
(1898–1976) made a
unique modernist mark
. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designed
warm, curving, compassionate buildings,
wholly set apart from the slick, mechanistic, geometric designs that characterized much contemporary European practice.
Whether a church, a villa, a sauna, or a public library, Aalto’s
organic structures
tended to replace plaster and steel with brick and wood, often incorporating
undulating, wave-like forms
, which would also appear in his chair, glassware, and lamp designs. An adherent to detail, Aalto insisted upon the
humanity of his work
stating: “Modern architecture does not mean using immature new materials; the main thing is to work with materials towards a more human line.”
Many of Aalto’s public buildings such as
Säynätsalo Town Hall
, the lecture theatre at
Otaniemi Technical University
, the
Helsinki National Pensions Institute
and the
Helsinki
House of Culture
may be seen as psychological as well as physical landmarks in the rebuilding of Finland after the ravages of war.