In the 1910s, the rise of feminism in Europe, the mainstream of society began to advocate the feminist movement, which once improved the status of women's society to a certain extent, and many women also participated in design, production and business activities. However, due to the Great Depression and the decline and decline of the european economy, the job opportunities available to women shrank, and the feminist movement did not achieve a complete victory, resulting in the ability of women at that time ultimately failing to be recognized by society.
In these times, the success of Irene Gray (1878-1976) in design is extremely rare, she is both a leading designer of the 20th century and a pioneer of the feminist movement.
Irene Gray was born in Ireland, and her studies in england and France have influenced her deeply influenced by the French Art Deco movement. She blends the delicacy and refinement unique to women with the rational thinking of designers. Irene Gray spent her life pursuing the perfect combination of art and life, rather than marriage. "The lonely environment is the price of my freedom," she said. She often forgets about the contemplation of design, she said: "I often wonder if art comes from analysis, art is analysis itself. Philippe Garner, a prominent design historian, called her a "quiet and decisive loner."
Her design talent is not limited to a certain field, and she is almost on par with the famous modernist design masters Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe in lacquerware, furniture and interior decoration. The Bibeden chair, created by Gray out of metal, wood and leather, was auctioned for €19.25 million in the 1970s.
In her forties, she still maintained a tireless passion for creating new things. Her involvement in architectural design stemmed from a relationship she had with the Romanian architect and critic Jane Bedovy (1893-1956). Jane Bedovy was going to write a review for Irene Gray, and the acquaintance of the two artists made them fall in love, Jane once commented on Irene Gray: "Her art is rational, born of a powerful passion", "Spiritual connotations form and influence appearance, forming a unique beauty". It was also with Jane's help and encouragement that Gray transformed architectural design.
She abandoned the mainstream "Le Corbusier five-point frame method" and combined the unique scenery of the stepped hillside on the coast to create an E-1027 seaside villa that combines technical beauty and natural beauty. E1027 is full of sweetness because it is a password combination of the couple's names. E-1027 is architecturally designed to be modern and not as blunt as the minimalists. She uses the smallest space for maximum practical functionality and protects private spaces. Erin Gray implements the "simplicity is progress" design philosophy.
Even more legendary is the man who makes the Seaside Villa E-1027 known as the "father of modern architecture" and the initiator of the "Five-Point Frame Law", Le Corbusier (1887-1965). The film "Art Showdown" is also a story about Irene Gray and Corbusier's conflict of opinions and decorative transformation in the design of the E1027 building.
In fact, Jane was a fan of Corbusier, who had written seven volumes of magazine reviews for Corbusier. And Irene Reg has publicly stated that she is a "passionate admirer" of Le Corbusier. Le Corbusier also admired Eileen Gray, who praised it at the 1932 art exhibition: "Irene Gray's innovative power makes me feel jealous and in awe at the same time." However, during the design and construction of Villa E-1027, Le Corbusier had several disagreements with Irene Reg.
After Jane's relationship with Irene Gray ended, Irene Gray moved away, and Jane still lives in the house registered under his name. Le Corbusier would come here to visit him, and Cobb, as a guest at E-1027, painted on the owner's white wall, and there were eight large abstract murals. In my opinion, this is really not what a qualified guest should do. Not only does Irene Gray see this behavior as deeply offensive, but many Irene Gray fans also see it as a disruption to Irene Gray's work. Le Corbusier's supporters hailed it as a masterpiece.
In any case, Le Corbusier's approach was indeed too abrupt. Many see this as a sign of Corbusier's jealousy, jealousy of Eileen Gray's infusion of Jane's love in E-1027, jealousy of Irene Gray's artistic achievements, or jealousy of Eileen Gray's refusal to adopt the five-point rule in E-1027? The film seems to convey another interpretation—That Le Corbusier is expressing admiration for Irene Gray's work in such a strange way. His eight murals are an infusion of art into this beautiful design. "It's a valuable work of art that I've guarded her, like music. Express my fascination with both sexes. ”
I'm also willing to believe this interpretation in the movie. Because E-1027 did go through auctions after the war, and it was indeed because of the protection of Corbusier's frescoes that Corbusier took ownership of E-1027 at auction, exempting E-1027 from the incalculable modification of E-1027 in the hands of others. The master builder Le Corbusier then built a spiritual home of less than 14 square meters next door to E1027. He named it "Le Cabanon de Vacances," which means "lunatic asylum" in French. Of course, this cottage should not be underestimated, less than 14 square meters of space, the layout design is strict like "mathematical logic box". In a 1952 interview, Le Corbusier said: "I feel very good in my cabin, and there is no doubt that I would like to die here." "Every year when he lives here, he goes to the sea almost every day to swim. Until 1965, the 78-year-old Le Corbusier went to sea and never returned.
Whatever Corbusier thought when he painted the mural on E-1027, he did achieve his guardianship of E-1027 like a janitor, just as he guarded Irene Gray's artistic achievements.