An architectural movement from the 1960s-1990s that rejected modernist orthodoxy, embracing historical references, decorative elements, and playful forms. It celebrated complexity, contradiction, and cultural symbolism over functional purity.
First used by Joseph Hudnut in 1945, but gained prominence through Robert Venturi's 1966 'Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture.' The prefix 'post-' indicates both chronological sequence and philosophical opposition to modernism.
Michael Graves' Portland Building shocked the architectural world with its colorful, cartoon-like facade - after decades of glass boxes, architects were suddenly allowed to be playful again. Postmodernism gave us buildings that could smile, wink, and tell jokes, proving architecture didn't have to be serious all the time.
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