The Grotesqueness of Modern Cities

Boring and Plainness of Modern Cities

I often find modern cities not beautiful, sometimes even ugly.

I held such feelings while I was in China. At that time, I thought it was understandable that China didn’t possess many classical and beautiful buildings, given most old buildings in China used wood and were vulnerable to fires, not to mention the intentional demolishing of old buildings during the Cultural Revolution.

I was expecting something different from Canada but was quite disappointed by the harsh realities. From an architectural perspective, Toronto is nothing but an identical replica of modern cities in China: skyscrapers after skyscrapers, office buildings after office buildings.

A Harsh Comparison

York University

One thing I dislike about York University is its plain and ugly campus, especially when compared to the University of Toronto.

As shown in the images, all buildings at York University are typically modern and postmodern, which are far from beautiful.

On the contrary, the University of Toronto has some of the most beautiful architecture in Toronto.

The University of Toronto possesses some very classical Renaissance and neoclassical style buildings.

Of course, one sad thing about the University of Toronto is that its new campus has a typically modern and postmodern style and no longer has the same beauty.

The Missing of Beauty

The problem with modern cities and buildings lies in the underlying philosophy of Modernism, which emphasizes that form should follow function, embraces functionalism and minimalism, and rejects ornament.

Modern cities are built upon such Modernism idea and naturally lacks the focus on beauty in architecture.

While some may find modern buildings convenient and even attractive, I firmly believe there is value in beauty itself. I prefer buildings with both functional and artistic values.