Modernist architects in the early twentieth century championed the idea that "form follows function" — that a building's shape should arise honestly from its purpose. Architectural historian Inés Vega notes that the slogan was always more aspirational than descriptive; many celebrated modernist buildings hide structural realities behind ornamental facades, and others impose forms ill-suited to the functions they house. The slogan is best read, she argues, as a polemic against ornament rather than a literal design principle.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
- A
Architecture has no underlying principles.
- B
Modernist buildings have no ornament.
- C
Modernist architects always followed 'form follows function' literally.
- Dcheck_circle
Vega argues that 'form follows function' should be read as a polemical stance, not a literal description of modernist practice.
Explanation
The passage's central claim is Vega's reframing of the slogan as polemic — B. A, C, and D oversimplify or contradict.