Part III- Frank Gehry's Architectual Style and Influences

Gehry has been categorized as the founder, or inventor of the deconstructionist style. He has also learned to mesh the postmodern style and the deconstructionist style together.
Deconstruction is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the early 1980’s. In this style, unconventional materials are used. It defies the “normal” architectural style rules such as “form follows function,” “purity of form,” “truth to materials.” Originally, the French philosopher, Jacque Derrida, influenced some of the architects known as Deconstroctivists. Many architects associated with the name have distanced themselves from the term, but society has embraced the new modern architectural style.
Postmodernism is a style whose first examples were seen in the 1950’s. In postmodernism, styles collide and there are new ways of viewing familiar things. Ornaments are used and are combined with angles and unusual surfaces. Modernism and postmodernism are similar but have different goals. Modernism sticks to the old rules of “truth to materials,” and hardly uses ornaments, whereas postmodernism seeks excitement in using different angles, retro ornaments and using other styles as references as well.
The Gehry Residence, one of the architect’s early works, is Frank Gehry’s own house. It was built with unconventional materials like broken pieces of steel and chain link fences. The structure was built around the original house. It was made during the time when Gehry was still trying to find his architectural style, and when it was considered one of the earliest deconstroctivist buildings, he denied that it reflected this style of architecture.