Stripped Classicism

Stripped Classicism, also called Starved Classicism or Grecian Moderne, is primarily a twentieth-century classicist architectural style stripped of most or all applied ornamentation, frequently used by governments for official buildings. It was adopted by both totalitarian and democratic regimes and embraces a simplified but still recognizable classicism in its overall massing and scale while eliminating traditional decorative detailing, so that the classical orders are only hinted at or indirectly implied in a building's form and structure. It is sometimes distinguished from the closely related Starved Classicism, described as displaying little feeling for classical rules, proportions, details and finesse. The style has been characterized as a materialistic manifestation of political modernism.