As an almost architecture major, most architectural styles can be better understood by thinking "What's being rejected?" It's a pretty insular culture (less so

As an almost architecture major, most architectural styles can be better understood by thinking "What's being rejected?" It's a pretty insular culture (less so farther back, moreso the more modern you get), so essentially everyone knows the recent and current style... and then wants their work to be different. When someone hits something that resonates, that gets copied, becomes the new dominant style, and then the cycle repeats. Modernism (and then brutalism) was a rejection of the florid, nature-themed, complex styles that came before. It was literally "less is more." I'd personally say that the longer a style lasts, the more derivative hacks you get with less talent, claiming to be designing in its name.