The Four Elements of Architecture and Other Writings

by Gottfried Semper, Harry Francis Mallgrave, Wolfgang Herrmann

Overview

Gottfied Semper was the most important German theorist of the nineteenth century. From his first published essay on Greek polychromy in 1834 to his final lecture on the origin of architectural styles in 1869, Semper persistently endeavoured to fashion a comprehensive architectural theory explaining the meaning and transformational nature of architectural form. The breadth and richness of his ideas, both applauded and opposed at the turn of the twentieth century, proved enormously influential in the development of modern theory. Originally published in 1989, this book provides an English translation of a number of Semper's published writings. The introduction seeks to trace the course of Semper's theoretical development over thirty-five years. Semper's ideas, like those of his contemporaries, John Ruskin and Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, had enormous influence on the genesis of modern architectural theory and will appeal to both architectural historians and architects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521180863
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/17/2011
Series:	Res Monographs in Anthropology and Aesthetics
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	338
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Gottfried Semper: architect and historian Joesph Rykwert; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Preliminary Remarks on Polychrome Architecture and Sculpture in Antiquity; Part II. The Four Elements of Architecture; Part III. Science, Industry and Art; Part IV. Prospectus: Comparative Theory of Building; Part V. Prospectus: Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts or Practical Aesthetics; Part VI. Style in the Technical and Tectonic Arts or Practical Aesthetics; Section 1. Prolegomenon; Section 2. The Textile Art (Excerpt): 1. B. 'On the manner in Which Style is Conditioned by the Treatment of the Material'; 2. C. 'On the Manner in Which Style Becomes Specialized and Developed in the Dressing (Bekleidung) in Different Nations Throughout the Course of Cultural History; Part VII. On Architectural Styles; Notes; Name and place index; Subject index.