| Description |
1 online resource (xxii, 320 pages) : illustrations |
| Contents |
Semper's life and work. The beginnings : Semper in Dresden, 1834-1849 ; In exile : Semper in Paris and London, 1849-1855 ; The Great Exhibition of 1851 as inspiration for Der Stil ; The genesis of Der Stil, 1840-1877 -- Semper's aesthetic theory. Was Semper a materialist? ; Semper's position on the Gothic ; Semper and the archeologist Bötticher ; Semper's position on contemporary architecture ; Semper's position on the primitive hut ; Semper's position on iron as a building material -- Five manuscripts. Semper's literary estate ; Influence of historical research on trends in contemporary architecture (preface to "Comparative Building Theory") ;The basic elements of architecture (introduction to "Comparative Building Theory") ; Structural elements of Assyrian-Chaldean architecture (chapter 10 of "Comparative Building Theory") ; The attributes of formal beauty (introduction to "Theory of Formal Beauty") ; A critical analysis and prognosis of present-day artistic production (preface to "Theory of Formal Beauty") |
| Summary |
"Herrmann traces his life, analyzes his writings, including his major work, Der Stil, and presents translations of recently uncovered texts. For the generation after Karl Frederich Schinkel, Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) was the most admired architect in Germany. His buildings, such as the opera houses in Dresden and two museums in Vienna, were outstanding examples of their kind. To later generations, however, Semper is known primarily for his writings. Although Semper is arguably the 19th century's most important theoretician, the subtlety of his thought and the difficulty of his German have kept his works from being translated and his contribution from being assessed until now. Der Stil, long a basic source of ideas for architects, had a profound impact on European modernists and proto-modernists alike. H.P. Berlage, Otto Wagner, Bruno Taut, and Walter Gropius were influenced by it, as were any number of American architects, including Bernard Maybeck and Louis Sullivan. Following the biographical chapters, which clarify the extent to which Semper's strongly held political convictions (he was forced to flee Dresden after the revolution of 1849 failed) informed his ideas about architecture, Herrmann presents the colorful genesis of Der Stil. Through his close reading of the texts, Herrmann brings to light Semper's position on iron, on Gothic and contemporary architecture, on the primitive hut, and on the ideas of the archaeologist Karl B. Cher. Among the previously unpublished manuscripts that conclude the book is material essential to a clear understanding of the ideas developed in Der Stil. Wolfgang Herrmann has spent most of his professional life in England. Political events forced his exile from Germany in 1933. Since then, he has devoted most of his scholarly career to the study of the theory of architecture and has written books on Laugier and Perrault"--Publisher's description |
| Analysis |
ARCHITECTURE/Architectural History/Modern Architecture |
| Notes |
Preface by Adolf Max Vogt |
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Translated by the author |
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Translation of material originally published in the author's 'Gottfried Semper : theoretischer Nachlass an der ETH Zürich : Katalog und Kommentare' and 'Gottfried Semper im Exil : Paris, London 1849-1855 : zur Entstehung des "Stil" 1840-1877.' |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and indexes |
| Notes |
Description based on online resource; title from resource home page (MIT Press Direct, viewed July 19, 2021) |
| Subject |
Semper, Gottfried, 1803-1879.
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Semper, Gottfried, 1803-1879. Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten, oder, Praktische Äesthetik
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Semper, Gottfried, 1803-1879 -- Criticism and interpretation
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| SUBJECT |
Semper, Gottfried, 1803-1879 fast |
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Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten, oder, Praktische Äesthetik (Semper, Gottfried) fast |
| Subject |
Architects -- Germany -- Biography
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Architects
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Germany
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| Genre/Form |
collective biographies.
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Art criticism
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Biographies
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Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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Biographies.
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Art criticism.
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Biographies.
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Critiques d'art.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| LC no. |
84014417 |
| ISBN |
0262367971 |
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9780262367974 |
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