- Hardcover: 144 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc; illustrated edition edition (19 July 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0195134435
- ISBN-13: 978-0195134438
- Product Dimensions: 18.6 x 13.2 x 1.7 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,137,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Look of Architecture
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Rybczyniski takes a seemingly whimsical topic--the role of fashion in architecture--and lightly teases from it some discomfiting truths."--Kirkus (starred review)
"A thoughtful and thought-provoking look at how buildings reflect the desires of their age."--Boston Globe
"In his absorbing and accessible book-length essay on the relationship between fashion and building design...Rybczynski argues eloquently that, as in fashion, a building's form is molded by the tastes of its age."--One: Design Matters
"A thoughtful and thought-provoking look at how buildings reflect the desires of their age."--Boston Globe
"In his absorbing and accessible book-length essay on the relationship between fashion and building design...Rybczynski argues eloquently that, as in fashion, a building's form is molded by the tastes of its age."--One: Design Matters
Product Description
Witold Rybczynski begins his book by stating that most architects deny that they fit into any stylistic form. We cannont, however, separate Frank Lloyd Wright from his hat and cape, or Le Corbusier from his heavy round glasses. Similarly, buildings present a public face that do not always betray their function. In this essay, he takes a short tour of modern architecture and talks about what style in architecture means. Rybczynski shows how style in clothing and architecture are related, and discusses why style became a taboo subject in the 20th-century. With descriptions of particular buildings, he examines the work of brilliant architects including Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi, and Frank Gehry, illustrating his argument that contrary to modernist dogma, form does not follow function. Rybczynski leaves the reader with a fresh way of looking at architecture.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Architecture is hard to define. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Architecture is hard to define. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Why archtitects hate the "s" word
1 May 2006
Format:Paperback
This book consists of three lectures given by Professor Rybczynski at the New York Public Library (lectures he admits to revising for publication based on the need to respond to challenging questions from his audience). While not as innovative in topic and scope of inquiry as his books "Home" and "Waiting for the Weekend," there is much here that Rybczynski's loyal readers will recognize and appreciate--the author's love of his subject, his deep and broad knowledge of the history of architecture, his high regard for the minutia others tend to dismiss, and his confidence in his own opinion. The three essays--"Dressing Up," "In and Out of Fashion," and "Style"--are an investigation, among other things, of archtects' reluctance to speak of their work in terms of style. "Architects don't like to talk about style," Rybczynski says in his introduction. "Ask an architect what style he works in and you are likely to be met with a pained expression, or with silence." (p. xi). The lectures explore the differences between arcitecture and other art forms (including interior design, cooking, and the rag trade). Of the distinction between style and fashion, he says, "If style is the language of architecture, fashion represents the wide--and swirling--cultural currents that shape and direct that language." (p. 51) In the end, Rybczynski observes, "A suspicion of style is a heritage of the Modern Movement, which preached against the arbitrary dictates of style and fashion, while maintaining an unspoken but rigid stylistic consistency." (p. 109) He also attributes the reluctance to speak in terms of style to archtects' fears (but I'll let you ferret out the provocative supporting quotations for yourself). The lectures are well-seasoned with aphorisms, and I found myself often lowering the book to my lap and pondering individual statements for minutes at a time as if in conversation with the author. I will leave you with just one more of these statements, "The role of details is not to complement architecture; details ARE archticture." (p. 94) All in all, I found "The Look of Architecture" to be a very enjoyable read.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Fabulous Book
23 Feb 2003
Format:Paperback
Any book by Rybczynski is a delight to read and contains a wealth of information and fresh ideas. "The Look of Architecture" is no exception, and while it is not as groundbreaking as "Home," it is a carefully written analysis of Architecture that is chock-full of examples to illustrate what he's getting at (a few more pictures would be nice, though).
The Fickle Nature of Architecture
28 Feb 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sir Henry Wotton said, "The end is to build well. Well building hath three conditions: commoditie, firmness and delight."
Commodity- to shelter human activity
firmness- to durably challenge gravity and the elements
delight- to be an object of beauty
Building should last and feel as though they will.
A banal church is a greater failure than a banal factory. The end must direct the operation.
Rybczynski packs this book with a lot of information in a delightful way, making it an easy and enjoyable book.
Commodity- to shelter human activity
firmness- to durably challenge gravity and the elements
delight- to be an object of beauty
Building should last and feel as though they will.
A banal church is a greater failure than a banal factory. The end must direct the operation.
Rybczynski packs this book with a lot of information in a delightful way, making it an easy and enjoyable book.
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