
Gottfried Semper and the Problem of Historicism
Mari Hvattum(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 12. January 2004
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-521-82163-6 (ISBN)
Description
Using key texts by the German architect and theorist Gottfried Semper, Mari Hvattum offers a reinterpretation of historicism, which is here viewed both as a philosophical outlook and as an architectural problem. Hvattum focuses on Semper's two major concerns: an understanding of the ontological significance of art and architecture, and the rendering of art and architecture as the objects of scientific investigation and prediction. Hvattum investigates the background and implications of these conflicting concerns. By examining the historicist fusion of Romanticism and Positivism, the book seeks to understand the nature as well as the limits of the modern dream of a 'method of inventing'. More than an intellectual biography, Gottfried Semper and the Problem of Historicism explores historicism and its implications for modern architectural discourse and practice.
Reviews / Votes
'It is a compelling thesis, well argues, and ... very well written.' Architects Journal 'It is sophisticated, succinct, and crisply written. A splendid achievement.' Journal of the Society of Architectural HistoriansMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
10 Halftones, unspecified; 40 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 184 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
817 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-82163-6 (9780521821636)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Mari Hvattum
Gottfried Semper and the Problem of Historicism
E-Book
04/2006
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€106.99
Available for download
Person
Content
Part I. Towards a Poetics of Architecture: 1. The cult of origins; 2. The doctrine of imitation; 3. Semper and the poetic of architecture; Part II. Practical Aesthetics: 4. Semper and practical aesthetics; 5. The comparative method; 6. Towards a method of inventing; Part III. The Aporias of Historicism: 7. Semper and the 'Style of Our Time'; 8. History and historicism; 9. Between poetics and practical aesthetics.