Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos and the Road to Modern Architecture
Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos and the Road to Modern Architecture
By Werner Oechslin
"In this collction of essays, as concise as they are broad- ranging and erudite, oechslin explored the multiple implications for modernity of two key, and co-dependent terms of 19th century art theory, and offered an adroitly selected anthology of excerpts from architectural theories."—Harvard Design Magazine
"Those interested in a narrative review of writings on architecture, presented with intensity and in detail, will be pleased with, informed by, and interested in Oechslin's offering."—Centropa
Contemporary architectural theory emphasizes the importance of "tectonics," the term used to articulate the relationship among construction, structure, and architectural expression. Yet, little consideration has been given to the term's origins or historical significance. In this study, Oechslin examines the attempts by early Modern theoreticians of architecture to grapple with the relationship between appearance and essence. He locates the culmination of this search for "truth" in architectural expression in the work of Adolf Loos and the writings of theorists such as Bötticher, Le Corbusier, and Lux.
Hardcover
282 pages
111 black and white illustrations
10 x 7 inches
Cambridge University Press, 2002
ISBN 978052162346
Modernism, Architecture