Bøger af August Sarnitz

With his passion for smooth surfaces, fine lines, and spatial plans, Adolf Loos was a prophet of 20th-century architecture. This essential introduction explores his rejection of ornamental forms and his radical pursuit of stark, bold, and beautiful design.

Otto Wagner (1841-1918) is one of the most significant figures of turn-of-the-century architecture. He was associated with the Viennese Secession, a group of artists and designers headed by Gustav Klimt that initiated a departure from the conservative style of the Viennese Künstlerhaus. Wagner's visionary approach, described as structural rationalism, pioneered the use of materials such as glass, steel, and especially aluminum to redefine Viennese structural identity. From the imposing Austrian Postal Savings Bank to the scintillating St. Leopold Church at Steinhof, one of the most important Art Nouveau churches in the world: Discover the breadth of Wagner's career as well as the political, economic, and social dynamics of his time. This incisive overview features a map locating all of the architect's most renowned projects and recent, fresh photography from masters like Keiichi Tahara.

Adolf Loos (1870-1933) was a flamboyant character whose presence in the cultural hotbed of early 1900s Vienna galvanized the country's architectural landscape. An early, impassioned advocate of modernism, he all-out rejected the grand Secessionist aesthetic prevalent at the time, as well as any hallmarks of the European fin de siècle. Instead, in lectures and essays, such as the milestone Ornament and Crime of 1908, Loos articulated his "passion for smooth and precious surfaces." He advocated that architectural ornamentation was, by its nature, ephemeral--locked into current trends and styles, and therefore quickly dated. Loos, himself a Classicist at heart, argued instead for simple, timeless designs with time-honored aesthetic and structural qualities. In this essential introduction, we explore Loos's writings, projects, and legacy, from his key concept of "spatial plan" architecture to his rejection of decorative fripperies in favor of opulent, fine-quality materials and crisp lines. Featured projects include Vienna's Café Museum (1899), the fashion store Knize (1913), and the controversial Loos House (1912), which Emperor Franz Joseph I would refuse to travel past, bristling with rage at its insolently minimalist aesthetic.

At once a realist and a visionary, an architect and a builder, Otto Wagner innovated a new era in building-making. Born in Vienna, the visionary architect made his presence felt-he pioneered the use of materials like glass, steel, and aluminum, in a ceaseless experimentation with form that would come to redefine Viennese structural identity,...