Friedrich Gilly: Essays on Architecture, 1796-1799 (Texts & Documents Distributed for the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities)

When Friedrich Gilly died in 1800, at the age of twenty-eight, he had published only four short essays, and his executed works consisted of a few minor buildings still under construction. Nonetheless, by virtue of the influence that he—as a teacher, colleague, and friend—exerted on Berlin architects active during the first half of the nineteenth century, Gilly may justly be regarded as the founder of the Berlin architectural tradition. His legacy, moreover, extends into the twentieth century. This volume seeks to afford new access to Friedrich Gillys ideas on architecture by presenting for the first time annotated English translations of his four published essays and the unpublished descriptions of his proposed memorial to Frederick the Great. An introduction by Fritz Neumeyer clearly locates Gillys work and ideas within their historical context and forcefully demonstrates the lasting influence that Gilly has had on architecture, particularly in Germany. The Texts & Documents series offers to the student of art, architecture, and aesthetics neglected, forgotten, or unavailable writings in English translation. Edited according to modern standards of scholarship and framed by critical introductions and commentaries, these volumes gradually mine the past centuries for studies that retain their significance in our understanding of art and of the issues surrounding its production, reception, and interpretation. Eminent scholars assist in the selection and publication of volumes in the Texts & Documents series. Each volume acquaints readers with the broader cultural conditions at the genesis of the text and equips them with the needed apparatus for its study. Over time the series will greatly expand our horizon and deepen our understanding of critical thinking on art.

When Friedrich Gilly died in 1800 at age twenty-eight, his architectural career had spanned less than a decade and construction of his major designs was incomplete. Nevertheless, his ideas so strongly influenced Berlin architecture of the next century that he is now widely regarded as the founder of Berlin's distinct architectural tradition.

By uniting Rationalist and Neoclassicist principles, his designs achieve an artistic expression that is at once visually dramatic and formally pure. Today, his theories are known primarily through the work of Karl Friedrich Schinkel, his student who became one of Berlin's primary modern architects.

In addition to presenting five of Gilly's most influential essays, this volume contains previously unpublished archival records that clarify the intellectual context in which Gilly developed his thoughts on architecture. A catalog of Gilly’s personal library is especially illuminating.

Friedrich Gilly was an important figure in Berlin's architectural tradition. In addition to presenting five of Gilly's most influential essays, this volume contains archival records that clarify the intellectual context in which Gilly developed his thoughts on architecture.