The Beehive Metaphor: From Gaudi to Le Corbusier (Essays in Art & Culture)

Since time immemorial, bees have been associated with all manner of virtues. The beehive has served as the model for an ideal society, while honey and wax have provided the basis for countless positive metaphors of sweetness and productivity. The natural architecture created by bees in their hives can be said to approach perfection. In The Beehive Metaphor , Juan Antonio Ramírez shows how this lucid modular structure had a considerable influence on the architects and artists who founded the Modern movement. Models from both traditional and ''modern'' or ''rational'' apiculture were studied and reinterpreted by such key figures as Gaudí, Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Beuys.Inspired by his own father's obsession with bee-keeping – which wiped out the family's fortune – Ramírez examines the complex ideological, political and artistic repercussions of apian metaphors, thereby enhancing our understanding of the relationship between ecology, animal husbandry and architecture. Since time immemorial, bees have been associated with all manner of virtues. The beehive has served as the model for an ideal society, while honey and wax have provided the basis for countless positive metaphors of sweetness and productivity. The natural architecture created by bees in their hives can be said to approach perfection. In The Beehive Metaphor, Juan Antonio Ramírez shows how this lucid modular structure had a considerable influence on the architects and artists who founded the Modern movement. Models from both traditional and'modern'or'rational'apiculture were studied and reinterpreted by such key figures as Gaudí, Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Beuys. Inspired by his own father's obsession with bee-keeping – which wiped out the family's fortune – Ramírez examines the complex ideological, political and artistic repercussions of apian metaphors, thereby enhancing our understanding of the relationship between ecology, animal husbandry and architecture. Since time immemorial, bees have been associated with all manner of virtues. The beehive has served as the model for an ideal society, while honey and wax have provided the basis for countless positive metaphors of sweetness and productivity. The natural architecture created by bees in their hives can be said to approach perfection. In The Beehive Metaphor , Juan Antonio Ramrez shows how this lucid modular structure had a considerable influence on the architects and artists who founded the Modern movement. Models from both traditional and "modern" or "rational" apiculture were studied and reinterpreted by such key figures as Gaud, Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Beuys. Inspired by his own father's obsession with bee-keeping which wiped out the family's fortune Ramrez examines the complex ideological, political and artistic repercussions of apian metaphors, thereby enhancing our understanding of the relationship between ecology, animal husbandry and architecture. Juan Antonio Ramı́rez Examines The Complex Ideological, Artistic, Political And Architectural Repercussions Of Apian Metaphors And Their Influence On Architecture And Ecological Thinking For Those In The Modern Movement Of Architecture. Rustic Beehive, Rational Beehive -- Working Beehive, Mystical Beehive -- Symbolist Beehive, Artistic Beehive -- Transparent Beehive, Spiritual Beehive -- Mechanical Beehive, Social Beehive. Juan Antonio Ramírez ; Translated By Alexander R. Tulloch. Originally Published In Spain By Ediciones Siruela, S.a. Under The Title La Metáfora De La Colmena. De Gaudí A Le Corbusier--t.p. Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 161-174). Imprint......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Preface and Acknowledgements......Page 9 1 Rustic Beehive, Rational Beehive......Page 18 2 Working Beehive, Mystical Beehive......Page 38 3 Symbolist Beehive, Artistic Beehive......Page 71 4 Transparent Beehive, Spiritual Beehive......Page 94 5 Mechanical Beehive, Social Beehive......Page 118 References......Page 163 The beehive has served as the model for an ideal society, while honey and wax have provided the basis for countless positive metaphors of sweetness and productivity. This book shows how this lucid modular structure had a considerable influence on the architects and artists who founded the Modern movement.