TRACING MODERNITY: MANIFESTATIONS OF THE MODERN IN ARCHITECTURE AND THE CITY; ED. BY MARI HVATTUM

From the seventeenth century until today, the 'modern' has served as a key category by which to understand an ever-changing present. Art and architecture have played a key role in this pursuit, as the means by which 'the modern' was to manifest itself. The essays in this new anthology trace the modern project through its multifarious manifestation in order to understand contemporary culture in a deeper sense than discussions of 'modernism' and 'post modernism' usually offer. Drawng on architectural and urban history as well as philosophy and sociology, the book outlines the complex and conflicting roots of modernity by tracing its manifestations in architecture and the city. David Frisby, Iain Boyd Whyte, Caroline van Eck, Gabriele Bryant, Dalibor Vesely, Gavin Stamp, Mari Hvattum, Diana Periton, Tomas A. Markus, Detlef Mertins, Dagmar Weston, Jonathan Charley, Juliet Kin First published in 2004. Walter Benjamin famously defined modernity as “the world dominated by its phantasmagorias”. The chapters in this book focus on one such phantasmagoria, namely that of ‘modernity'itself. From the late seventeenth century until today, the ‘modern'has served as a key category by which to understand an ever-changing present. Art and architecture have played a key role in this pursuit as the means by which the modern was to manifest itself. The aim of this anthology is to trace the modern project through its multifarious manifestations, in order to understand contemporary culture in a deeper sense than facile discussions of modernism and post-modernism often grant. Drawing on architectural and urban history as well as philosophy and sociology, the chapters outline the complex and conflicting roots of modernity by tracing its manifestations in architecture and the city. The book is divided into three parts, each exploring a distinct aspect of modernity. While part one scrutinizes the much-abused concepts of ‘modernity', ‘modernism'and ‘the modern', parts two and three look at the manifestations of the modern in architecture and the city respectively. Focusing particularly on the transition between historicism and modernism, the chapters offer a re-interpretation of early modern architectural and urban culture as it came to expression in people such as Cerda, Semper, Bötticher, Scott, Baudelaire, the Goncourt brothers, Benjamin, Warburg, Kracauer, Mackintosh, Behrens, Taut, and Le Corbusier. For all their differences, these were thinkers and practitioners whose undisputed modernity arose from a deep preoccupation with history. A re-reading of their legacy may throw light on the neglected reciprocity between modernity and its historical conditions of becoming. First published in 2004. Walter Benjamin famously defined modernity as the world dominated by its phantasmagorias. The chapters in this book focus on one such phantasmagoria, namely that of modernity itself. From the late seventeenth century until today, the modern has served as a key category by which to understand an ever-changing present. Art and architecture have played a key role in this pursuit as the means by which the modern was to manifest itself. The aim of this anthology is to trace the modern project through its multifarious manifestations, in order to understand contemporary culture in a deeper sense than facile discussions of modernism and post-modernism often grant. Drawing on architectural and urban history as well as philosophy and sociology, the chapters outline the complex and conflicting roots of modernity by tracing its manifestations in architecture and the city. The book is divided into three parts, each exploring a distinct aspect of modernity. While part one scrutinizes the much-abused concepts of modernity , modernism and the modern , parts two and three look at the manifestations of the modern in architecture and the city respectively. Focusing particularly on the transition between historicism and modernism, the chapters offer a re-interpretation of early modern architectural and urban culture as it came to expression in people such as Cerda, Semper, Btticher, Scott, Baudelaire, the Goncourt brothers, Benjamin, Warburg, Kracauer, Mackintosh, Behrens, Taut, and Le Corbusier. For all their differences, these were thinkers and practitioners whose undisputed modernity arose from a deep preoccupation with history. A re-reading of their legacy may throw light on the neglected reciprocity between modernity and its historical conditions of becoming. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Illustration credits......Page 8 Notes on contributors......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Analysing modernity: some issues......Page 16 What modernism was: art, progress and the avant-garde......Page 36 Modernity and architecture......Page 55 Modernity and the uses of history: understanding classical architecture from BOtticher to Warburg......Page 69 Projecting modern culture: 'aesthetic fundamentalism' and modern architecture......Page 81 Modernity and the question of representation......Page 94 'How is it that there is no modern style of architecture?' 'Greek' Thomson versus Gilbert Scott......Page 116 'A complete and universal collection': Gottfried Semper and the Great Exhibition......Page 137 The interior as aesthetic refuge: Edmond de Goncourt's La maison d'un artiste......Page 150 Timely untimeliness: architectural modernism and the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk......Page 169 Le Corbusier and the restorative fragment at the Swiss Pavilion......Page 186 The concrete memory of modernity: excerpts from a Moscow diary......Page 208 Ildefonso Cerd and modernity......Page 230 'To knock fire out of men': forging modernity in Glasgow......Page 245 The expressionist utopia......Page 269 Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project: a prehistory of modernity......Page 284 Impromptus of a great city: Siegfried Kracauer's Strassen in Berlin und Anderswo......Page 304 Orpheus in Hollywood: Siegfried Kracauer's Offenbach film......Page 320 Bibliography......Page 338 Index......Page 354 Analysing modernity : some issues / David Frisby What modernism was : art, progress and the avant-garde / Arnfinn B -Rygg Modernity and architecture / Iain Boyd Whyte Modernity and the uses of history : understanding classical architecture from B otticher to Warburg / Caroline van Eck Projecting modern culture : 'aesthetic fundamentalism' and modern architecture / Gabriele Bryant Modernity and the question of representation / Dalibor Vesely 'How is it that there is no modern style of architecture?' 'Greek' Thomson versus Gilbert Scott / Gavin Stamp 'A complete and universal collection' : Gottfried Semper and the Great Exhibition / Mari Hvattum The interior as aesthetic refuge : Edmond de Goncourt's La maison d'un artiste / Diana Periton Timely untimeliness : architectural modernism and the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk / Gabriele Bryant Le Corbusier and the restorative fragment at the Swiss Pavilion / Dagmar Motycka Weston The concrete memory of modernity : excerpts from a Moscow diary / Jonathan Charley Ildefonso Cerd a and modernity / Christian Hermansen 'To knock fire out of men' : forging modernity in Glasgow / Juliet Kinchin The expressionist utopia / Iain Boyd Whyte Walter Benjamin's Arcades project : a prehistory of modernity / David Frisby Impromptus of a great city : Siegfried Kracauer's Strassen in Berlin und Anderswo / Graeme Gilloch Orpheus in Hollywood : Siegfried Kracauer's Offenbach film / Graeme Gilloch. Book Cover 1 Title 4 Contents 5 Illustration credits 8 Notes on contributors 10 Introduction 12 Analysing modernity: some issues 16 What modernism was: art, progress and the avant-garde 36 Modernity and architecture 55 Modernity and the uses of history: understanding classical architecture from BOtticher to Warburg 69 Projecting modern culture: 'aesthetic fundamentalism' and modern architecture 81 Modernity and the question of representation 94 'How is it that there is no modern style of architecture?' 'Greek' Thomson versus Gilbert Scott 116 'A complete and universal collection': Gottfried Semper and the Great Exhibition 137 The interior as aesthetic refuge: Edmond de Goncourt's La maison d'un artiste 150 Timely untimeliness: architectural modernism and the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk 169 Le Corbusier and the restorative fragment at the Swiss Pavilion 186 The concrete memory of modernity: excerpts from a Moscow diary 208 Ildefonso Cerd and modernity 230 'To knock fire out of men': forging modernity in Glasgow 245 The expressionist utopia 269 Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project: a prehistory of modernity 284 Impromptus of a great city: Siegfried Kracauer's Strassen in Berlin und Anderswo 304 Orpheus in Hollywood: Siegfried Kracauer's Offenbach film 320 Bibliography 338 Index 354 Arts, Language and Literature The aim of this anthology is to trace the modern project through its multifarious manifestations in order to understand contemporary culture in a deeper sense than facile discussions of modernism and postmodernism often great. Drawing on architectural and urban history as well as philosophy and sociology, the chapters outline the complex and conflicting roots of modernity by tracing its manifestations in architecture and the city Annotation Drawing on architectural and urban history as well as philosophy and sociology, this book outlines the complex and conflicting roots of modernity by tracing its manifestations in architecture and the city Drawing on architectural and urban history, as well as philosophy and sociology, this title traces the 'modern' project through its multifarious manifestation in order to understand contemporary culture Just over a century ago, in 1896, Otto Wagner published in Vienna what is probably the first modernist architectural manifesto - his Modern Architecture.1