| When Buildings Speak: Architecture as Language in the Habsburg Empire and Its Aftermath, 1867-1933 Contributor(s): Alofsin, Anthony (Author) |
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ISBN: 0226015068 ISBN-13: 9780226015064 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $93.06 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 2006 Annotation: The canonical inventors of the International Style have long dominated studies of modern European architecture. But in "When Buildings Speak,"" "Anthony Alofsin broadens this scope by exploring the rich yet often overlooked architecture of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire and its successor states. He shows that several different styles emerged in this milieu during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Moreover, he contends that each of these styles communicates to us in a manner resembling language and its particular means of expression. Covering a wide range of buildings--from national theaters to crematoria, apartment buildings to warehouses, and sanatoria to postal savings banks--Alofsin proposes a new way of interpreting this language. He calls on viewers to read buildings in two ways: through their formal elements, on the one hand; and through their political, social, and cultural contexts, on the other. By looking through Alofsin's eyes, readers can see how myriad nations sought to express their autonomy by tapping into the limitless possibilities of art and architectural styles. And such architecture can still speak very powerfully to us today about the contradictory issues affecting parts of the former Habsburg Empire. "When Buildings Speak" is essential reading not only for students and scholars, but also for any travelers to Central Europe who want to better understand the complex forces at play in the region. Lavishly illustrated with newly commissioned color photographs, it" "will become the standard introduction to the wide-ranging varieties of modern architecture in the Habsburg Empire and its aftermath.
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| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Architecture | History - General - Architecture | Buildings - Public, Commercial & Industrial |
| Dewey: 720.943 |
| LCCN: 2005021958 |
| Physical Information: 1.23" H x 8.48" W x 11.22" (3.66 lbs) 300 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1851-1899 - Chronological Period - 1900-1949 - Cultural Region - Germany |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In When Buildings Speak, Anthony Alofsin explores the rich yet often overlooked architecture of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire and its successor states. He shows that several different styles emerged in this milieu during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Moreover, he contends that each of these styles communicates to us in a manner resembling language and its particular means of expression. Covering a wide range of buildings--from national theaters to crematoria, apartment buildings to warehouses, and sanatoria to postal savings banks--Alofsin proposes a new way of interpreting this language. He calls on viewers to read buildings in two ways: through their formal elements and through their political, social, and cultural contexts. By looking through Alofsin's eyes, readers can see how myriad nations sought to express their autonomy by tapping into the limitless possibilities of art and architectural styles. And such architecture can still speak very powerfully to us today about the contradictory issues affecting parts of the former Habsburg Empire. "The book itself as a production is spectacular."--David Dunster, Architectural Review |