Synopsis
Book by Jencks, Charles
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Reviews
Jencks's Thematic House in London, a reworking of an 1840s townhouse, fulfills his view that modern architecture can embody personal symbolism. The entrance room, called the Cosmic Oval, is meant to suggest the Big Bang. On its walls, huge, fiery figures of Thomas Jefferson, Hannah Arendt and Pythagoras debate and ponder. Most of the other rooms illustrate a specific theme, with arcane borrowings that range from Baroque to Art Nouveau. Depending upon the viewer's taste, this microcosm of the universe is either a messy, eclectic riot of styles or a dream vision. An influential architect and critic, Jencks discusses Egypt's pyramids, Chinese gardens and Gaudi's buildings as examples of symbolic architecture. While one can applaud his plea to reunite the everyday with the cosmos, his own buildings directed to this end are cold and contrived. The rest of this lavishly illustrated essay deals with the Elemental House in Los Angeles, a studio isolated in the woods and a converted Scottish farm, all designed or built by Jencks. December
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Jencks, the godfather of the post-modern movement in architecture, here recounts the design of his house in London, an 1840s row house totally done over according to a symbolic program which assigns meaning to the smallest detail. Jencks argues for the importance of a meaningful environment even in the late 20th century and does draw some historical parallels, but he is chiefly concerned with the iconography of the planets and the seasons, shown abstractly and concretely in the house of his own design. Fascinating, well-written, curiousand possibly fatuousthis is a book nevertheless of considerable interest because of Jencks's powerful position as a guru. His arguments for meaning in orament and decoration go far beyond most post-modernist camp practitioners. Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0847806596I5N00
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0847806596I5N00
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0847806596I4N00
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture: The Thematic House
Published by
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc, New York, 1985
ISBN 10: 0847806596
ISBN 13: 9780847806591
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good+. 1st Edition. First edition, hardcover, has slightest touch of skewing to spine, otherwise a sharp, bright, solid Near Fine copy in VG+ dust jacket which has very slight bumps to top of spine and upper corners, a touch of very slight edgewear, and some faint rubbing. Seller Inventory # 92272
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: Gerry Mosher, Rockford, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Blue cloth over boards with illustrated black jacket, clean copy in and out, appears never read, jacket in protective plastic cover, ; 12.50 X 11 X 2 inches; 248 pages. Seller Inventory # 13727
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Published by
Rizzoli, New York, 1985
ISBN 10: 0847806596
ISBN 13: 9780847806591
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Lectioz Books, Gloucester, NSW, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good to Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Jacket has light general wear and no tears. Light foxing to half-title and title pages, otherwise internally clean. 248pp HEAVY BOOK - NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING Size: 240mm x 310mm. Book. Seller Inventory # 025960
Seller Image
Symbolic Architecture
Seller: Wittenborn Art Books, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. f. Hard covers. Very Good. Blue cloth over boards. Very good dust jacket under plastic covering. 248 pp.Color plates throughout.* There might be an additional charge due to the large size of the book. Seller Inventory # 75-1503
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Seller Inventory # Abebooks224214
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: BennettBooksLtd, San Diego, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Seller Inventory # Q-0847806596
Stock Image
Towards A Symbolic Architecture
Seller: Toscana Books, AUSTIN, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Excellent Condition.Excels in customer satisfaction, prompt replies, and quality checks. Seller Inventory # Scanned0847806596