Classical architecture of the Italian renaissance had already rejected many of the craft-reliant aspects of the architecture of the Middle Ages — Geoffrey Scott criticised the gothic revival for its demand for craftsmanship which had been lost due to the “simpler” construction required in classical architecture — so it is misplaced to associate the classical styles with ideals of craft (“Is this the end of the style wars?”, News May 10).
Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe understood this, as did Louis Kahn.
It is surprising how lightweight much of the work of the “new classicists” (for want of a label) seems — as though their insipid inspiration lies with Herbert Baker rather than Edwin Lutyens.
Adrian Watson
via bdonline
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