2002-07-31 04:49
Lowe's essay, as the review put,challenged postmodernist's "simple minded understanding" of transparency in Modernist Architecture as glass. They favoured the formal complexities of Le Corbusier and summary it as "透明性决不是由于玻璃窗的使用所带来的效果,而是在于我们意识到那一基本的概念:相互渗透而不破坏对方。" I don't think Lowe's points is strong enough to revive Modernism. Probably, for Chinese students, the good thing is that "based on an (carefulthat is important!) analysis of avant-garde work in a different medium," we could better understand the substantial links between the otherwise seemingly irrelavant artistic movements through the common (formal)concerns they shared. However, real weakness in Lowe's arguement doesn't lies in he failed to convince us the formal complexities of Modernism.As an essay published 30 years ago, it seems out-of-date (of coursem not necessarily old is bad) cas the new social reality prove the points Lowe made are not always culturally and socially valid. It should get more concerns involved like ownership (UN building vs. C's Villa), function (in a very literal sense, like Bauhaus as Industrial design school vs. C's Villa as a private retreat), patronship (UN vs Bauhaus), etc. Again, why CHinese garden is different from or similar to Wright's Falling Water? Cannot just talk about the organization of the space. Prbably Wright has covered most thatLowe said. But the context they raise the question is totally differnt. I always feel that we might need consider architecture more in terms of their social interpretation rather than take them as pure "conceptual." Again, gestalt theory or other formal analysis popular in the 1960s (as Rudolf Anaheim's 图式思维? edit by 范景中??) faded not because they are useless anymore. 图像学 has to be complemented with sociological reading of art -- or architecture.
图像学not =艺术学 (no such a term in English) 贡布里希's writing doesn't represent British tradition (or tradition of 图像学)