Adolf Loos: 1870-1933: Architect, Cultural Critic, Dandy

Adolf Loos: 1870-1933: Architect, Cultural Critic, Dandy

The devil in the details: The life and times of Adolf Loos

Adolf Loos (1870â€“1933) was a flamboyant character, whose presence in the cultural hotbed of early 1900s Vienna galvanized the countryâ€™s architectural landscape. An early, impassioned advocate of modernism, he all-out rejected the grand Secessionist aesthetic prevalent in contemporary Viennese architecture, as well as any hallmarks of the European fin de siÃ¨cle.

Instead, in lectures and essays, such as the milestone Ornament and Crime of 1913, Loos articulated his â€œpassion for smooth and precious surfaces.â€ He advocated that architectural ornamentation was, by its nature, ephemeralâ€“locked into current trends and styles, and therefore, quickly dated. In doing so, it would drag the building it decorated, into obsolescence. Loos, himself a Classicist at heart, argued instead for simple, timeless designs with time-honored aesthetic and structural qualities.

Rising to prominence in Vienna in the 1890s with commercial retail projects in the city, Loos developed his signature style, introducing the concept of â€œspatial planâ€ architecture and eschewing decorative fripperies for opulent, fine-quality materials, rendered in crisp lines. Major projects, such as Viennaâ€™s CafÃ© Museum (1899), Loos House (1912), and the fashion store Knize (1913), divided critics, the public, and even royaltyâ€“Emperor Franz Joseph I would refuse to travel past Loos House, bristling with rage at its insolently minimalist aesthetic.

In this introduction to Adolf Loosâ€™ colorful and inspiring career, we get to explore the writings, achievements, and legacy which continued to resound down the decades, influencing successive styles and generations in the architectural conversation between elaborate and elemental aesthetics.
Country USA
Brand Taschen
Manufacturer Taschen America Llc
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 9783836544672
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9783836544672
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	Taschen
Manufacturer	Taschen America Llc
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9783836544672
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9783836544672
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Adolf Loos: 1870-1933: Architect, Cultural Critic, Dandy

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