Architecture and truth in fin-de-siècle Vienna

Cambridge University Press

2004

xvi, 231 p.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-226) and index.

9780521822756

Introduction : versions of architectural truth -- The Secession Building : multiple truths and modern art -- The Purkersdorf Sanatorium and the appearance of science -- The Postal Savings Bank : pragmatism and "inner truth" -- The Michaelerplatz Building, an honest mask.

This book examines one of the key notions of modernist architecture as it was formulated in Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century. Providing a close analysis of four major buildings - Olbrich's Secession Building, Hoffmann's Perkersdorf Sanitarium, Wagner's Postal Savings Bank, and Loos's Michaelplatz building - Leslie Topp investigates how 'truth' could be interpreted in a variety of ways, including truth to purpose, symbolist or ideal truth, and ethical notions of authenticity. Drawing on newly uncovered archival materials, Topp offers a new interpretation of familiar buildings that are shown to encompass utopianism, hyper-rationality, and subjectivism. She also explores the connections between Viennese modern architecture and contemporary painting, psychiatry, fashion, labor issues, and anti-Semitic politics

Английский