Otto Wagner 1841-1918; Forerunner of Modern Architecture
Koln: Taschen, 2005. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. The format is approximately 7.25 inches by 9 inches. 96 pages. Map. Illustrations (some in color). Bibliography. Covers have front and back flaps. August Sarnitz is a practicing architect and professor of history and theory of architecture at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna. His many publications include books on Otto Wagner, R. M. Schindler, Lois Welzenbacher, Ernst Lichtblau, Adolf Loos, and E. A. Plischke. Otto Koloman Wagner (13 July 1841 – 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. In 1862, at the age of 22, he joined the architectural firm of Ludwig von Förster, whose studio had designed much of the new architecture along the Ringstrasse. He began to develop his own philosophy of architecture, based on the need for buildings to be, above all, functional. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau movement. Many of his works are found in his native city of Vienna, and illustrate the rapid evolution of architecture during the period. His early works were inspired by classical architecture. By mid-1890s, he had already designed several buildings in what became known as the Vienna Secession style. Beginning in 1898, with his designs of Vienna Metro stations, his style became floral and Art Nouveau, with decoration by Koloman Moser. His later works, 1906 until his death in 1918, had geometric forms and minimal ornament, clearly expressing their function. They are considered predecessors to modern architecture. The pioneer of Viennese Modernism One of Austria's most influential architects, Otto Wagner (1841-1918) played a key role in modernizing urban architecture. Forming an approach described as structural rationalism, Wagner pioneered use of materials such as glass, steel, and especially aluminum. He was associated with the Viennese Succession, a group of artists and designers headed by Gustav Kllmt that initiated a departure from the conservative style of the Viennese Kunstlerhaus. Among Wagner's most important buildings are the Vienna Postsparkassenamt (Postal Savings building) and the Steinhof Church. In the 1890s, Wagner became increasingly interested in urban planning. Vienna was growing rapidly; it reached a population of 1,590,000 residents in 1898. In 1890, the city government decided expand the urban transit system outwards to the new neighborhoods. In April 1894, Wagner was named artistic counselor for the new Stadtbahn and gradually was given responsibility for the design of the bridges, viaducts, and stations, including the elevators, signs, lighting, and decoration. Wagner hired seventy artists and designers for his transit stations, including two young designers who later became very prominent in the birth of modern architecture, Joseph Maria Olbrich and Josef Hoffmann. The government committee in charge of the project specified that the buildings should be covered in white plaster, for uniformity, and that the style should be Renaissance, also for uniformity. Working within these requirements, Wagner designed stations and other structures which combined utility, simplicity and elegance. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Otto Wagner, Architect, Furniture Designer, Urban Planning, Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau
ISBN: 3822836478
[Book #86181]
Price: $65.00