Alvar Aalto : architecture, modernity, and geopolitics / Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pelkonen, Eeva-Liisa, author.

Contributor:

Aalto, Alvar, 1898-1976, artist.

Yale University Press, publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Architecture and society.

International style (Architecture).

Regionalism in architecture.

Aalto, Alvar, 1898-1976--Criticism and interpretation.

Aalto, Alvar.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 229 pages) : 124 illustrations (chiefly black & white)

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2009]

Summary:

"Perhaps no other great modern architect has been linked to a native country as closely as Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). Critics have argued that the essence of Finland flows, as if naturally, into his quasi-organic forms, ranging from such buildings as the Baker House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to iconic 20th-century designs, including his Savoy vase and bent-plywood stacking stools. What did Aalto himself say about the importance of nationalism and geography in his work and in architecture generally? With an unprecedented focus on the architect's own writings, library, and critical reception, Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen proposes a dramatically different interpretation of Aalto's oeuvre, revealing it as a deeply thoughtful response to his intellectual and cultural milieu-- especially to Finland's dynamic political circumstances following independence from Russia in 1917"--Publisher's description.

Contents:

Introduction: Geography of (Aalto's) architecture

pt. 1. Making of a nation. In search of a national style ; Toward a cultural revival ; National identity in the age of mass culture

pt. 2. New geographies. Pan-European aspirations ; Being international ; Regional plans

pt. 3. Formal registers. Organic lines ; Geopolitics of fame ; Ambiguity

Conclusion: Geopolitics of architecture.

Notes:

Description based on print version record and online resource (A&AePortal, viewed on May 25, 2023).

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220) and index.

ISBN:

9780300273953

0300273959

OCLC:

1380357020