The Sources of Modern Architecture and Design (World of Art)

An excellent primer on the 19th and early 20th century sources of Modern Architecture, but a little thin when it comes to the underlying theories that set the stage for the movement that began after WWI. Pevsner starts with the British Arts and Crafts Movement and ends with the Deutscher Werkbund, which the Arts and Crafts Movement inspired. He covers the short Art Nouveau era, making some interesting comments on the role Gaugin played in it by inspiring a return to primitivism in the early stages of the movement. He notes the strong impact Frank Lloyd Wright had on the European architects at the turn of the century with the publication of the Wasmuth monograph, and the further impact of Cubism in leading to the further abstraction of architectural form. But, for the most part the book is a catalog of buildings and decorative designs that will give the reader a good starting point for investigating the roots of the Modern Movement.

I like this book so much: we used it for an art history course at Yale on art, architecture, and design from 1890-1940. Pevsner's goal, seemingly quite simple but really so complex, is to show the SOURCES of modernism, its origins. This is what the title suggests. Yet it seems he does so much more - he teaches, he gives things dignity, he makes clear intricate connections reaching across space, time, and place in architecture and the applied arts. Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, industrialism, the International Style - everything. Plus the illustrations are fitting and so beautiful. Pevsner gives mention to things often neglected - jewelry, ceramics, etc. It's a compact work, slim, beautiful, easy to read, and great to have as a reference.