This week’s reading assignment was from the book Experiencing Architecture written by Steen Eiler Rasmussen. Writer explain lots of opinions and gave examples. There is interesting points.
At the beginning of the text, Rasmussen defines architecture as a fine art and writer compared architecture with other arts which are painting and sculpture.
Architecture is not only produced simply by adding plans and sections to elevations. It is something more. Art should’t be explained, it must be experienced.
Both of architects and sculptures play with form and mass but there is differences between them. Architecture is functional and produces practical solutions for people and their lives but sculpture isn’t functional. Sculpture is limited to the geometric shapes.
Moreover, there is difference between painters and architects. Painters’ sketch show their hand-writing and also it is individual. It is not valid for architects. The architect remains anonymously in the background.Here he resembles the theatrical producer.
Rasmussen mentions that there is a man who is Christian IV as interpreted by a popular Danish actor riding a bicycle. The costume, of its kind one if the best ones, and the bicycle too is of the best but these can not be together. Likewise, it’s impossible to take over the beautiful architecture at the past era, it just becomes wrong.
Writer also mentions that from such observations we learn that there are certain forms which are called hard and others soft,regardless of whether the materials they are made of are actually soft or hard.Impressions of hardness and softness ,of heaviness and lightness , are connected with the surface character of material.So,without touching the materials,we are aware of the essential difference.
- Rasmussen, S.E. “Basic Observations” in: Experiencing Architecture, Chapman & Hall, 1959, pp.9-34.
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