The new vision for the new architecture : Czechoslovakia, 1918-1938

Book Description : /
"Le Corbusier's definition of architecture as "the masterly, correct, and magnificent play of masses brought together in light" highlights the role of perception and representation of architecture in architectural practice. These two closely interconnected issues imply the question "How is architecture mediated?" which is increasingly important, if not central, in the present age of new media and the information revolution. In a broader historical context, it was the use of photography and photomechanical reproduction that paved the way for the current omnipresence of media and its role in both the reception and production of architecture. . ..
This book explores the significant body of architectural photography produced in Czechoslovakia in the period of the 1920s and 1930s. In these important years, both architects and photographers saw themselves as participants in the creation of a new world, pursuing beliefs in social and technological Utopias. Practitioners in the two fields shared and stimulated each other's vision, fostering interplay that consisted of mutual influences, parallels, and affinities.
This relationship was highly developed in Czechoslovakia where special conditions existed for the reception of the modern movement in both architecture and photography. The process of modernization as well as the creation of nation states and the rise of the middle class started later in Central Europe than in Western Europe. With its young middle class, the new Czechoslovak state eagerly embraced modern ideas and recognized in architecture a powerful tool for expressing its goals and ideals. For this reason, Czechoslovakia became one of the centers of the modern movement in architecture in the 1920s and 1930s. (From the introduction)"
Contents: -
"The poetry of construction -- Exhibitions -- Arcades and department stores -- Industrial architecture -- Zlin -- Cinematic and kinetic themes -- Aviation references -- Office buildings -- Schools -- Sanatoriums and spas -- Swimming pools -- Cafés -- Family houses -- Churches -- Architectural details -- Architecture in print -- Notes -- Architects' biographies -- Photographers' biographies -- Selected bibliography".