Architecture of the Sun: Los Angeles Modernism 1900-1970 [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

By any criteria this has to be considered a monumental study and because of its thoroughness it will surely become the standard reference on LA modernism up to 1970. This year wasn't just chosen as an arbitrary cut-off point but as the author explains in his Epilogue: it coincided with the conclusion of the Case Study Houses program. CSH, least as far as housing went, was the culmination of all the modernism that preceded it; it was the year Richard Neutra died (also Welton Becket died in 1969); around 1970, according British critic Reyner Banham, modernism ceased to be a major worldwide architectural influence.

The thirteen chapters provide an in-depth look at the architects who created such wonderful houses and in later decade's commercial buildings in the Los Angeles area. The craft style of Green & Green in the first years of the last century kicks off the survey and by 1910 Irving Gill was designing clearly modernist structures and the style was on its way. Southern California with its wealth, climate and a group of progressive architects, in more than four decades, became the world center of the style.

I found the chapters on Irving Gill and Richard Neutra fascinating, both were heavyweight contributors to modernism in LA and get extensive coverage (the author has written books about both) also the Case Study Program as a potential solution to the housing problem of the times is explained in reasonable detail. An intriguing and worthwhile design concept instigated by John Entenza, the editor of Arts & Architecture magazine. I always thought it looked a rather amateurish publication yet it nourished this amazing program of contemporary housing.

The book itself is big, chunky and well printed on a matt art with a 175 screen for the hundreds of photos. Julius Shulman's wonderful work gets a good showing though the author is responsible for the most throughout the book; unfortunately these are no match for the professional Shulman. The title's layout is rather austere with plenty of empty page space (so many photos could have been larger) which could well have been used for the sixteen pages of footnotes in the back pages, using these involves an awful lot of page turning. One thing I definitely think there should have been more of: floor plans. A thing that characterizes modernist houses is the fluid use of space and a floor plan is probably the best way to appreciate this. Some are included but mostly they appear too small.

As I said earlier this will probably become the standard book on the subject but this no dry purely academic study. Fortunately the author frequently reveals the background to these architects lives and society at the time. This certainly made the book come alive for me.

***LOOK AT SOME INSIDE SPREADS by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that Southern California and Los Angeles in particular, have emerged as leading areas for the development of topline architectural work, particularly in the area of residential real estate. After all, A-listers like Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra and Frank Gehry have been plying their craft in the area for decades. Now come two new books to educate and elucidate the epic works of building achievement that make the region what it is today.

Thomas Hines' "Architecture of the Sun" is an elaborate, coffee table sized volume detailing the rich history of regional design from the aforementioned players to a host of others who have contributed their significant works to the area. This 756 page tome covers Los Angeles Modernism from 1900 thru 1970 in a complete, robust, detailed and well research edition which, given its exhaustive presentation, may make it the most definitive volume ever produced on the subject. Hines, a Professor Emeritus of History and Architecture at UCLA, explores the region's adoption of the British school of Craftsman homes (still tremendously popular in the area), through the aforementioned Wright as well as disciples and followers like Rudolph Schindler, Neutra and the modernism of John Lautner - all kingpins of the region.

Hines dissects both the design and the historical context of the architects in a way that is both scholarly and completist making this book both a reflective work of art as well as arguably a study guide for architecture students as well. Through ample text and photographs, Hines covers a wide berth of information - from informed biographies of the major designers to lengthy discussions of their work and their inner-workings, to rich views spanning everything from their early sketches (see Wright's original design for the Hollywood Bowl) to extensive views of both their final interiors and exteriors. While much of the coverage is of the famed residences of the area, special attention is given to the work of Welton Becket and William Pereira, who were responsible for much of the distinct industrial design of the city including the famed Capitol Records tower, LAX, the downtown Music Center and the entirety of Century City, making Hines work as complete a take on the modernism of L.A. architecture as one can reasonably expect to ever experience.

For the next months (or perhaps year) Los Angeles is celebrating herself. The city is filled with exhibitions wither currently or in the next few weeks to focus on the contributions of the megapolis in all phases of living - the visual arts, the architecture, the music, the multiethnic background, the fables and the foibles that have made Los Angeles unique among the great cities of the world. In this very large book a hefty 756 pages of text and photographs - ARCHITECTURE OF THE SUN - the city's architectural history is documented from the years 1900 to 1970 by the urban historian Thomas Hines. It is a pleasure to read and to revisit images of this city as time has worn on.

While other books due out soon or even currently circulating may be more inclusive of the other aspects of Los Angeles culture, Hines' book focuses on the residential and commercial architecture of the area. Here are the bungalow houses of the Greene brothers, the angular 'sculptures of Irving Gill, the expressionistic creations of Frank Lloyd Wright, the stark quasi-Bauhaus creations of Richard Neutra, as well as the 'gifts' from Rudolph Schindler, Raphael Soriano, John Lautner, Welton Becket, William Pereira, et al. Though the book supposedly ends with the year 1970 Thomas Hines absorbs the robe of seer and makes a readable and very literate commentary on the future following 1970.

This is an important book for architectural historians, but it is even more important for those who plan to follow the course of the long exhibition PACIFIC STANDARD TIME. Scholarly and fascinating. Grady Harp, October 11