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A higher architectural unity”: Max Dvořák on new buildings in historical settings

Švácha, Rostislav (2021) A higher architectural unity”: Max Dvořák on new buildings in historical settings. Journal of Art Historiography (25). ISSN 2042-4752

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URL of Published Version: https://arthistoriography.wordpress.com/25-dec21/

Identification Number/DOI: https://doi.org/10.48352/uobxjah.00003468

Abstract

In the early 20th century, heritage conservation in Central Europe extended the focus of its interest to old towns seen as a whole. Around the same time, the first buildings in the Modernist style began to be introduced into these historical urban settings, and so the question of their ‘contextuality’ arose for the first time. Several texts written by Max Dvořák reacted to both these processes. Dvořák was an opponent of Historicism, and so he did not object to the introduction of Modernism into old towns, but only on condition that a ‘higher architectural unity’ or ‘internal unity’ of old and new was created. Otto Wagner’s designs for the Karlsplatz in Vienna did not meet with Dvořák’s approval because they broke away too radically from the old architectural culture and did not work towards a ‘higher unity’. Dvořák cooperated with the Club for Old Prague on the conservation of heritage sites in Prague. However, the Club had a greater predilection for Modernism than he did. The problem with the terms used by Dvořák lies in their aesthetic nature. This means that they are too open to subjective interpretations.

Type of Work:Article
School/Faculty:Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Arts & Law
Department:Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies
Additional Information:

This article is archived in ePapers for preservation purposes

Date:December 2021
Keywords:preservation, old towns, Modernist architecture, aesthetics, Otto Wagner, Klub Za starou Prahu, Pavel Janák, Cubism in architecture
Subjects:N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
Copyright Status:Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. Authors may subsequently archive and publish the pdfs as produced by the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. Copyright restrictions apply to the use of any images contained within the articles. This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
ID Code:3468
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