Chapter 2: Choisy: rationalism and technique.
“Histoire de l’Architecture” -diagrammatic drawings. Theme is ‘form as the logical consequence of technique.’ Referenced by Corbusier in “l’Espirit Nouveau”
Guadet- composition
Choisy- construction
Art Nouveau occurring an “excess of personal willfulness.”
Placing yourself in the frame of mind of what was ‘rational’ in the early twentieth century is difficult. For example Choisy’s insistence that the eye is an accurate judge of measurement. In terms of aesthetic proportion I think there are discernible relationships but I don’t think one can so easily ‘see’ the function of structure or that “the stone works to its maximum effort.” Banham references Pol Abraham who notes just that.
Choisy seems to think pre-Doric wood architecture is an imitation of Doric stone architecture (yup, that’s what it says p.29)
Choisy also feels all appropriate forms have been invented regardless of material. Kind of un-rational.
Design developing as a concept along with ‘form’ as terminology. Form having rules of dimension and proportion.
Choisy has respect for Gothic and Doric. Doric is simple and ad hoc which he likes. Gothic represents for him “the culmination of logical method in structure.” The fact that Gothic exterior buttressing can’t be seen bothers him because it’s not visually intuitive.
