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Product Description
This work is an essay by the architect John Pawson, both expressing and embodying the ideas of reduction, of simplicity, of austerity, of repetition. The pages reveal stark but beautiful images of architecture and engineering, of ceramics and furniture, of photography and works of art, from many periods and cultures, that all combine to express the idea of simplicity. As the author explains in a brief introduction, these ideas find their expression in art and design, and have their beginnings in the realms of religious and philosophical convictions. The austerity of a Cistercian monastery or the simplicity of a Zen garden are both emanations of the same urge to reduce, to make clear, to unburden. Through a sequence of carefully orchestrated pictures, this book clarifies the way in which this mode of thinking has inspired the work of artists and architects from Ancient Egypt to contemporary Mexico or Japan. Possibly most of all, this text is a work of art in its own right as its design and production values reinforce the ideas of the author.
Amazon.com Review
From the ancient Egyptians to the Shakers to Louis Kahn, there's always been something fascinating about the power and purity of minimalist architecture. John Pawson calls it "the excitement of empty space," and this important book displays it on every page. Pawson breaks down the elements of minimalism into mass, light, structure, ritual, landscape, order, containment, repetition, volume, essence, and expression, and his clean photographs both enliven and exemplify his principles. It's a book every architecture buff will want to study and enjoy.
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