David Watkin (historian)

David Watkin (historian)

David John Watkin, MA PhD LittD Hon FRIBA FSA (born in 1941) is a British architectural historian. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and Professor Emeritus of History of Architecture in the Department of History of Art at the University of Cambridge. He has also taught at the Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture.[1]

David Watkin is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He is Vice-Chairman of the Georgian Group, and was a member of the Historic Buildings Council and its successor bodies in English Heritage from 1980-1995.

Classicism vs Modernism

Watkin's main research interest has been neoclassical architecture, particularly from the 18th century to the present day, and has published widely on that topic. He has also published on general topics including A History of Western Architecture (4th ed. 2005) and English Architecture: A Concise History (2nd ed. 2001), as well as more specialised monographs on architects Thomas Hope, Sir John Soane, James Stuart, C. R. Cockerell and Dr. T J Eckleburg

Watkin first came to wide international attention, however, with his book Morality and Architecture: The Development of a Theme in Architectural History and Theory from the Gothic Revival to the Modern Movement (1977), re-published in expanded form as Morality and Architecture Revisited (2001). The basic premise of his argument is that the language with which modernist architecture is described and defended is rooted in the false notion of the Zeitgeist or “the spirit of the age”, as put forward by German Idealist philosopher Friedrich Hegel, so that any opposition to modernist architecture – and here he has in mind the revival of classical and traditional architecture, which he has championed in his writings - are condemned as “old-fashioned”, irrelevant, anti-social, and even immoral.

In terms of Zeitgeist architecture, he traces its moralistic attitude back to architects Pugin, Viollet-le-Duc and Le Corbusier, among others – including their supporters within history such as Nikolaus Pevsner, who claimed that their chosen style had to be truthful and rational, reflecting society's needs. Watkin also sees the pedigree of a distorting modernist architectural history emerging from Hegel, and that modern art and architectural history began in the nineteenth century as a by-product of history and the philosophy of culture in Germany and the rapid growth of Marxist sociology.

Among the ‘contemporary’ architects Watkin has championed are John Simpson and Quinlan Terry, as well as theorist Leon Krier. In his book on Terry, Radical Classicism: The Architecture of Quinlan Terry (2006) Watkin is forthright: “The modernism with which Quinlan Terry has had to battle is, like the Taliban, a puritanical religion.”

Quotation

"…it is man, creative, mysterious, and unpredictable, who is the proper subject of the historian, not the subterranean collective urges of the spirit of the age or of the 'needs' of an as yet non-existent society." (David Watkin, Morality and Architecture)

References

  • David Watkin, The Roman Forum, Profile Books, London, 2009.
  • David Watkin, Carl Laubin: The Poetry of Art And Architecture, Philip Wilson Publishers, London, 2007.
  • David Watkin, Radical Classicism: The Architecture of Quinlan Terry. Rizzoli, New York, 2006.
  • Christopher Hartop, Diana Scarisbrick, Charles Truman, David Watkin, and Matthew Winterbottom, Royal Goldsmiths: The Art of Rundell & Bridge. John Adamson, London, 2006.
  • David Watkin, A History of Western Architecture. Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 2005.
  • David Watkin, The Architect King: George III and the Culture of the Enlightenment. Royal Collection, London. 2004.
  • David Watkin and Robin Middleton, Architecture of the Nineteenth Century. Phaidon Inc Ltd, London, 2003.
  • David Watkin, Morality and Architecture Revisited, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2001.
  • David Watkin, English Architecture: A Concise History, WW Norton and Co Inc, New York, 2001.
  • David Watkin (Ed). Sir John Soane: The Royal Academy Lectures, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.
  • David Watkin (Ed), Sir John Soane: Enlightenment Thought and the Royal Academy Lectures (Cambridge Studies in the History of Architecture) Cambridge University Press, 1996.
  • David Watkin, The Royal Interiors of Regency England. Rizzoli, New York, 1985.
  • David Watkin, Morality and Architecture: The Development of a Theme in Architectural History and Theory from the Gothic Revival to the Modern Movement. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, (1984/original 1977).
  • David Watkin, The English Vision. John Murray, London, 1982.
  • David Watkin, Athenian Stuart: Pioneer of the Greek Revival. Harper Collins, New York, 1982.
  • David Watkin, The Rise of Architectural History, Eastview Editions, London, Reprint edition, 1980.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • David Watkin — may refer to: David Watkin (cinematographer) (1925–2008), British cinematographer David Watkin (historian) (born 1941), Cambridge architectural historian See also David Watkins (disambiguation) This disambiguation page lists articles associated… …   Wikipedia

  • David Watkin (cinematographer) — For the historian, see David Watkin (historian) David Watkin BSC (March 23, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was a British cinematographer, an innovator who was among the first directors of photography to experiment heavily with the usage of bounce… …   Wikipedia

  • David Trimble — redirects here. For the US politician, see David Trimble (congressman). The Right Honourable The Lord Trimble PC …   Wikipedia

  • John David Jenkins — (30 January 1828 ndash; 9 November 1876) was a Welsh clergyman and historian. He spent six years ministering in Pietermaritzburg; after his return to England, he became known as the Rail men s Apostle for his work with railway workers in Oxford.… …   Wikipedia

  • List of historians by area of study — This is a list of historians categorized by their area of study. See also List of historians.By time periodAncient history*Ram Sharan Sharma Eminent Historian of Ancient India. *Michael Crawford (historian) *Edward Gibbon (1737 1794) The History… …   Wikipedia

  • Georgian Group — The Georgian Group is an English and Welsh conservation organisation created to campaign for the preservation of historic buildings and planned landscapes of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Founded in 1937, the Group was originally part of the …   Wikipedia

  • Kingdom of Gwynedd — Infobox Former Country native name = Teyrnas Gwynedd conventional long name = Kingdom of GwyneddRef|1 common name = Gwynedd |continent = Europe region = British Isles country = Wales era = Middle Ages government type = Monarchy |event start =… …   Wikipedia

  • Western architecture — Introduction       history of Western architecture from prehistoric Mediterranean cultures to the present.       The history of Western architecture is marked by a series of new solutions to structural problems. During the period from the… …   Universalium

  • List of Welsh language authors — For Welsh language poets prior to 1600, see List of Welsh language poets.A*Richard Ithamar Aaron (1901 87) *William Ambrose (Emrys) (1813 73) *Gwynn ap Gwilym (1950 ) *Charles Ashton (1848 98)B*Thomas Baddy (d. 1729) *William Ambrose Bebb (1894… …   Wikipedia

  • March 23 — << March 2011 >> Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”