Gottfried Semper and the Problem of Historicism

Using key texts by the German architect and theorist Gottfried Semper, Mari Hvattum offers a reinterpretation of historicism, viewed as a philosophical outlook as well as an architectural problem. Hvattum focuses on Semper's two major concerns: an understanding of the ontological significance of art and architecture, and their rendering as objects of scientific investigation an...

Using key texts by the German architect and theorist Gottfried Semper, Mari Hvattum offers a reinterpretation of historicism, viewed as a philosophical outlook as well as an architectural problem. Hvattum focuses on Semper's two major concerns: an understanding of the ontological significance of art and architecture, and their rendering as objects of scientific investigation and prediction. She uses Semper's thought as a means to address the inherent problems of historicist thought and its continued influence on modern architectural discourse.