Sigfried Giedion's "space, time and architecture": an analysis of modern architectural historiography

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2008
Ceylanlı, Zeynep
This thesis investigates the key aspects of modern architecture in the first half of the twentieth century by an extensive reading of Sigfried Giedion’s book on modern architecture: Space, Time and Architecture The Growth of A New Tradition. Giedion’s life, his education, his other writings and his relationships with the pioneers of the era are considered as significant influences on the writing of the book. After giving an informative summary of the book, the key themes of the book are analyzed. While analyzing these themes, the opinions of other architectural historians on these themes are also taken into consideration. The reviews on the book are elucidated in order to grasp the first reactions of architectural history circles, and then they were followed by the later impressions. The claim is that Space, Time and Architecture is an influential resource for the understanding of how modern architecture is written about in the first half of the twentieth century. The proof of this influence is both the written sources on the book and its rule in Manfredo Tafuri’s formulation of ‘operative criticism’.

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Citation Formats
Z. Ceylanlı, “Sigfried Giedion’s “space, time and architecture”: an analysis of modern architectural historiography,” M.A. - Master of Arts, Middle East Technical University, 2008.