A Book Review by Seth Joseph Weine

Classical Architecture for the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction to Design

by Jean-François Gabriel
W. W. Norton, New York, 2004
www.wwnorton.com

Did you ever have a mentor whose experience and knowledge was so vast and deep, that you wished you could “download” his brain for the future benefit of all? This desire becomes particularly urgent when the brain in question belongs to someone well along in lifespan, or who has retired from teaching or practice. Anyone who’s met Henry Hope Reed will recognize the feeling, and a lucky generation of Syracuse students taught by Jean-François Gabriel would know it as well.

 

In the latter case, the wish is bountifully fulfilled. At the end of his decades of work, Professor Gabriel has a parting gift for our community.  Classical Architecture for the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction to Design is a treatise that richly and completely sets out what he knows. And what he knows about design is about everything worth knowing. It is a complete curriculum and summary of the principles of composition and massing; defining and laying out space; drawing and presentation; types and use of ornament; articulation and refinement of a design; the acknowledgment and treatment of edges and transitions; and much more—all presented with attention to how space, form, and materials are directly experienced.

Although this book, part of the “Classical America Series in Art and Architecture,” was published in 2004, it deserves another look now. It is certainly worthy of our attention. Yes, a number of comprehensive treatises have been printed before, offering a totalistic vision—but I don’t think any of them can match Gabriel’s for the diversity and number of illustrations he uses to convey the principles of design. Moreover, these examples are offered in the most engaging way: every page is sprinkled with plans, sketches, snapshots, elevations, and diagrams. It’s a multitude of images—“two scoops of raisins!”—and they certainly move the message forward.

Remember that great 1960s film, The Time Machine? At the end, the hero returns to his own time, and selects three books from his vast library to take back to the future to help him rebuild civilization. We are left to wonder which three he chose—an endlessly interesting speculation! Gabriel’s book, so rich a resource, would be a contender.

Seth Joseph Weine, a founding Fellow of the ICAA, has been doing architecture and getting things built for a long time. He frequently provides book reviews for THE FORUM and we look forward to more of his singular reviews both in the newsletter and on this blog. Seth is available at [email protected]