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Minimum
31Jan2008 Filed under: Architects Author: admin
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Architect John Pawson delves into all aspects of minimalism in this compact (five-by-five-inch) but thick (325-page) format. Reading Minimum is almost like sitting in a slide lecture given by a passionate professor of pared-down design. It is a picture book primarily, and Pawson’s choice of images is personal and quirky. His chapter headings refer to many sources and aspects of design: Mass, Light, Structure, Ritual, Landscape, Order, Containment, Repetition, Volume, Essence, and Expression. The pictures in each section range from sculptures and paintings to landscapes to ritual objects to rooms to colonnades and piazzas, cityscapes and private homes. Pawson’s selections are evocative, but not always effective. One caption reads, “The intense luminescence of Mark Rothko’s painting,” but the picture shown is one of Rothko’s late, dark, depressed canvasses, which at three-by-five-inches seems more a smudge than a glow. Images dominate this book, but Pawson has also written an ardent introductory essay that places his selections in context. “What I look for is the excitement of empty space,” he writes. “It has the capacity to bring architecture alive, just as it does a Chinese scroll painting. Emptiness allows us to see space as it is, to see architecture as it is, preventing it from being corrupted, or hidden, by the incidental debris of the paraphernalia of everyday life. It offers the space, both psychological and physical, for contemplation, and the serenity that can encourage meditative quiet and calm, without the jarring distraction of possessions.” –Peggy Moorman –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
From its translucent dust jacket and warm gray ink to its embossed linen cover and 145 superbly printed photographs, this elegantly designed and handsomely produced volume is presented as the bibliographic embodiment of the author’s architectural philosophy. Pawson uses a photographic essay to develop a comprehensive definition of the minimalist sensibility. For the examples, he draws not only from the history of art, architecture, and design but also from the natural landscape. Each of the 11 chapters explores an aspect of design, such as mass, light, or structure. While the introductory essay serves as an argument for Pawson’s own work, the captions provide thoughtful and insightful interpretations of the objects and images reproduced. His analysis of Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, illustrated with a three-leaf gatefold, for example, provides a concise but substantive perspective on the relation of this modern monument to its site. Aspects of Minimal Architecture (Academy Editions, 1994) has a similar purpose and even includes one of Pawson’s designs but does not equal this volume in breadth, graphic quality, or singularity of vision. Highly recommended for all architecture and design libraries.
Paul Glassman, Pratt Inst. Lib., New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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admin
01月 31st, 2008 at 11:32 pm
By Mark “248AM” (Kuwait)
ANYTHING by phaidon u can get without opening and checking the book. they are the best publishers out there. trust them blindly.. this book is great. great design, it lets out a good vibe. helps get your lifestyle right…
admin
01月 31st, 2008 at 11:32 pm
By David J. Huber “Addicted to books!” (New York, NY United States)
For anyone interested in what space (not outer-space, but the space we live in) could look like if we’d but show the courage to get rid of trinkets, bric-a-brac, and other clutter, this is the perfect book. And for those who already embrace the simplicity of minimalism, this is a wonderful picture book of great minimalist spaces, and other flowing, graceful geometries. It is not a textbook or text-based lesson on minimalism, but instead a visual guide - nearly every page is a picture of a minimalist scene. The photography and the reproduction are done amazingly well, and the subjects chosen are varied and represent many forms of minimalist thinking/viewing. It’s printed on great quality paper with a nice binding and cover. But, I can give it only 4 stars because, as other reviewer mentioned, Pawson adds lots of unnecessary (and unhelpful and inappropriately leading) captioning. The book is a slick little well-made art-piece itself, too.
admin
01月 31st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
By Joong Won Lee (Cambridge, MA United States)
This book is interesting. The book reveals what constitutes Pawson’s thinking. Thru the graphic representations of photographic art, sculpture, ancient buildings, paintings, places, details, gardens, and ruins; Pawson powerfully visualizes his stance. At each image Pawson carefully crafts little notes to explain why he likes that particular image. A reader will easily grasp that Pawson’s journey towards the absolute essentials was not created thru either erasing lines in drawings or reading some philosophical statements. But thru the years of his own site visits and foot work. Sometimes I felt flattered that some of my favorites were chosen as his favorites; othertimes, I found places and artists that I’ve never heard. I was able to rely on his notes because of his comments on my favorites. Only a person who has visited multiple times to his likings can write such succinct and insightful comments. Due to the intensity of the content and the nature of words, this book could also function like a daily meditation book. By that I mean, you can read it in two hours or you can read an image per day and extend the duration to two years. In a digitally mediated age, clapping hands to the loud voices/ moving fast/ diversity of thoughts, Pawson’s book deliberately shuts mouth/ stand still/ seek simple equilibrium.