Western Architecture: A Survey from Ancient Greece to the Present

World of Art

by Ian S. Sutton

Western Architecture is an original and far-reaching survey of the history of architecture in Europe and North America, from ancient Greece to the present. From the earliest classical temples to today's achievements, over two thousand years of Western architectural history are summarized. Every architectural style is the product of an ideology, and the author shows how the buildings of Greece and Rome, of the Early Christian and Byzantine centuries, of the Gothic Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment grew out of their respective cultures. In the nineteenth century the story in Europe and North America became more complicated, with the competing forces of Romanticism and industrial functionalism leading to apparently contradictory results--a situation that continues today in the clash between postmodernism and high-tech. But perspectives change, and every decade has its own views of the past. Eastern Europe has inevitably been underrepresented in Western criticism since 1945; Czech Baroque, Polish Neoclassicism, and Hungarian Art Nouveau provide some unexpected revelations. Illustrated throughout with photographs closely linked to the text, this is a guide for the student and general reader to follow into the twenty-first century. 456 black-and-white illustrations

Genres: Architecture, Art, Nonfiction, History

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[David Bisset · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting history of western architecture which draws upon varied examples from every period. Sutton is a cogent writer and often produces unconventional judgements. He makes it clear that the Modern Movement was more diverse than the people thought and that not every architect was a convert. He surveys the period when dogmatism was rejected, and some striking buildings emerged. This stylistic diversity has dominated architecture in the twenty years since the book was written.

[Sara Falk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, a bit heavy on the references to different architects...

[Saiid Abdul Baqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true masterpiece that provides a rich and comprehensive view of architecture across Europe from antiquity to contemporary times. A great reference to all architecture students and lovers.

[Maria P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a course I have just completed. It was quite a dry read and really had to concentrate on the detail but it was really useful as the main text alongside the course and I have learnt so much from it. As architecture books go, it’s not the most glamorous, pictures are all black and white and it is not laid out in a very easy to read format. Nonetheless the content was there. Reading this book over the last 10 weeks has meant I’ve not read as many fiction books in that time so looking forward to getting through a few more again!

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful bridge between what I knew beforehand and what I still don't know -- particularly in terms of regional variations in style. Really goes into detail exploring different styles of ornament in particular. Extraordinarily beautifully written for what is essentially a didactic text -- "a syncopation of verticals" is my favourite phrase.

[tracy s irons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its not an easy read, but its comprehensive and informative. It teaches you how to start reading the built environment around you, which is fascinating, you start to notice details that had passed you by before.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, informative read with photographs of buildings across time

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some respects you have to take your hat off to any author attempting to cover almost 3,000 years of western architecture in one volume. This is currently the main text for the Oxford university architectural course (as of 2013), and in effect is a broad survey of the subject. My main gripe with the text is that for every paragraph there can be up to four references of buildings not included in the illustrations, and these architectural mentions often hold tantalising claims of being the seminal work of its kind. Trying to visualise architectural concepts and techniques without pictures is nigh on impossible, so expect to work hard with this book, with your internet browser open to google image search beside you. Another criticism is the author's sometimes strange and subjective commentary, leaving the reader to wonder what on earth was in mind (especially throughout the Renaissance and Baroque sections, comparing Brunelleschi, Alberti, Bramante and Borromini). For the casual reader, steer clear. But if you've time or incentive to work hard, it's rewarding to get a really good idea of the movements in chronological order, and to be able to pick apart the details of mannerism from, say, rococo. For all the frustrations that the lack of illustrations induces, it's given me a way in to gaining knowledge and a new appreciation of architectural styles that I perhaps would not have readily embraced---Romanesque churches and Cistercian monasteries for example, making this still a worthwhile read for me.

[Ms6282 Slater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as its the setbook for the on-line continuing education course on "Learning to Look at Western Architecture" that I'm taking

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as for-beginners as I'd expected, and rather dry and textbook-like, but nevertheless very comprehensive and interesting.