Classical Architecture

by James Stevens Curl

This beautifully illustrated book is concerned with the fundamental principles and various aspects of Classical Architecture, including a detailed, illustrated glossary that is almost a dictionary in itself. The author describes in clear, straightforward, jargon-free language the origins of Classical Architecture in Greek and Roman Antiquity, and outlines its continuous development, through its various manifestations during the Renaissance, its transformations in Baroque and Rococo phases, its re-emergence in eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century Neo-Classicism, and its survival into modern times. The text and illustrations celebrate the richness of the Classical architectural vocabulary, grammar, and language, and demonstrate the enormous range of themes and motifs embraced by the subject.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Art

231 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 1992

About the author

Born in Ireland, where he received his early education, Professor Emeritus James Stevens Curl has held Chairs in Architectural History at two British Universities. Having graduated in Architecture at Oxford, he went on to study Town Planning, and wrote his Dissertation under the direction of the German architect, Arthur Korn. He later read for his Doctorate at University College London, and has twice been Visiting Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. He is a Member of The Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Societies of Antiquaries of London and of Scotland, an Architect Accredited in Building Conservation, a member of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and a Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects . He worked for a number of years as an architect, with an especial interest in historic buildings and conservation, until he became a full-time academic in 1978, having already published perceptive articles and books which began to establish his reputation for impeccable scholarship, a fine prose-style, and penetrating insights.