- Hardcover: 326 pages
- Publisher: Phaidon Press (Oct 29 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0714838179
- ISBN-13: 978-0714838175
- Product Dimensions: 16.2 x 14.8 x 3.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 680 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #484,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
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
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.
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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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A cute little ol' book,
By
This review is from: Minimum - Mini Edition (Hardcover)
If you can even call it a book. You'll breeze through it in less than a day, but don't let that discourage you. Its fun and interesting. Nice for the ol' coffee table as well.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite.....,
By A Customer
This review is from: Minimum - Mini Edition (Hardcover)
Unfortunately the book isn't quite what the name suggests. I bought this book pressuming that it was all about the art of minimalist architecture......it never quite got there. the book is small, not that much bigger than my hand but fairly thick, the minimalist style process seems to drag on a bit, which is fine if you've just discovered the sixties style, PAINFUL if your looking for works of art. SAVE YOUR MONEY and buy a book more closely related to architecture and art, your certainly not going to find anymore than 4 pages on Mies, the MASTER and CREATOR of minimalist architecture and design and as far as fabulous interiors, i've seen better in local design mags.
5.0 out of 5 stars
it's a phaidon,
By Mark "248AM" (Kuwait) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Minimum - Mini Edition (Hardcover)
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...
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