Anti-rationalists and the Rationalists

This book pits some of the most famous architectural theorists against each other in one volume. The subject for debate is Modernism, the most pressing issue of the 20th century. This timely publication gives a comprehensive overview of the arguments and counter-arguments that abound. ‘The Anti-Rationalist and the Rationalist’ is a combination of two excellent Architectural Press titles by prestigious authors. The first argues that ‘the austere rationality of the modern movement is after all losing out’. Pevsner and Richards believe that a new generation of architects are turning again to exuberance, plasticity and individuality, in rebellion against the vision of industrial society symbolised by the sheer unadorned towers of glass and steel that came to dominate cities in the fifties and sixties. In contrast, Dennis Sharp examines the evidence to support the counter argument. He does this through an impressive collection of the most well respected architectural commentators of the century, such as Bruno Zevi, Charles Jencks and Geoffrey Broadbent.