Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #596456 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

A Critique of the Nineteenth Century
There is a story that upon getting into a railway carriage, the Catholic Pugin crossed himself in preparation for the journey ahead - this shocked fellow passengers! Today, it is hard to see back into the religious and religio-architectural debates of the nineteenth century, but this work (a facsimile of Pugin's original) provides an interesting insight.

Pugin was one of the most influential architects and designers of the nineteenth century, associated with the gothic revival. As well as designing much of the decour of the Houses of Parliament (London), he designed countless churches.

For Pugin, the only style was the Gothic. Pugin believed that Gothic architecture was 'true' and/or 'Christian'; as opposed to classical and classical revival architecture which he believed was essentially pagan, deriving as it did from the pagan style of the Greeks and Romans.

'Contrasts' is a series of illustrations contrasting late medieval society with the nineteenth century. For this, Pugin depicts churches, houses, furniture and even a whole town. Pugin's illustrations make his views clear: Modern design and society are essentially ugly when compared to the pre-reformation style and srchitecture.

A beautiful and stimulating book.