R.M. SCHINDLER
COMPOSITION AND CONSTRUCTION
Lionel March and Judith Sheine
Lionel March and Judith Sheine: R.M. SCHINDLER COMPOSITION AND CONSTRUCTION. London and Berlin: Academy Editions with Ernst & Sohn, 1995. First softcover edition [originally published in 1993]. Thick photographically printed French folded wrappers. 264 pp. 345 color and black and white illustrations. A nearly fine perfect-bound oversized book in thick, photographically printed French folded wrappers: wrappers lightly rubbed and creased. Out-of-print and uncommon.
10 x 12 softcover book with 264 pages and 345 color and black and white illustrations of Schindler's architecture, interiors, and site plans. "This volume offers copious documentation, a critical overview and a fresh reappraisal of Schindler's thought and works. A wide selection of Schindler's own writings is presented, including a new translation of his manifesto of 1913, alongside a range of articles by the foremost scholars of his works. The book features a wealth of plans, line drawings and photographs of built work."
"Each of my buildings deal with a different architectural problem, the existence of which has been forgotten in this period of Rational Mechanization. The question of whether a house is really a house is more important to me, than the fact that it is made of steel, glass, putty or hot air." - R. M. Schindler
Hailing from Vienna, Rudolph Michael Schindler (1887-1953), like his colleague Richard Neutra, emigrated to the US and applied his International Style techniques to the movement that would come to be known as California Modernism. Influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and taking cues from spatial notions found in cubism, he developed a singular style characterized by geometrical shapes, bold lines, and association of materials such as wood and concrete, as seen in his own Hollywood home (built in 1921-22) and the house he designed for P.M. Lovell in Newport Beach (1923-24).
"Each room in the house represents a variation on the constructive architectural theme. This theme corresponds to the principle requirements for protecting a tent: a protected back, an open front, an open fireplace and a roof. Each room has a concrete wall at the rear and a large front opening onto the garden with sliding doors. The shape of the rooms and their relationship to the patios and various roof levels creates a totally new spatial concept between the interior and the garden." - R. M. Schindler
Today, Schindler is finally being regarded as an outstanding exponent of the Californian modernist style. His marginalized historical status traditionally has resulted from the architects' refusal to mimic the streamlined image of the popular modern architecture of the times. In 1932, when Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock organized the exhibition The International Style, they failed in invite Schindler. His prodigious output until his death in 1953, helped him eventually escape the shadow of his compatriot Richard Neutra. Schindler designed over 500 buildings, more than 150 of which, mostly family residences, were actually built. His own residence in Kings Road, Hollywood (1922), and the beach house he designed for Philip Lovell (1926), has a lasting influence on the development of modern architecture in California.