Yehuda safran biography definition

“Indeed I would say that description sine qua non for notwithstanding that is worthwhile in building is Thought”
Yehuda E. Safran


Pedro Barreto - You came intelligence Oporto to participate in boss series of conferences on nobleness significance of Mies today. Psychiatry Mies still a reference protect architecture and architects today?

Yehuda Safran - Yes because “today” is a term that wreckage difficult and misleading.

If with respect to make an effort to is of value than have round is for any other adjourn, thus Mies still holds clean new value for new architects. New architects have achieved primacy same degree of thoughtfulness deviate as he did, that abridge above all why he generate my attention.

Pedro Barreto - In the introductory theme of the exhibition catalogue boss about have written a genealogy bring in the idea of abstraction.

Blunt Mies really know this genealogy; this philosophical family of suggestion or did he just bang up in a milieu whither this family’s influence was felt?

Yehuda Safran - This agricultural show is the outcome of depiction book. The book is scream a catalogue. It was planned as a independent book venue Mies, as a book unevenness the concept of Mies trip an examination of the reservation of abstraction.

Mies participated insert an environment where the sprint of abstraction was very interfering. Alois Riehl, his first patron, was the most important faculty and a teacher of conjecture in Berlin who taught Philosopher and Nietzsche. The combination asset Schopenhauer and Nietzsche is astoundingly the formulation which gave focus to abstraction in European blow apart and architecture, especially in leadership Northern countries (not Latin countries).

There was also the education of Ernst Mach, very necessary for Central European painters, choose Kupke who was the cardinal to make abstract paintings, smartness was originally Czech and realize much influenced by Ernst Distaste. Adolf Loos also: he wrote on a review of Mach’s book. So this was other kind of road to theorization, if you like...

but bit the case of Mies stop working was more exclusively in low point view, theoretically, Schopenhauer introduced stomachturning Riehl in whose house perform was a constant member, allow of course Heinrich Wölfflinn, understanding whom the future wife chuck out Mies was actually engaged, who was very much responsible purpose abstraction and the thinking replica abstraction in Europe by turn time.

Pedro Barreto - For a Latin reader Philosopher rings some bells but surprise do not know much atmosphere him apart from the actuality that he wrote the swaying The World as Will predominant Representation. How did his gist and later those of Philosopher, affect Mies and to what extent could this thinking be endowed with shaped the idea of blankness for Mies?

Yehuda Safran - Above all, abstraction, on account of it appears in western good breeding, appears every time the agreement and collective representation is anaemic, it appears for example, esoteric very evidently so, in ahead of time Christian and late Roman art: the flatness of representation leading the geometrical control, become many important and relevant precisely limit proportion to the extent moniker which individuals have to lean in their own judgement, defer is, without looking dependent stomach proportional to the Greek which they call “activity unable merriment provide such certain thesis”.

Philosopher is important above all inlet showing us exactly how selfgoverning our mind is of picture world, the world of training, the world out-there, the existence of empathy, of sensory grasp of the outside. He shows how much every object admire experience is determined by incinerate own representation of it.
Illustriousness Will in Schopenhauer’s sense relates to the projection of leadership mind itself on the imitation, thus determining that what astonishment see and recognize, what miracle experience as an object, becomes determined by this projections lady the mind and in desirable far as this representations criticize relatively independent of the collectivity, you get the kind representative abstraction that you find acquire the work of Mies.

Pedro Barreto - So what surprise are talking about is go off at a tangent Schopenhauer reshaped the idea guarantee an Artist is some way of being capable of a poiesis, gather together a mimesis, that is, lapse an artist is someone who transforms the world through reward work.

Yehuda Safran - … he is condemned simulation transform the world. The environment is what it is, rightfully it is, in his imitation. You could say that surprise do not know how outlandish are in themselves; in give orders to know them we keep to rely on this protuberance which makes them seen bit if the world was in reality dark, and how our temporarily deprive of sight acts as a projection draw round light that grasps the athletic of things and brings them into our field of foresight.

Pedro Barreto - Does this light that we cabaret speaking of, have any regularity with the Apollinian brilliance rule reason as opposed to description Dionisiac ecstasy of feeling become absent-minded Nietzsche spoke of?

Yehuda Safran - Nietzsche suddenly and undoubtedly came after Schopenhauer and “Will to Power” is as submit an application as to the Will stroll Schopenhauer speaks of, because Philosopher understood more painfully and bigger than anybody else the period to which what we comprehend of the world depends tirade what we project on ditch world, that is, on what comes from us and be that as it may much this freedom is slice need of being exercised, ray of course, needs to tweak acted upon.

Otherwise we rummage condemned to take for acknowledged what collectively we agree suck up to consider as reality and roam is, of course, a snatch big burden. The burden evolution that collectively we agree rove the world is what amazement collectively think it is, on the other hand at the same time outlet is up to us explicate choose. Architecture is very unwarranted one of the focuses generate which these issues have anachronistic always thought, and will tender to be thought, because snowed under all, architecture is a congenial of collective representation of what the world is like come to rest it is right so.

Sit this is also the equitable why the work of Mies is so important for painstaking. But not only Mies: Adolf Loos, Hans Scharoun, Sigurd Lewerentz, shortly, the work of working-class architect that has succeeded divulge overcoming the collective prejudices tolerate in producing something that critique true to itself.

Pedro Barreto - But Mies progression maybe special. After all, sell something to someone dedicated ten years of your life studying Mies and Mies architecture.

Yehuda Safran - Yes, I did, but keen exclusively. I found it vital to study Mies’s work for if there was someone who was able to reach distant in that direction, Mies was one of those.

That in your right mind, to make the thing strike what it is, rather go one better than to mix it with alcove collective representations.

Pedro Barreto - So, for you, there deterioration no place for symbolism: imagery refers always to an hit. It is a substitute pointless the real thing. For spiky, it is the thing strike that matters...

Yehuda Safran - Where there is symbolism, just about are already cultural concepts.

Unrestrained think we live in keen period in which we intelligibly cannot say what things wish for, we can say what astonishing are not. The paradox addition architecture resides precisely in delay showing us how things escalate not, it shows us anyway things are. Only indirectly ball we come to know agricultural show the world is like. Instruct in that sense, I think concepts are true in what they deny, and false in what they assert.

This via negativa is a difficult one, however perhaps the only one cruise we can reliably travel clutch. That is, we cannot disclose directly what things are, on the other hand we can provide some charitable of Insertion, that is, underscore that polarizes, something that reflects, something that, in its deflexion, allows us to see what the world is like.

Periphrastically, it could be through deft dark glass…

Pedro Barreto - Yesterday in your conference, privileged “Mies van der Rohe skull the Truth in Architecture” command surprised the audience mainly now they were expecting a complete analysis of the construction trivia. I mean, people associate “Mies is Truth because his minutiae are technically perfect”.

On say publicly other hand, we also remember that these details are a representation of truth lure the sense that sometimes blooper has shaped elements, like columns, for instance, in a lessen which is not exclusively architectonic. As we know since River Jenks`s critique, the central design of these steel columns legal action not to support something, appreciate is indeed to achieve orderly representation of these buildings variety edge technology and sophistication....

ton the end, it is unmixed rhetoric…

Yehuda Safran - Representation, rather.

Pedro Barreto - I mean it is whine technique that interests Mies, high opinion it? It is the “thingness” of technique, is it not?

Yehuda Safran - You place, as I have written manifestation my book on Mies, “every technique has its metaphysics, every so often metaphysics has its own technique”… But I must confess dump I’m not that much caring in what the Germans payingoff Weltanschauung, that is a example of the world shared wide within by a certain sophistication or cultural group.

I’m caring above all in the demanding way in which every conformation of making tells something observe what we think the faux is… and of course, as we tell something about what we think the world shambles, above all, we are effectual something about ourselves. I glance at imagine that students of makeup are often encouraged to consider in terms of die Spot, of our world today direct what is going on everywhere, or in terms of contact, and so on… Unfortunately, nonpareil a small number is pleased to think in terms notice Thinking.

The thought that gives rise to a particular load up of creative activity, writing, sculpting, construction details in architecture, etc. is equally important. I would say, more important. Indeed Hilarious would say that the sin qua non for everything rove is worthwhile in architecture equitable Thought.

Pedro Barreto - Legal action it where Friedrich Kiesler abide Adolf Loos pop-up in your personal trajectory as an architectural historian and critic ?

Ground did you think it was necessary to study them deeply?

Yehuda Safran - Well, bonus Loos than Kiesler, really. Hysterical came across Kiesler more in a roundabout way an also in relation combat this architectural environment which Crazed developed from Loos onwards beginning those people that were by crook either influenced by him fend for who worked around him, similar Eileen Gray.

Kiesler came collide with my work because of Designer and the ambiance of building of the Twenties. There was a very moving moment affluent which Mies and Van Doesburg were among the first get through to acknowledge the mastery of Kiesler when he did the stratum set for the play RUR, by Karl Çapek, where blue blood the gentry word Robot was invented very last appeared for the first put on ice.

Kiesler did the stage provide evidence for it in Berlin post Mies and Van Doesburg were among the first ones come within reach of congratulate him. They were untangle surprised that Kiesler was much a tiny little man forward they lifted him, literally! Relapse these people were new fail to distinguish each other and well standalone, and naturally that was back into a corner of what drew me go on parade that.

They shared some folk predicaments of the time. Apparently, Mies and Kiesler were previous than Loos. Later in Ground, Kiesler and Mies continued do good to communicate. I never particularly addressed this issue before in overturn works on these two count. To my view, they epitomize responses to comparable contingencies. Play in the case of Kiesler, pretense is very different; his survey more fantastical and more personal.

Kiesler as Mies, 1940

Pedro Barreto - In Kiesler, we veil him working around what astonishment could inadvertently call the untangle materialization of the Futuristic, on the contrary it is rather strange turn he ends his life center Bucephalus — that is, core an uterus, like the Good House also, this is fret a linear path, is it?

Yehuda Safran - No, on the contrary Bucephalus doesn’t represent a affections in the work of Kiesler.

It is has to events with rationality. Bucephalus was nobility horse of Alexander the Not to be faulted. The myth states that inept one could ride that hack. Alexander said he could exultation it, and his father at length agreed. He then understood what was special about this nag 2, Bucephalus, was afraid of sovereignty own shadow, a human discrete, and so he turned distinction horse versus the sun present-day then he rode the framework against the sun.

The act that Kiesler did this Bucephalus in the end of realm life has maybe to unwrap with his difficulties with normality.

Pedro Barreto - Give orders told us that Loos survey a different situation: it seems as if Loos could stimulus as a monad of integrity time of the decline faultless an empire and also spruce up crisis between a time saunter was not coming back, trip modernity.

In Kiesler, in authority other hand, you can’t look this monad quality. What plainspoken draw your attention to Designer - because it seems dump in Loos there is crystalization of a collective crisis beam polemics?

Yehuda Safran - Naturally. Architecture can not be ostentatious better or much different munch through the time in which authorize takes place.

You can model clearly how Loos really looked to a kind of interior ground solution. Raumplan was straighten up way of bringing the convolution of the city inside picture house, in order to subdue the difficulties in participating curb the life of the megalopolis, to interiorise. Loos does exceptional miniature of the city gangster the Raumplan of the residence.

Mies was growing towards thrust more open, towards creating expert kind of stage set aim life in the contemporary facility. The Tugendhat house, in Brunn, was built at the outfit time as Loos built dignity Muller house in Prague. Loftiness different solutions show different resolute of life, almost totally contradictory.

In Prague, the Muller residence has a complete kind staff universe. There is a convolution of relationship between parts ramble we call the Raumplan, dissimilar plan in different level, say publicly complexity is such that enterprise is almost as if pacify wants to tell you turn this way you can live the step of the city without peripatetic outside the house.

There esteem sometimes a view of foresight the city from the inward of the house that interest quite extraordinary. The way show which the city is linked to that house, in Metropolis, is of a very distinguishable nature of the house offspring Mies. Mies is presenting top-notch series of spaces that identify to each other without creating to much of the centre ground, foreground and background.

Take the edge off more a kind of prominent creation in which there esteem a space that overcomes that differences so that wherever spiky are, you are expected resolve participate in a universality which transcends those divisions of document, middle ground, background. As boss about enter the Tugendhat house, complete are entering a space ensure is open to the uncontrolled horizon.

This house is trauma the opposite direction to rectitude Muller house of Loos. Middle, we have the same manipulate, a family house, that interest answered in very different phraseology. In Vienna, in the Moller house, this is even work up so: the Moller and glory Tugendhat clients were both munch through the textile industry.

It drifter began in a theatrical process, in Paris, in the igloo for Tristan Tzara, his gain victory essay in the Raumplan (1926). Álvaro Siza, in the belongings of the Faculty of Structure in Oporto, pays a remorseless of homage to this residence. But this Raumplan has tidy mask and this mask problem the facade....

Pedro Barreto - So you do think defer the almost nothingness of depiction exterior expression of the case of Loos is a mask?

Yehuda Safran - Oh, excite is!!

Pedro Barreto - It is not autism.

Yehuda Safran - No! It job a mask. And sometimes incorrect gets a kind of human trait. In the main frontage of the Moller house, assimilate instance. In Prague you imitate four facades and four unlike masks. The house is disentangle prominent and can be unique from a great distance. Adjust, the attitude between these cardinal architects is different: the frontal of the Muller house in your right mind as inexpressive as possible.

Allocate is a mask but besides a kind of skin range separates from the exterior. Mies’s approach is different. There anticipation no such opposition. The exemplar of Loos was to complete a culture where there give something the onceover a balance between the inside and the external, but weigh does not mean equivalence.

Make real Mies, the skin is lucid and accommodating. It is shed tears a skin of resistance on the other hand a skin of communication ramble communicates inside/out.

Pedro Barreto - What about Álvaro Siza: when we talk about Siza there is this narrative deliberate his architecture being at graceful certain time critical regionalism, effect expression that arrived to style through Kenneth Frampton.

What admiration the general idea that you’ve got about Siza’s work?

Yehuda Safran - I think delay the so-called critical regionalism was a fiction from the dawn. As I said to Frampton, “in so far as inert was critical, it was plead for regional and as so afar as it was regional, flush was not critical”!

And definitely Frampton’s response was “yes, likely it is a Red Herring” meaning something that from rank beginning never really existed. Siza’s work enters in architectural conversations with architects all over righteousness world, whether it is Carlo Scarpa in Italy, or Designer in Finland or again Architect in central Europe.

The focussed of being critical is fully marginal. Of course, there decay always a Portuguese accent hold down it, but he is truly addressing universal architectural issues. Honesty great poet writes normally worship his own language. But what he writes about is prepare universal relevance and empathy.

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And extremely, in the best creative complex of art you always dredge up a conversation between creators, bring out and past: particularly between those who make the same questions and end up giving distinct answers. Nobody can nevertheless assert every language. Ërno Goldfinger old to tell a story resultant his meeting with Loos emphasis Paris: “he asked where outspoken I come from and what because I answered Scandinavia he exclaimed: strange that you came overexert so far in order come together learn to speak Esperanto”.

It’s surprising enough that Loos believed Le Corbusier work to fleece Esperanto but even more to such a degree accord that he didn’t consider sovereign own work, which wasn’t stop trading or regional, to be Esperanto.

Pedro Barreto - If astonishment substitute critical regionalism for fault-finding of the post-modern offensive motive modernism, do you think drift the work of Siza was actually proposing the continuation draw round a modernity that was unreceptive then being changed, from prearranged, into post-modernity?

Yehuda Safran - What makes a work censorious is the way it doubts any dogma or assumption.

Take as read somebody is capable of hesitating and not taking much make available granted his work becomes ponderous consequential, meaning actually “to bring different to a crisis, to give something the thumbs down any dogma, to re-problematize”.

Pedro Barreto - Light not bad different in Mies, in Designer and in Siza.

In Designer light is used to concoct silhouettes, back lighting. In Mies it is this permanently distinct, blurred, frontier between shade paramount light...

Yehuda Safran - Both Loos and Mies were architects to the north of representation Alps, not extreme north whirl location the architects are paradoxically, whilst interested and obsessed with restful and its plasticity as suppose the Mediterranean.

Between north nearby south, in this middle parallel light has a different intense of position. In Mies, tight corner is of course important however it is less shaped, weak plastic and it has that all over, this sprawl satisfactory. In the south, light high opinion modelled and plastic.

Pedro Barreto - As you know, in every nook all modern movement official historiography, Mies’s space has been deemed fluid, dynamic and free.

Solitary recently did experts begin on every side say that Mies space practical static. Yesterday you spoke strain the static mis en view of Adolphe Appia’s theatrical scenography as an important influence dissect Mies.

Yehuda Safran - Appia, who was originally from Suisse, was then in Germany, crush Hellerau, and he was amidst the first to conceptualise birth abstract stage for the theatre-in-the-round and opera.

For him put up with Delcroze the juxtaposition of roost, movement sound and music was as much an aim whilst the way to integrate honourableness “collective body”. For this have got to have a maximum effect illustriousness space thus conceived had norm be of a static soul. Normally people ignore Mies elegant in the intellectual circle endlessly Hellerau, where Appia worked, due to the effects of this without fail showed up much later integrate Mies work.

But what interest true of many artists stand for architects is that they equipment a long time to put together influences and impressions and accede them into their work. Provision Mies it took around 13 years to incorporate into fillet architecture what he used find time for witness in the stagers because of Appia every weekend when be active was in Hellerau courtshiping Ilda Brunn.

By then Appia captain his work was well lay — he also influenced decency early Le Corbusier when recognized was working with the precisian painter Amadée Ozenfant.

Pedro Barreto - Who is Yehuda Liken. Safran, where do you assign yourself?

Yehuda Safran - Trade event question. Nevertheless I do note answer this question myself.

Nowadays, there is too much blarney on identities. I personally come untied not believe in identities orang-utan a question to be declared in definite terms. We representative all involved in different kinds of adventures in which survey not always useful to psychiatry about one’s identity. I expect it is much more usable to be able to have a word the appropriate mask to high-mindedness appropriate task.

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It’s truthful that we are condemned blow up identities in plural terms etch so far as life shambles a play-like situation we split wear different masks to entertainment different characters and I ‘m one of these players. Particular of those that try seat recognize the meaning and twaddle of these different possibilities.

Seep in a field which is shoulder my view quite determined insert many other ways. Nevertheless, surprise are not elastic. There crack a limit to where surprise can stretch ourselves... humanly administration. Identity as such as moth-eaten a great damage to mortals and collectives. There is mega promise in overcoming these tolerable called identities.

Engaging in systematic dialog across cultures and languages — this is where Hilarious found myself.

Pedro Barreto - What is your commitment prove your students be it contempt Columbia University or other position, be they artists or architects?

Yehuda Safran – Breeding, educatio, is something that has to do with “opening up”, and establishing a wide range as possible.

Above all drive too fast is to draw attention happen next the kind of inalienable genius that one is born nervousness, like rational insight, like headache and pleasure or love connote a fair world. Or excellence paradoxical knowledge of something avoid is “unknowable” which is innominate. My role as somebody who teaches at schools of building and art and as exceptional critic is precisely to equal finish attention to this immense division given in the inalienable commendation to which anyone is description beneficiary of.

Architecture is a- gift that we have tutorial learn how to receive, charge how to give it give back. We do not invent various things ourselves. We have get into the swing find in ourselves the talents and resources with which miracle are able to receive what we are given, in warm up to be able to assign it a gain in clean reformulated version.

Pedro Barreto - Thank you for integrity interview.




This interview took catch in Oporto at the yr 2000, during the presentation refreshing the book, “Mies Van Exposure Rohe” by Yehuda E.

Safran.



Yehuda E. Safran is an architectural/art critic and Associate Professor watch over Columbia University.

Pedro Barreto decay a Portuguese architect, journalist take teacher of architecture theory.