Thanks for sharing the link.
I don't make a habit of talking about myself, however, this particular thread and some of the tangents have led me to "put my cards on the table" so to speak. So it was with the Jubilee and now with church architecture. I happen to also be an architect. Religious architecture happens to be an area I have great interest right next to modernism. Go figure!
One of the reasons is the connection to the religious order I am a part of (Order of Preachers) and the architect Le Corbursier. He has worked on two modernist iconic buildings for the Dominicans in France, the chapel at Ronchamp and the convent of La Tourette.
In both instances, it was a priest, Fr. Marie-Alain Couturier, O.P. (1897-1954) - who was influential in Le Corbusier taking on the commission. I read that they had a friendship and I am sure had conversations about sacred spaces and the purpose of art (architecture).
Without getting into a whole lot of detail, I can sum it up by saying that Fr. Couturier believed that Le Corbusier was the right visionary for each space. I have not had the privilege of seeing either in person, but having read some on both and knowing the mission of the Order - I think he was right about that. I have read some of Le Corbusier's polemic, "Towards a New Architecture" and can tell you that these two works are great expressions of this outlook about the role of architecture in today's world.
I do think that, that is the rub for many who view anything modern, as an assault on the splendor of the past (think Gothic). But I would argue that it is precisely the "beauty" of the past that we should be striving to emulate - the "faith" that drove the people to build these incredible cathedrals, like Notre Dame. However, they have to come from the people living in today's world and living out their faith in these times.
+Pablo
ps: Lots of great futher reading. I like "Built of Living Stones."
I don't make a habit of talking about myself, however, this particular thread and some of the tangents have led me to "put my cards on the table" so to speak. So it was with the Jubilee and now with church architecture. I happen to also be an architect. Religious architecture happens to be an area I have great interest right next to modernism. Go figure!
One of the reasons is the connection to the religious order I am a part of (Order of Preachers) and the architect Le Corbursier. He has worked on two modernist iconic buildings for the Dominicans in France, the chapel at Ronchamp and the convent of La Tourette.
In both instances, it was a priest, Fr. Marie-Alain Couturier, O.P. (1897-1954) - who was influential in Le Corbusier taking on the commission. I read that they had a friendship and I am sure had conversations about sacred spaces and the purpose of art (architecture).
Without getting into a whole lot of detail, I can sum it up by saying that Fr. Couturier believed that Le Corbusier was the right visionary for each space. I have not had the privilege of seeing either in person, but having read some on both and knowing the mission of the Order - I think he was right about that. I have read some of Le Corbusier's polemic, "Towards a New Architecture" and can tell you that these two works are great expressions of this outlook about the role of architecture in today's world.
I do think that, that is the rub for many who view anything modern, as an assault on the splendor of the past (think Gothic). But I would argue that it is precisely the "beauty" of the past that we should be striving to emulate - the "faith" that drove the people to build these incredible cathedrals, like Notre Dame. However, they have to come from the people living in today's world and living out their faith in these times.
+Pablo
ps: Lots of great futher reading. I like "Built of Living Stones."
