500 Self-Portraits

Rating:
Summary: simplified but not simplicity
Review: If readers have come across Deyan Sudjic's works before (namely, the Architecture Park), then, you have a fairly good idea of what to expect from this book. I always find Deyan's books to be hugely entertaining & informative at the same time, & I can't help but noticing that Deyan is a strong advocate of architecture, not discussing about the literati of it all but discussing about the interaction among people that are concerned in creating spaces for their consumptions. John Pawson is a superarchitect who started his career reasonably late in his thirties but thru a mixture of his talent, hard work, sheer luck in getting recognised, his stature in the architecture world is phenomena. I wouldn't rate him as one of those cerebral architects such as Stephen Holl, Steve Eisenmann, Frank Gehry, Frank Meier, etc. but what he does, he does it in his own way, & with style. Perhaps, one of the saying that depicts him succinctly would be, if it's working, why fix it. By glancing thru all his works, readers might find that they all have those quiet contemplation ambiance with a touch of Eastern Zen (not surprising considering that he spent 4 years of his life teaching in Japan), & modernism. John also applies the fundamentals of architecture by emphasising upon form, mass, & repetition. Here, we are privileged to read about the process that John went thru with his few featured high profiled clients, who inherently share his values. Some of the works are as followings: Calvin Klein, Martha Stewart, Cathay Pacific, Obumex Kitchen, Faggionato Apartment, Pawson's own house, Young Vic. Presentation of this Phaidon's book is high quality, & even though it's a nice touch by using different tones of whites & grays to give it a Pawson's feel to it, it might be difficult to read in a less than well-lit room, & some of the building plans were so small & miniscule & without the necessary aid such as magnifying glass, it's not really easy to look at the plans in detail. Labelling of the spaces would come in handy, naturally. Chronology, index, & acknowledgements at the end of the book & a potrait of John Pawson do give us a fairly good idea of his accomplishments, & about the man himself. In terms of defining John Pawson, I think this book has done just that. Enjoyable to read & as a coffee table book, it wouldn't disappoint. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: John Pawson Works
Review: If you appreciate that "less is certainly more.."..then you'll love this book.John Pawson's works continue to demonstrate that there is beauty even in the simplest of expressions.The use of bold planes, subtle lighting and texture continue to seduce and excite.Pawson's kitchens exemplify his minimalist philosophies-they make you want to rip your own out and start all over again!

Rating:
Summary: Good overview, but...
Review: The main complaint I have with this book is that some of the photography veers towards the abstract or obscure. Frankly in an architecture book I'm not interested in the photographer's or author's artistic pretensions. Let the architect's work speak for itself - something that many authors on architecture seem reluctant to do these days. Having experienced some of the work featured in this book, there were some photographs that left me wondering if I'd been in the same building as these guys. It was great to see floorplans but some drawings or draft plans illustrating Pawson's design process would have been very welcome.