Pugin: A Gothic Passion

Rating:
Summary: A key source in the foundation of arts and crafts
Review: This book takes the reader back to the early 19th century and the beginning of the Gothic Revival tradition. We learn how this tradition was a reaction against the industrial revolution and the secularization of society. Pugin reacted against this movement by calling our attention back to the Middle Ages, a world of great faith, intellectual and spiritual integration, and hand craftsmanship. The great pioneers of the Arts and Crafts Movement (Ruskin, Morris, McIntosh, Stickly, Wright) all owe Pugin a great debt of gratitude. The multiple authors deal with various aspects of this multifaceted design genius. Various chapters deal with his early life (he was designing furniture for Windsor Castle at age 15, designing the interiors of the Houses of Parliment in his early 20's!), architecture, furniture, metalwork, ceramics, graphics, etc. The person who kept coming to my mind as I have been reading this book is Mozart. Both were child prodigies. Both were prolific. Both were perfectionists. Both died young. The book is lavishly illustraited with color and black and white photos. The text is well written. The linkage between text and illustraition is consistent and clear. Anyone who is interested in the Arts and Crafts tradition owes it to themselves to read this book. To ignore the contributions of Pugin to the developement of the Arts and Crafts tradition is like building a castle in the air with no foundation.