Through the Lens of Sigfried Giedion. Exploring Modernism and the Greek Vernacular in Situ

• Main Author: Kousidi, Matina
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: International Association of Research Institutes in the History of Art (RIHA) 2017-04-01
• Series: RIHA Journal
• Subjects: Sigfried Giedion; CIAM IV; Greek architecture; Mediterranean vernacular; Modern Movement; Photography; 1930s
• Online Access: http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2016/0131-0140-special-issue-southern-modernisms/0136-kousidi

Focusing on Sigfried Giedion's initial visit to Greece, in the scope of CIAM IV, this study explores his approach to the myth of the Mediterranean as a germ of Western modernist architecture. Through a closer look at Giedion's photographic and literary lenses, it mainly considers his appreciation of early manifestations of modernity in the extended area of Athens, namely the Villa Fakidis (1932-1933) and Kalisperi Primary School (1931). Their apposition to the ancient and vernacular Greek architecture generates a dynamic discourse between areas and eras, while serving as a pivotal catalyst for the discussion of contextualization, immutability and identity – areas that are also comprised by the Modern Movement. This article thus discusses Giedion's reflection on a reciprocal relationship between Greece and the Western world, at a time when the former was striving to define its architectural identity.