From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman

This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Colin Rowe (1920-1999) and Peter Eisenman’s (1932-) studio teaching as a form of theoretical practice. It does this through examination of select studios undertaken under their respective direction at Cornell University and the Yale School of Architect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Michael Jasper
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Ministère de la culture 2019-06-01
Series:Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/craup/1713
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832580265823698944
author Michael Jasper
author_facet Michael Jasper
author_sort Michael Jasper
collection DOAJ
description This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Colin Rowe (1920-1999) and Peter Eisenman’s (1932-) studio teaching as a form of theoretical practice. It does this through examination of select studios undertaken under their respective direction at Cornell University and the Yale School of Architecture. Three propositions underpin the paper. First, that a close reading of Rowe’s teaching reveals a specific theoretical temperament at work. Second, the paper postulates that the latent force of Rowe’s teaching is still to be fully exploited. Third, the paper suggests that one possible legacy can be seen in the studio teaching of Eisenman, arguing that Eisenman’s teaching practice and the variations on certain devices and strategies deployed by Rowe can be taken as an instance of the latter’s transformative potential. A series of questions are posed to address these propositions: Which kinds of architectural-urban problems did Rowe emphasize in his studio teaching? What concepts and composition devices were called up? What happens in the transmission and transfer through students, and the singular student of Peter Eisenman in particular? Through an analysis of their university studio teaching, the paper seeks to reveal instances of teaching practices that promote singular theoretical models, different problematics, and various composition strategies and devices which it is claimed are distinguished by their embrace of ambiguity, complexity, and multiplicity.The paper makes a contribution to scholarship on
the ideas and impact of Rowe’s teaching, revealing a generative latency largely ignored in secondary literature to date. It adds to studies of twentieth-century architecture education and opens a line of research around a little studied aspect of Eisenman’s practice.
format Article
id doaj-art-94ea1ef6c04c498f95d9c37f34803c05
institution Kabale University
issn 2606-7498
language fra
publishDate 2019-06-01
publisher Ministère de la culture
record_format Article
series Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
spelling doaj-art-94ea1ef6c04c498f95d9c37f34803c052025-01-30T11:07:18ZfraMinistère de la cultureLes Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère2606-74982019-06-01410.4000/craup.1713From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter EisenmanMichael JasperThis paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Colin Rowe (1920-1999) and Peter Eisenman’s (1932-) studio teaching as a form of theoretical practice. It does this through examination of select studios undertaken under their respective direction at Cornell University and the Yale School of Architecture. Three propositions underpin the paper. First, that a close reading of Rowe’s teaching reveals a specific theoretical temperament at work. Second, the paper postulates that the latent force of Rowe’s teaching is still to be fully exploited. Third, the paper suggests that one possible legacy can be seen in the studio teaching of Eisenman, arguing that Eisenman’s teaching practice and the variations on certain devices and strategies deployed by Rowe can be taken as an instance of the latter’s transformative potential. A series of questions are posed to address these propositions: Which kinds of architectural-urban problems did Rowe emphasize in his studio teaching? What concepts and composition devices were called up? What happens in the transmission and transfer through students, and the singular student of Peter Eisenman in particular? Through an analysis of their university studio teaching, the paper seeks to reveal instances of teaching practices that promote singular theoretical models, different problematics, and various composition strategies and devices which it is claimed are distinguished by their embrace of ambiguity, complexity, and multiplicity.The paper makes a contribution to scholarship on
the ideas and impact of Rowe’s teaching, revealing a generative latency largely ignored in secondary literature to date. It adds to studies of twentieth-century architecture education and opens a line of research around a little studied aspect of Eisenman’s practice.https://journals.openedition.org/craup/1713Architecture educationfiguregroundPeter EisenmanColin Rowe
spellingShingle Michael Jasper
From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
Les Cahiers de la Recherche Architecturale, Urbaine et Paysagère
Architecture education
figure
ground
Peter Eisenman
Colin Rowe
title From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
title_full From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
title_fullStr From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
title_full_unstemmed From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
title_short From Composite Building to Partial Figure: Variations in the Teaching of Colin Rowe and Peter Eisenman
title_sort from composite building to partial figure variations in the teaching of colin rowe and peter eisenman
topic Architecture education
figure
ground
Peter Eisenman
Colin Rowe
url https://journals.openedition.org/craup/1713
work_keys_str_mv AT michaeljasper fromcompositebuildingtopartialfigurevariationsintheteachingofcolinroweandpetereisenman