Gideon Space Time Architecture - A Thesis

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SIGFRIED GIEDION‟S “SPACE, TIME AND ARCHITECTURE”: AN ANALYSIS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIOGRAPHY

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

ZEYNEP CEYLANLI

IN PARTIAL FULLFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

SEPTEMBER, 2008 i

Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Sencer AYATA Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Güven Arif SARGIN Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA Supervisor Examining Committee Members

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA (METU, AH)

Asst. Prof. Dr. Elvan ALTAN ERGUT

(METU, AH)

Instructor, Dr. Haluk Zelef

(METU, ARCH)

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I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name:

Zeynep CEYLANLI

Signature:

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ABSTRACT

SIGFRIED GIEDION‟S “SPACE, TIME AND ARCHITECTURE”: AN ANALYSIS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIOGRAPHY CEYLANLI, Zeynep M. A., Department of History of Architecture Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA September 2008, 172 pages

This thesis investigates the key aspects of modern architecture in the first half of the twentieth century by an extensive reading of Sigfried Giedion‟s book on modern architecture: Space, Time and Architecture – The Growth of A New Tradition. Giedion‟s life, his education, his other writings and his relationships with the pioneers of the era are considered as significant influences on the writing of the book. After giving an informative summary of the book, the key themes of the book are analyzed. While analyzing these themes, the opinions of other architectural historians on these themes are also taken into consideration. The reviews on the book are elucidated in order to grasp the first reactions of architectural history circles, and then they were followed by the later impressions. The claim is that Space, Time and Architecture is an influential resource for the understanding of how modern architecture is written about in the first half of the twentieth century. The proof of this influence is both the written sources on the book and its rule in Manfredo Tafuri‟s formulation of „operative criticism‟.

Keywords: Sigfried Giedion, Modern Architecture, Space-Time, Operative Criticism.

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ÖZ

SIGFRIED GIEDION‟IN “SPACE, TIME AND ARCHITECTURE” KİTABI: BİR MODERN MİMARLIK TARİHYAZIMI ANALİZİ CEYLANLI, Zeynep Yüksek Lisans, Mimarlık Tarihi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Doçent Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA Eylül 2008, 172 sayfa

Bu tez, yirminci yüzyılın ilk yarısında modern mimarlığın gelişmesini Sigfried Giedion‟ın Mekan, Zaman ve Mimarlık – Yeni Bir Geleneğin Gelişimi başlıklı kitabının kapsamlı okumasıyla incelemektedir. Giedion‟ın hayatı, eğitimi, diğer yazıları ve dönemin önde gelen kişilikleriyle olan ilişkilerinin bu kitabın yazımında önemli etkilere sahip olduğu kabul edilmektedir. Kitabın kapsamlı bir özeti verildikten sonra, kitaptaki anahtar temalar incelenmiştir. Bu temalar incelenirken, diğer mimarlık tarihçilerinin bu temalar hakkındaki görüşleri de değerlendirmeye alınmıştır. Kitap üzerine yapılan eleştiriler, kitaba verilen ilk tepkilerin ve daha sonraki tepkilerin kavranması açısından ele alınmıştır. Bu tezde Mekan, Zaman ve Mimarlı