I mean, I often feel this because I live with somebody who's completely uninterested in questions of art and design. And there is a way in which a love of architecture can push aside concerns for other things. The most famous effete of the 19th century was of course Oscar Wilde, who famously said that the wrong kind of wallpaper could upset him far worse than a death in the family. DE BOTTON: Yes, I mean this is something that - you know, the 19th century offered us that lovely word the effete, somebody who cares in a way too much about architecture and beauty. It's just one has to acknowledge some of the hurdles in the way.ĬONAN: And it is a fundamentally ephemeral art. That's not to say that architecture doesn't matter. Having spent about 15 years of his life studying the glories of Venice, in a moment of kind of depressive lucidity he was forced to acknowledge that many Venetians were not cheered up on a daily basis by their surroundings. They can only suggest that you be so.ĬONAN: And I think you quote - was it John Ruskin(ph) as saying - he's in the great, beautiful city of Venice and said, well, it doesn't seem to make the people here much happier than anybody else. But the example of Goering's house quickly shows us that I think that works of architecture do have kind of moral messages, you could say, but they're not laws.
![the architect the architect](https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*OlY_7egaXZYKJu3QZYmANA.jpeg)
#The architect series
I think somewhere at the back of our minds there's an assumption that investing in good art and design and creating a beautiful series of spaces will in some way improve us, will sort of make us better. He ransacked Europe looking for beautiful pieces of art and furniture and built this really sumptuous house. One of the people with one of the nicest houses in all of 20th century Europe was Hermann Goering. I mean I think anyone who really likes art in general, but architecture more specifically, comes up very quickly against some uncomfortable sort of insights and truths. You question its seriousness and its moral worth. One of the first things you address in your book is some suspicions, some doubts about the nature of architecture and its ability to change our world. ALAIN DE BOTTON (Philosopher and Author, The Architecture of Happiness): Hi, thanks for having me.ĬONAN: And it's interesting. Nice to have you back on TALK OF THE NATION. We speak to him today from the CBC Studios in Toronto, Canada. Our e-mail address is de Botton's latest book is The Architecture of Happiness. Has the majestic arch of a building ever made your mood soar? What does a couple's argument over the style of a couch say about their relationship? Is the style of a house or a building largely superficial or can it serve as a guardian of ones identity? Join the conversation. But first, The Architecture of Happiness. Later on in the program we'll address the controversy over a new report on civilian deaths in Iraq. Does a home filled with dolls and teddy bears, he wonders, reflect a wish to escape from a harsh and cruel world? Can a love of white, spare and minimal spaces be an attempt to fight a sense of chaos and disorder? He questions the notion that aesthetic issues are shallow and argues that if we look a little deeper, our furniture, our houses, and our public buildings will speak to us in distinct personalities. In a collection of essays he challenges us to take a look at our surroundings to see how they shape us and how we shape them. He describes why style, a beautiful house or exquisitely designed teacup, can bring such joy and why a gloomy hotel room can make us question the meaning of life. In his latest book, he reveals his own ambitions to think large, this time about design and architecture and what he calls an aesthetic revolution. Stay tuned to NPR News for further updates on this during this program and later in the day.Īuthor and philosopher Alain de Botton has written about big thinkers, big ideas and about some of the giants of literature. There is no indication as of yet that terrorism was involved. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise. It's triggered a fire and startled passersby.įire Department spokesman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck the 20th floor of the building. A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 72nd Street and York Avenue.
![the architect the architect](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pennebaker/craftcms-thearchitect/master/the-architect.png)
There is news out of New York City this afternoon.