Charles Jencks
Charles Jencks: A Life of Architecture, Criticism, and Philosophy
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#### Full Name and Common Aliases
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Charles Jencks was born Arthur Charles Moore on July 21, 1939, in Boston, Massachusetts. He is often referred to as Charles Jencks.
#### Birth and Death Dates
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Born: July 21, 1939
Died: October 13, 2019 (aged 80)
#### Nationality and Profession(s)
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Charles Jencks was an American architect, author, and philosopher. He is best known for his critical writings on modern architecture, postmodernism, and the role of art in society.
#### Early Life and Background
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Jencks grew up in a family that valued learning and intellectual pursuits. His mother encouraged his interest in art and literature from an early age. Jencks attended Harvard University, where he studied philosophy and later earned his Ph.D. in English Literature.
#### Major Accomplishments
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Criticism of Modern Architecture: Jencks was one of the first architects to critically examine modern architecture, pointing out its limitations and flaws.
Postmodernism: He is often credited with coining the term "postmodern" to describe a new movement in art, literature, and architecture that rejected the principles of modernism.
Design Theory: Jencks developed a theory of design that emphasized the importance of context, ecology, and cultural sensitivity.
#### Notable Works or Actions
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The Language of Post-Modern Architecture (1977): This book is considered one of Jencks' most important works. It introduced postmodern architecture to a wider audience and established Jencks as a leading critic in the field.
* Design Council: Jencks served on the Design Council, an organization that promotes good design practice in the UK.
#### Impact and Legacy
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Charles Jencks had a profound impact on modern architecture and art. His writings helped shape the postmodern movement, which emphasized context, ecology, and cultural sensitivity. He also inspired a new generation of architects to think critically about their designs.
#### Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Jencks is widely quoted for his insights into the role of architecture in society. His writings on postmodernism continue to influence architects, designers, and artists around the world. He is remembered as a pioneer who challenged traditional notions of modernism and paved the way for more innovative and context-sensitive design practices.
In conclusion, Charles Jencks was a visionary architect, author, and philosopher whose work continues to inspire and challenge us today. His legacy serves as a reminder that good design should be informed by context, ecology, and cultural sensitivity.
Quotes by Charles Jencks
Like our attitude to love, truth and goodness, we seem to be confident about knowing what beauty is – certain, even dogmatic – until we think hard about the idea, whereupon all confidence flies away.
I was already writing about the idea of a ‘multiverse’ in the 1970s, though I might have called it the ‘pluriverse.’ How was I to know it would turn out to be the standard model? Actually, I consider myself an enlightenment fossil.
The cell is a city of production centres, each part working away like mad, and it’s co-ordinated. Six trillion cells in a body – you can’t help but be moved.
I’ve been a lucky man. I’ve only faced one real tragedy: the death of my wife, Maggie, from cancer in 1995.
Modern Architecture died in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 15, 1972, at 3.32 p.m. (or thereabouts), when the infamous Pruitt Igoe scheme, or rather several of its slab blocks, were given the final coup de grace by dynamite.
You have to believe in a placebo or it wont work, but if it works, its obviously working in some indirect way, through feedback in the immune system, let us say, or in the willpower of the patient to take a more strenuous exercise in their own therapy.
What is a garden if not a miniaturization and celebration, of the place we are in, the universe?