FREE ESSAY ON GINZBURG

GINZBURG

Proceeding from the following quote, briefly explain Ginzburg's historical model of
stylistic change, referring back to Volliet-le-Duc and Gottfried Semper wherever
appropriate.
"A Flower grows in the field because it cannot help but to grow: thus it cannot
contemplate whether or not it is appropriate to the field that existed before it. On the
contrary, by its very appearance, the flower transforms the general image of the field"
Ginzburg talks about the formal development of styles and how the modern architecture is
grown from the past but isn't necessarily based on the past. These ideas are very much
shared by Semper. This growth is singular and linear, based on a preceding proposition,
each out growing the latter, but not continuing the old. "...a person making use of the
achievements in electricity cannot, under any circumstances, be forced to revert to steam
power. Gottfried Semper explains this form of thinking very well in that, we learn from
the past, we cannot copy it, as this is a waste but rather we cannot turn our backs on
this existing knowledge, and previous epochs.
The development and changing of styles is a meshed concept. There is no end or beginning
of styles. 
Ginzburg explains the life of a particular style as a growing organism in that it is
born, "lives out its youth", matures and lives out it's old age, but never dies, but
rather atrophies. This is why the actual timing of a style is impossible to track, for
there is no death of a style, the life of the style atrophies. Styles cannot be erased
because they are not physical elements to knocked down and demolished. So when an epoch
forms, there is a trace of the old style, a marking, like a child would have of his
parents. Each style has a genetic imprint of its parent, history. 
"A flower grows in the field because it cannot help but to grow..." A flower germinates
in the grown and is thus, it is born. This organism grows in its field, no choices, no
alternatives, but it still grows. This flower could wither and die, for what difference
would it make? But does it know that it's individual expression of color and aroma could
be the single characteristic that beautifies its surroundings. A style that in it's own
being, transforms a hideous field into a breathtaking space. This theory of style stands
true to the linear growth of architecture. Style will continue to grow and thrive,
without its own predetermined plan. Each bit of architecture is born, and lives through
maturity. This excerpt is taken from the given quote above. It assesses the revolution
Ginzburg prescribing for Russia. Ginzburg talks about how the architects in Russia, like
the flower, doesn't have the choice of banishing the historical development of
architecture. But that their styles can transform this field into a flowering spectacle.