Mackintosh [Hardcover]

Scottish architect, designer, and painterCharles Rennie Mackintosh(18681928) was one of theearliest pioneers of modern architecture and design. While he did not receive much recognition in his hometown of Glasgow during his lifetime, his bold new blend of simplicity and poetic detail inspired modernists across Europe.

Mackintoshs avant-garde approach embraced a variety of media as well as fresh stylistic devices. His multi-faceted oeuvre incorporatedarchitecture, furniture, graphic design,landscapes, and flower studies.He embraced strong lines, elegant proportions, and natural motifs, combining an adventurous dose ofjaponismewith a modernist sensibility for function. He preferred bold black typography, restrained shapes, and tall, generous windows suffusing rooms with light.

Much of his work was collaborative practice with his wife, fellow artistMargaret Macdonald. The couple made up half of the looseGlasgow collective known as The Four; the other two were Margarets sister, Frances, and her husband, Herbert MacNair. On the continent, the Glasgow Style was met with delight. In Italy, Germany, and, in particular, Austria, artists of theViennese SecessionandArt Nouveaudrew much from its rectilinear yet lyrical forms.

In this introductory book, we take in Mackintoshs practice across art, architecture, and design to explore his particular combination of the statuesque and sensual and itsvital influence on modernist expression across Europe.Featured projects include his complete scheme for the Willow Tea Rooms and theMackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art,widely considered Mackintoshs masterwork.