> Now I get it that the whole mannerist aspect of po-mo is to argue
> against substance, and I am pointing to that as the sign of a culture
> in decline.
I'm not sure wherein 'substance' in architecture consists, apart from standing up and keeping the rain off. There's architecture that looks playful (the Palazzo del Te, e.g.) and architecture that looks very serious (Il Redentore). Who knows whether Frank Gehry will be as well-regarded in a few hundred years as Giulio Romano; but he's certainly no less Mannerist. Personally I think he's a lot of fun. As opposed to Michael Graves, a grandiose satrap-style bore.
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Michael J. Smith mjs at smithbowen.net
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