Glenn McArthur at Art Deco Montreal Congress
Glenn McArthur (A Progressive Traditionalist) lectures at the Art Deco Montreal Congress on Wednesday, May 27 at 9:30 a.m. 'Modern – But not Crazy: the evolving architecture of John M. Lyle' will explore some of the territory covered in A Progressive Traditionalist, McArthur's new book on Lyle.
Abstract:
John M. Lyle was one of the pre-eminent architects of the first half of the twentieth century in Canada. Moving to Toronto from New York City in 1905, just after the devastating Great Fire, he lived through the Wall Street crash and the Great Depression, two world wars and the rise of a radical form of architectural modernism that undermined his aesthetic principles. Through economic hardships and the lifestyle changes that resulted from them, Lyle produced a significant body of work that always expressed a highly personalized and original approach to architectural form and detail. He is perhaps best known for championing an authentic regional consciousness in building design and attempting to pave the way for a uniquely Canadian architecture. That creative phase of Lyle's work ended abruptly after the Wall Street crash and the ensuing Depression, which reduced the architectural program of every building to its bare essentials. But Lyle continued to change, embracing much of the modern movement by simplifying elements, eliminating meaningless ornamentation and creating beauty through form, line and colour.
Modern – But not Crazy: the evolving architecture of John M. Lyle
a lecture by author Glenn McArthur
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
World Congress on Art Deco
Moyse Hall, McGill University, 853 Sherbrooke Ouest
Montreal, QC
9:30 a.m.
