Stirling's finale: the two roads to Melsungen

Abstract

As the tenth anniversary of the death of Sir James Stirling approaches, Michael Spens considers the relative significance of aspects of his work, both in terms of a sequence of key designs and in the light of contemporaneous critiques. What emerges is a confirmation of the architect's underlying extension of a progressive, enriching modernity. The best work is seen as a rare consummation of the Sublime, as opposed to the Picturesque, within the general continuity of Modernism.