Ste. Genevieve Library as a Criticism of Classicism

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reconsider and revaluate Ste. Genevieve Library designed by Henri Labrouste as a criticism of Classicism. Considered as the epitome of the early structural Rationalism the modern historian tried to focus only on the iron structure of the library. Arguably, the structural concern was one of the ideas that the architect wanted to manifest in the library. As a rebel against a view of the Acad<TEX>$\acute{e}$</TEX>mie des Beaux-Art the notions of H. Labrouste were radical. He criticized an autistic Classicism with an echoing Claude Perrault's doubt about the myth of classical beauty. These radical ideas firstly showed in his report of the Grand Prix de Rome and must have been developed through several discussions for a novel: Notre-Dame de Paris by V. Hugo. 'Ceci tuera cela', one of the chapter of the novel, was generally known as the death of architecture due to the invention of the printing press around Renaissance period. We, however, consider that even though the historical background of the novel is the Gothic period the ideas, which was discussed with Labrouste, related to the death of architecture was not the architecture itself but classical architecture recomposed during Renaissance period. As the first design work the library must be reflected his ideas, which were developed, and manifested his criticism of the Classicism indirectly.