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London: Phaidon, 1996. First Edition. Large quarto with grey cloth boards and off-white jacket; 272 pages: chiefly illustrations (some color); 30 cm Fine in near fine jacket with light sunning. Hardcover. ISBN: 07148832626

"All creators of great works of art, architecture or music have understood this principle: the presence of absence. By paring down, we wcreate something clearer, better, stronger. This is a current that has run through divergent cultures and countries. Although there have been many books about related subjects, including Shaker principles, Bedouin nomadicism, the 'emptiness' of Dutch church paintings or the order in Cistercian architecture. There has not been a book which brings together all the strands of this restraint." --Jacket copy. | **Somewhat heavy, large item. Additional shipping fees may be requested, especially for expedited, priority, or international orders. Please inquire** |

Contents: Mass, the uncomplicated beauty of the unadorned wall. Light, shadows and the power of transformation. Structure, the discipline of mathematics. Ritual, voluntary poverty and its enduring appeal. Landscape, marks made by man. Order, reason made visible. Containment, how architecture defines space. Repetition, the elements of simplicity. Volume, the transforming power of proportion. Essence, the irreducible minimum. Expression, silence as language.