Paladino Zrinka: Lavoslav Horvat - Kontekstualni ambijentalizam i moderna

Zrinka Paladino: Lavoslav Horvat - Contextual Ambientalism and Modernity

The manuscript of Dr. Zrinka Paladino's book entitled Lavoslav Horvat - Contextual Ambientalism and Modernity is a monographic treatment of the life and works of this great and extremely prolific architect. Moreover, by dealing in detail with all of Horvat's creative phases, the author introduces us to the general trends in Croatian architecture, covering the period from the 1920s to the 1970s. In that half-century span, we follow on the one hand the architect's biography, which in itself is almost novelistic, on the other hand the maturation and education of a talented young man, later an architect, who through his versatile creative path will come into contact with the most important architects of the time, until the end of his life with an incredibly versatile and rich oeuvre. Dr. Zrinka Paladino's monograph dedicated to the architect Lavoslav Horvat is an important contribution to the knowledge of Croatian architecture of the 20th century. Scientifically based analysis and valorization of this architect's work brings for the first time knowledge about one of the most significant and prolific authors in the history of modern Croatian architecture. (Dr. sc. Zvonko Maković) Dr. sc. Zrinka Paladino, after successfully defending her doctorate with the topic Lavoslav Horvat: architectural work 1922 - 1977, prepared the treated topic as a comprehensive, interesting, intriguing and urgently needed book entitled Lavoslav Horvat - Contextual Ambientalism and Modern. The book deals with Horvat's complete architectural work with a series of biographical data and a multitude of architectural facts and important and newly discovered knowledge about the very rich and complex time of Horvat's life which, of course, affected his life and work, dividing it markedly into the interwar and postwar period, and his activity in different social and creative circumstances. The approach to a complex topic and the way of researching and interpreting architecture from a professional and historical perspective gives Moderna a special, interesting and non-exclusive role in any future theorizing about the topic of modern architecture. The results of the author's research work are presented in a readable and interesting way and structured according to the model of a scientifically based monographic treatment, so we conclude on merit that with the meticulous treatment of the life and work of the architect Lavoslav Horvat, the historiography of Croatian architecture received a very valuable and non-exclusive part attached to the system of general cultural meaning in our general history of art and culture in the twentieth century. (Dr. sc. Tomislav Premerl)