Theorist

August Schmarsow

1853–1936 German Kunstwissenschaft

Body Representation Knowledge

Details

Nationality: German

Notes

Succeeded Anton Springer at Leipzig in 1893. His inaugural lecture Das Wesen der architektonischen Schöpfung (8 November 1893, printed 1894) defined architecture as Raumgestalterin ('space-shaper'), the disciplinary birth of architectural 'space'. Opposed his 'aesthetics from within' to Wölfflin's formalism.

Connections

authored Das Wesen der architektonischen Schöpfung
proposed Architecture as Space-Shaper (Raumgestalterin)
opposes Heinrich Wölfflin
influenced Gaston Bachelard

Sources

Schmarsow. Das Wesen der architektonischen Schöpfung. Hiersemann, 1894.

Cite this entry

First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026

CLAD. "August Schmarsow." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theorist/august-schmarsow/. Accessed July 17, 2026.