Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner
b. Kraljevec, Austria, 1861;
d. Dornach, Switzerland, 1925.

Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher and spiritual teacher who developed a new style of architecture for his Anthroposophical Society. He was a Goethe and Nietzsche scholar, largely self-educated, who developed an interest in the polarity between science and nature. Educated at the Vienna Technical College, he embarked on a lifetime’s search to bridge the knowledge gap between matter and spirit, an idea that was thoroughly explored in his unconventional architecture towards the end of his life. He admired the German architect Gottfried Semper, having been taught by one of his disciples, Josef Baier, but he viewed Semper also as a material functionalist and one who “led everything artistic back to technique”. Steiner was more interested in intuition, creativity and clairvoyance. He gave a series of lectures on architecture at Dornach in 1914 during the building of the First Goetheanum, which was destroyed by fire (1921-2). These and subsequent talks form the basis of Steiner’s new style in architecture, which his followers adhere to. There has been a revival of interest recently in Steiner’s ideas which is closely associated with “organic architecture”.

More Famous Architects:

Related Reading:

Agriculture Course: The Birth of the Biodynamic MethodWhen Rudolf Steiner gave these lectures eighty years ago, industrial farming was on the rise and organic methods were being replaced in the name of sc... Read More >

Anthroposophy in Everyday LifeThese are four of Rudolf Steiner’s best-loved lectures. In-cluded are “Practical Training in Thought,” “Overcoming Nervousness,” “Facing K... Read More >

BeesIn 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted the dire state of the honeybee today. He said that, within fifty to eighty years, we would see the consequences of me... Read More >

Nutrition: Food, Health, and Spiritual DevelopmentOur instinctive knowledge of which foods are helpful or which harmful seems to be fading for modern humankind. Meanwhile, we are bombarded by advice,... Read More >