Genius Loci / Alexandre Lenoble

At the end of the 1970s, when modern architecture was going through a period of crisis, the theorist and architectural historian Christian Norberg-Schulz suggested looking into the question of Genius Loci, an ancient concept dating back to Antiquity. An entire generation of architects has taken up this notion, with varying degrees of seriousness. While some of them, not the most numerous, adopted a learned and inspired approach, others were content to give it a superficial reading, which helped to fuel the arguments of their fiercest detractors. As for Alexandre Lenoble, since his decisive encounter with Norberg-Schulz in 1996, when he was a student at the Oslo School of Architecture, he has never ceased to pursue with determination and acuity his own quest for the spirit of place.

In the forty or so sketches on show - of landscapes, villages and fragments of architecture, from Frontenay to Offlanges, via Château-Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs - Alexandre Lenoble sets out to go beyond mere formal contemplation or a lazy appreciation of the picturesque, and invites us to follow him in a demanding process that he describes as 'necessary and essential', namely the exploration and deep understanding of places.