Pevsner's approach to historicism has been a subject of controversy for generations, as he favored an innovative interpretation of 'historicism' while opposing a straightforward restoration of historical styles.This paper firstly discusses Pevsner's historicism.Pevsner predicted future design trends, such as rationalism, functionalism, and pragmatism, by studying past design history.He adhered closely to these trends but faced criticism, with the reasons for these criticisms gradually emerging in discussions.The first issue is his paranoia regarding the spirit of the times.This leads to the notion that in his historicism, "characters" and multiple styles are no longer important.Instead, only the "spirit of the times" is considered crucial for the historical existence of all types of design and its continuous progress.The second issue is his heroism, where the selection of specific historical figures is deemed unimportant.Secondly, in his heroism, his selection of some historical figures is biased.His paranoia about the spirit of the times and his insistence on heroism are what bind him.Pevsner, as a pioneer in the study of modern design history, is irreplaceable in his influence on the field and remains a foundational figure in modern design historiography.
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Zhang et al. (2024) studied this question.
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