recently on bbc four there was a two part documentary called “magnetic north” in which jonathan meades travelled from northern france to finland.

whilst in finland he talks a bit about the local architecture:

contrasting that of alvar aalto (above) to the national romantic style of saarinen, sonck etc. (below)

aaltos buildings have always left me feeling cold – for me there is very little to enjoy about them (except when taking pictures at night time (1) (2)). they were, of course, a product of their time – reacting against what came before them. the national romantic style of a century ago came from a reaction too – part reactive, part proactive to their times.

the show is on youtube at the moment in multiple parts.