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joyaux d’invention plastique

English translation: jewels of architectural ingenuity

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:joyaux d’invention plastique
English translation:jewels of architectural ingenuity
Entered by: Edna Pais

10:12 Sep 6, 2019
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Architecture / article about an architec
French term or phrase: joyaux d’invention plastique
Ainsi les projets architecturaux de Léonidov, joyaux d’invention plastique et de finesse spatiale, ont-ils devancé la construction architecturale d’un siècle environ.
Edna Pais
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:57
jewels of architectural ingenuity
Explanation:
I think you have to rewrite this. "Plastique" is always tricky - it means three-dimensional or architectural in this context.

I suggest: "Leonidov's projects were jewels of architectural ingenuity and spatial elegance, a century ahead of their time".

You could also say invention or inventiveness.
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
Thank you
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2jewels of architectural ingenuity
philgoddard
4jewels of inventive sculptural presence
Yvonne Gallagher


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
jewels of architectural ingenuity


Explanation:
I think you have to rewrite this. "Plastique" is always tricky - it means three-dimensional or architectural in this context.

I suggest: "Leonidov's projects were jewels of architectural ingenuity and spatial elegance, a century ahead of their time".

You could also say invention or inventiveness.

philgoddard
United States
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 72
Grading comment
Thank you

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Melanie Kathan: I like this suggestion as well.
22 mins
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: the "plastic" element has to be retained/you haven't retained it because plasticity & architectural are not synonyms. And "finesse" doesn't mean "elegance" here either.
26 mins
  -> I have retained it, but I've put "architectural" rather than "plastic", which I always think sounds a bit pretentious in this context.
agree  B D Finch
2 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
jewels of inventive sculptural presence


Explanation:
or "three-dimensional presence" if you prefer but the "plasticity" element has to be retained.

"spatial finesse" can be literally translated



what "plasticity" means in architecture

https://mgerwingarch.com/m-gerwing/2011/01/24/plasticity-–-a...


Not even sure if "jewels" is the best fit here.

Perhaps "masterpieces" (or even "paragons" "archetypes") might be better?

something like:

Thus, Léonidov's architectural projects were groundbreaking, avant garde masterpieces of sculptural presence and spatial finesse a century or so in advance.

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 14:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 37
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