PS32 in : Counter-Reformation and Scientific Revolution 3:00 - 5:10pm Friday, 1st May, 2020 Location Superior, B Level Track Track 6 Session Chair Branko Mitrović

All session times are in US PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME (PDT).

3:05 - 3:25pm

PS32 Baroque Topologies: A new approach to representation of late Baroque space

Andrew Saunders University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Abstract

Current reality capture surveying technologies including LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and photogrammetry have fostered the need for novel approaches to analysis and representation in all fields of design. Baroque Topologies explores the disciplinary role of such emerging surveying technology within the long legacy of architectural representation. The capacity to capture millions of points with exact distance and color data enables the production of novel forms of representation through new modes of transparency, undocumented perspectival and orthogonal vantage points and synthetic simultaneity of isolated topologies of interior space. An expanded analytical and representational approach to the interiors of (1624- 1683) and Bernardo Vittone (1704-1770) reveals and champions complex aspects of the highly evolved late Baroque architecture that have been undermined or repressed by previous more reductive forms of representation and analysis. A major characteristic of the Baroque interior is its autonomous nature as an infinite and expansive world of its own. Trompe l'oeil architectural effects previously developed in Rome relied on painterly techniques of superimposed layers of articulated ribs over perspectival diminishing coffers to create the illusion of an expanding surface. In the late Baroque (1660-1760), Piedmont architects Guarino Guarini and his pupil Bernardo Vittone evolved these concepts to achieved the impression of unlimited space by purely architectural means. In both the Church of San Lorenzo (1680) and the Santuario del Valinotto (1740), the effect of vastness is produced by structurally separating and delaminating the cupola to create a porous space between outer and inner shells. The true formal complexity of the cupola spaces of Guarini and Vittone are difficult to ascertain through traditional representational methods including photography. The novel representations, expressions and vantage points of Baroque Topologies defamiliarize the work in unexpected and refreshing ways for both expert scholars and novices experiencing Baroque architecture for the first time. 3:25 - 3:45pm

PS32 Guarini and Quadrature

Lydia M. Soo University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Abstract

Guarino Guarini’s treatise, Architettura civile, written beginning in the mid-1670s, includes Tract IV on ortografia gettata, an early form of descriptive geometry that relates to his work as mathematician and astronomer. Although conceived within the context of the seventeenth century scientific revolution, projected orthography has been linked to French stereotomy (Müller, 1968). Overlooked however is Guarini’s knowledge of another older technique: ad quadratum or quadrature, a geometrical procedure employed by medieval architects but likely originating in antiquity. Quadrature was described and used during the Renaissance by Francesco di Giorgio, Bramante, and Palladio (Betts, 1993; Soo, 2017). But it is also demonstrated by Guarini (Tract II, Ch. 6) and underlies the plans of his centrally planned churches, including San Lorenzo. Today, digital 3-d modeling is used to visualize the intersecting volumes of Guarini’s unbuilt designs, based on the engraved orthographic drawings found in his treatise (Fittipaldi, 2014). But this paper goes back in time to employ quadrature and hand drawing, using compass and rule, to understand how Guarini generated these forms in plan and in relationship to the section. They are applied to his unbuilt San Filippo Neri, Casale Monferrato, preserved in a single plate of four drawings. While the main concern is to replicate Guarini’s design and drawing process, digital modeling (Rhino) is brought in as a tool for understanding the relationships between plan and section and demonstrating them three dimensionally. Guarini’s diagrams, depicting the geometrical simplicity of traditional vaults (Tract III, Ch. 26) and more complex examples of projected orthography, indicate that he conceived architecture as intersecting volumes of space. But his use of quadrature demonstrates the lasting importance of the two-dimensional plan (ichnographia), the key for determining not only the form of those volumes but also proportionality and structural stability throughout the design. 3:45 - 4:05pm

PS32 A Reappraisal of Guarini’s Postulated Iberian Travels Considering His Design Evolution

Elwin Robison Kent State University, Kent, USA

Abstract

The postulated travels by Guarini in Spain, either before or after his sojourn in Sicily from about 1660-62, were given wings by Giedion’s Space, Time and Architecture, which shows side-by-side views of the dome of San Lorenzo in and the dome in front of the mihrab in the Mosque of Cordoba. In both images the domes filled the photograph from edge to edge, creating the illusion of identical scale and construction. There is no documentary evidence which directly supports or refutes travels in Spain by Guarini. However, Giedion’s image pair has encouraged researchers to look for Spanish travels during the “blackout” years of 1658-59 when his residence is undocumented. In contrast, analysis of Guarini’s design work makes travel in Spain less likely. The undated project for the Church of the Padri Somaschi in Messina is often identified as proof of Guarini’s Iberian travels, but the church design is daring both in the use of a conic section for the dome shape and in the lightness of the supporting piers. In contrast, Guarini’s Ste. Anne-la-Royale in Paris, under construction from 1662-65, was based on semi-circular shapes and has a much heavier supporting structure. Analysis of Guarini’s designs, with respect to the few projects which are securely dated, suggests an “early” and “late” design technique of Guarini’s. Solid poché of the walls, semicircular domes, and smaller window areas are more characteristic of his early work. In contrast, the projects securely dated to his later career feature open voids within thinner walls, conic sections (ellipsoids or paraboloids of revolution), and more generous window openings. While analysis of Guarini’s design techniques does not prove or dis-prove his travel in Spain, it does suggest greater caution in assuming events for which there is no documentary evidence. 4:05 - 4:25pm

PS32 Platonic Harmony and Aesthetics in the Architectural Theory of Bernardo Vittone

Øystein Holdø HEAT Architects, Trondheim, Norway

Abstract

Bernardo Vittone’s architectural opus is marked by geometric experimentation and a high level of inventiveness. He continued the Baroque tradition that, since its roots in the early 17th century, had resulted in complex spaces, captivating illusionistic effects and previously unseen architectural compositions. He also contributed to architectural theory by editing for publication Guarino Guarini’s architectural treatise and also authored two treatises himself. Despite his extensive architectural production and theoretical engagements, Vittone’s work has been relatively little studied.

While Vittone’s architectural theory followed his Renaissance predecessors such as Alberti and Palladio, his aesthetic considerations were aligned with those of his contemporaries. His theoretical perspectives combined in peculiar ways Platonism, orthodox Catholicism and modern aesthetics, and his architectural treatises therefore reveal interesting juxtapositions of seemingly contradicting ideologies. The relationship between Platonist perspectives and harmonic proportions on the one hand, and aesthetic relativism and Baroque ocularcentrism on the other hand, still lacks a broader analysis and a conclusive study, especially with regards to his principles of architectural design. Vittone’s architectural opus is substantial and highly original, and it has not yet been sufficiently studied against the backdrop of his two architectural treatises and the theoretical environment in which he operated. Considering his unusual theoretical position, this paper explores the ways in which his theory affected the design principles that are manifested in his architectural works. 4:25 - 4:45pm

PS32 Bernardo Vittone’s Teatro Anatomico and the Politics of Science

William Stargard Pine Manor College, Chestnut Hill, USA

Abstract

Bernardo Vittone’s design for the Teatro Anatomico in the Ospedale Maggiore di San Giovanni Battista in Turin (1757) helps illuminate a critical juncture in the history of architecture with the history of science in the Savoyard state. Vittone includes his design and accompanying description in his architectural treatise, Istruzioni diverse concernienti l’officio dell’architetto civile (1766). Vittone is detailed in his explanation of the Teatro Anatomico’s function and design, demonstrating his intent to provide practical knowledge to young architects reading his treatise. In my paper, I focus on the importance placed on science, and especially medical education, in Turin under the Kings of Sardinia. Vittone was well connected with the scientific community at the University in Turin and had ample opportunities to discuss the structure and educational function of anatomical theaters with medical professionals. I examine the architectural design of the Teatro Anatomico and its relation to Vittone’s instructive topics of light and space in his other architectural treatise, Istruzioni elementari per indirizzo de’giovani allo studio dell’architettura civile (1760). I also consider the broader context of medical education in Turin. While the dissections in Vittone’s Teatro Anatomico would have been mostly for doctors and medical students, it is important to realize that the public were often allowed to observe the dissections in the anatomical theater at the Univesity in Turin, a work that Vittone clearly knew. This bridging of public and private space in Turin took on special significance since it was rooted in a royal policy drawing upon the public’s participation, including their financial support. My interest in Vittone began while researching and completing my doctoral dissertation at Columbia University. I am presently working on completing a book manuscript on public and private space in the architecture of Vittone.