Architectural Theory and Magazines Theory and Architectural in theoretical a role play magazines Can architectural employ? do they What tools thought? and Spazio magazines, Italian of two A comparison their fifties reveals in in the Casabella, published the into insight relevant It also provides importance. the text-image communicate, to uses tools other to relates architecture how and relationship, itself. and history artistic disciplines of the twentieth magazines The first architecture an idea of the contemporary to tied closely century were manifestos in represented well and modernity that was the however, . the war, After and avant-garde The changed direction. was a magazine sense of what affirmations and enthusiasm of 1920s peremptory criticism, doubt, about to and debate way writing gave These were of the Modern Movement. the teachings the countries through European in various expressed meeting places. and editorials, of debate, new tools Luigi Moretti community, In the Italian architectural masters, acknowledged are Nathan Rogers and Ernesto a articulate and reformulate the capacity to embodying education, or at least intuit the new kind of architectural do so. a multiplicity of means to need for a re-establish neither of them set out to Certainly, They discourse on architecture. theoretical systematic some into distil their thoughts to did not attempt them, the for Instead, opus. theoretical grand-unifying criticism their medium of transmitting was magazine and open-minded inquiry. could look period we an analogous historical For Mannerism with its in-depth understanding of a to within, critique itself from language and capacity to time passionately at the same while ironically, even of the themes seeking continuity and the advancement analogies with other The habit of drawing of modernity. the leafing through when periods can be found historic of the photographs example for Take magazines. two Casabella-Continuità that populate ancient architecture that fill the pages of of the Baroque or the examples Spazio. periodicals that these two say could therefore We one of talking about architecture, pioneer a new way and imposing and one that is more that is less direct critical thinking with the reader on developing focussed This is an important role. active an playing finally the Reconstruction These are moment in Italian history. the concept of a new when but also the years years as much in being formed, was kind of professional architecture as other institutions. Post-war universities manifestos no longer the avant-garde are magazines they Instead, the wars. between were they of the elite with the reader providing an educational role, play now and controlled that could have a profession access to the Italian landscape. developed also a teacher was It is no coincidence that Rogers in the number of the people working and that a large also were Centre) Studi (Study Centro magazine's university. expanded at the new, teachers theoretical educational and a strongly Certainly, editorials. in Moretti’s discourse is a common thread the two between differences Cognisant of the obvious issues and seven publications, with one comprising only still maintain that a comparison the other about 100, we the interpret and their abilities to masters of the two and contemporary qualities of historical overarching the a useful contribution to makes architecture and design. profession architectural 1950 Spazio from the magazine ran Luigi Moretti the magazine Nathan Rogers 1953, and Ernesto to 1964. The 1953 to Casabella-Continuità in Milan from at evident publications are the two between differences seven published in only While Spazio was first glance. for striking issues, Casabella-Continuità set the standard culture of a new architecture in the development years ', extractos de Spazio, Milán, junio- ', extractos athan, Esperienza dell’architettura, Einaudi, Turín, Einaudi, Turín, dell’architettura, Esperienza Nathan, ROGERS, Ernesto ROGERS, Problemi: l’ornato'Problemi: Nathan, Ernesto ROGERS. Milán, 11, núm. Domus, ', VECA, Salvatore, In ricordo di Enzo Paci, il filosofo e l’architetto, in QA15, ', Spazio, núm. 6, Milán, diciem- Milán, 6, núm. Spazio, modanatura', della 'Valori Luigi, MORETTI, MORETTI, Luigi, 'Forma come struttura Clup Città Studi, Milán, 1993. a Cesare Macchi Cassia, alumno de Rogers. Matilde 22. De una entrevista 'formas llamó años, las Baffa, una joven redactora de Casabella en aquellos alusivas', mientras que Giovanni Marras las definió como 'formas en proceso' (en La città come testo, Autonomia del linguaggio architettonico e figurazione 1992). Venecia, della città, doctorado en Composición Arquitectónica, IUAV, 23. julio de 1946, pág. 17. en 24.Este es el incipit de Rogers del artículo de 1964 sobre , Editoriali di architettura, op. cit. el edi- se muestran portadas de la revista dos expresivas primeras las 25. Si ficio Seagram de Mies van der tercera, elección Rohede Mario Ridolfi, se anuncia el enfrentamiento con la y un nueva boceto de Le Corbusier;arquitectura italiana. en la Bischof es esta cualidad de 26.'Aquello que distingue la obra de Werner desvelar a través de los detalles el significadoen la acepción humana más densa: la continua participación del acto estético universal de las cosas en la de modo que esa no es solo un álbum de simpatía de todos los sentimientos, hombres'. Ro- de los imágenes, sino un documento de la historia hermosas gers, Ernesto Nathan, “Architettura e fotografia”, Casabella-Continuità, núm. 205, Milán, abril/mayo de 1955. julio de 1957 (también en Bucci, Federico y Mulazzani, Marco, op. cit., págs. Marco, op. cit., julio de 1957 (también en Bucci, Federico y Mulazzani, 182-184). 17. 'Recalcar la individualidad. Las molduras apaciguan o exaltan el elemen- ideal que gobiernaen función de la estructura siempre singular to toda la representación arquitectónica y que levita, arruga y densifica las superficies mediante las cuales se modanatura', della Valori ' Luigi, Moretti, manifiesta'. op. cit., pág. 12. 18.Véase también: Pierini, Orsina Simona, 'Immagini per parole', en Baglione, Chiara (ed.), Ernesto Nathan Rogers 1909-1969, Franco Angeli, Milán, 2012, pág. 79; e 'Imágenes por palabras', Circo, núm. 182, , 2012. 19. 1958 Nueva Visión, (versión castellana: La experiencia de la arquitectura, Buenos Aires, 1965). Paci, relaciones”. nuevas abren a posibles que se proceso de formas 20. “Un conoci- Es 1965. Milán, Editore, Nigri Lampugnani significati, e Relazioni Enzo, Paci. amigo su de fenomenológico pensamiento del Rogers en influencia la da 21. 14. bre de 1951-abril de 1952, pág. 8. ver- spazi di sequenze e Strutture spazialità. della 'Figure Bruno, 15.REICHLIN, (eds.), Letizia sus ‘lettura integrale dell’opera’,' en Reichlin, Bruno y Tedeschi, op. cit., pág. 32. 16. -scopia]. En y 'Parole di pietra. ', op. cit. Le preesistenze ambientali e i temi pratici Nathan, 'Le preesistenze JEHLE-SCHULTE STRATHAUS, Ulrike, STRATHAUS, y JEHLE-SCHULTE uigi, 'Discontinuità dello spazio in Caravaggio ROGERS, Ernesto ROGERS, nnalisa, La Saracena di Luigi Moretti, tra suggestioni Annalisa, La Saracena di Luigi Moretti, NAVONE, VIATI ', en Bucci, Federico y Mulazzani, Marco, Federico, 'Parole dipinte', en Bucci, Federico y Mulazzani, BUCCI, Trasfigurazioni di struttureMilán, 4, núm. Spazio, murarie', 'Trasfigurazioni Luigi, MORETTI, REICHLIN, Bruno Architettura di parole', en Pogacnik, Marko (ed.), Il segno della memoria, 1945- Architettura di Milano/Electa, Milán, 1995. 1995, Triennale 4. contemporanei', Casabella, núm. 202, Milán, 1954. 5. Luigi Moretti, opere e scritti, Electa, Milán, 2000, pág. 136. Spazio', en Luigi Moretti. e la rivista 6. Véase: Rostagni, Cecilia, 'Matematica 1907-1973, Electa, Milán, 2008, pág. 74 7. mediteranee, barocche e informali, Silvana Editoriale, Mendrisio, 2012, págs. 57-61 8. enero-febrero de 1951, pág. 7. Roma de atmósfera la de imagen la cabeza la de consigo quitarme 'No 9. con el sol a plomo en los solsticios de verano; y el joven Caravaggio, en su primer o segundo verano por las calles de Roma a pleno mediodía, entre las contra estas, profundísimas sombras arrojadas sobre palacios e iglesias y, como apariciones, de un henchido de una de luz, los arrebatos improvistos columna, de una hoja de una cornisa. su y sombras en las formas El sol a plomo romano hace desaparecer las acentuación lugar […]. La esplendor de luces no se conoce en ningún otro de las luces en algunos elementos plásticos que se exaltan de esta manera estallar de la forma, haciendo asumen un papel de indicadores de la sintaxis fractura romano Barroco el Así, […]. luz la ante columnas las vez primera por Moretti, sombra'. la y luz coincidencia con la en y estructuralmente espacio el Luigi, 'Discontinuità dello spazio in Caravaggio', Spazio, núm. 5, Milán, julio- agosto de 1951, págs. 1-8. 10. Véase el conocido Baldeweg: 'Un objeto es una texto de Juan Navarro 43-44. 2000, págs. Valencia, Pre-Textos, vacante, habitación en La sección', estereoscopia [comp. de stereo- 11. Del vocabulario Treccani: de la distancia entre por tanto, biología, percepción del relieve de un objeto y, que depende de la dis- binocular y debido a la visión los objetos que se tienen tancia del objeto que se observaesta) y del grado de (que disminuye al crecer prácticamente y iluminación que recibe el objeto, que disminuye fuertemente, se anula, si de pasa de la visión diurna a la crepuscular. 12. MORETTI, L MAGGI, Angelo, 'Moretti, 1. Véase: MAGGI, i fotografi e la visioneRazionalismo e (eds.), Luigi Moretti. Letizia en Reichlin, Bruno y Tedeschi, dell’architettura', trasgressività tra barocco e informale, Electa, Milán, 2010. la etimología Rogers retomó más veces en sus escritos 2. Ernesto Nathan reprender y de la palabra ‘monumento’, compuesta de moneo y memento, recordar. 3. 13. Ibíd. Orsina Simona Pierini Orsina Simona The 1950's architecture architecture The 1950's by directed magazines and Ernesto Luigi Moretti Nathan Rogers Continuity and and Continuity in Discontinuity Spazio. and Casabella

CPA 6 - 140 - calibrated elementsto create apowerful monument understatement thatemployed justafew carefully down into abstract tensions; aprecocious minimalist white andblackinfillpanelsthatbroke thefigure a cubestructure subdivided into across withseveral structure attheCimitero MonumentaleinMilan.Itwas camp victims,thestudiobuiltasimpletubularmetal to aconcentration camp.In1946,inmemoryofthe Banfi, Belgioioso,andPeressutt. ThestudiolostBanfi to hisgraduation in1932;BBPRstudiowithpartners always worked ingroups. Thefirstofthesedates back Ernesto NathanRogers, was borninTrieste in1909.He in themagazine intheyears that followed. structure: we willseehow thesewords come to beused everything turnedoutwards. form, Space,light, and form oftheinterior with spaceandlight thatdefinesit, want to beexposed, thatitshouldnotintrudeuponthe cross-section; itseemsclearthatthestructure doesnot to light from above forces usto reflect ontheroom in need for furthercomparison interms of theireditorial intuit thedifferences between thesetwo figures andthe Even from thesefew introductory lines,itiseasy to Editorial Approach the photographer onhisphoto shoots. works were photographed andpersonally accompanied It issaidthatMoretti was very careful abouthow his captures anddrives themovement oftheinterior space. room, introducing anobliquediagonallinethatboth accentuates anddeforms thelongitudinalspaceof del BalillainTrastevere. Theframing ofthephotograph of theSaladellaSchermabuiltin1933insideCasa with asingle specificimage,oneenigmaticphotograph in before thewar. Hiswork canbeintroduced had theopportunityto buildaseriesoficonicbuildings Luigi Moretti was borninRome in1906.Hehadalready architecture. cultural contexts, personalities,andways ofmaking The two publicationsemerge from two very different generally pickingupontiesto tradition. re-forge theconnectionssevered by war, andalsomore the word Continuità,alludesprimarily to theneedto brought theModernMovement to . Theadditionof from a1928magazine directed by GiuseppePagano that master builder. However, Casabellaborrows itsname embodies thetheoretical thinkingofagreat architect- Switzerlanddue to Italy's race laws. TheverySpazio title from anonymity andforced exile duringthewar in director ofCasabella-Continuitàreturned to Italy been sentdueto hisinvolvement withFascism, the immediately uponhisrelease from jailwhere hehad While thedirector ofSpaziolaunchedhispublication intellectuals ofdifferent agesandorigins. Rogers, who acted asthecatalyst for adiverse group of Casabella-Continuità was runby Ernesto Nathan and artcollector withastrong personalityLuigiMoretti, directed andlaidoutby asingle individual, thearchitect in Italy andinternational debate. WhileSpaziowas almost asortofthematicmanifesto. article inoneofthefirstissuesunder hisdirection, famous phrase 'environmental pre-existence ' from an an imagethatwould cometo evoke Rogers’ even more made thecover ofCasabellaissuenumber232.Itwas scale for themoderncity. Aphotograph ofthisbuilding silhouette thatchangedtheskyline andidentifiedanew Velasca intheheartofoldfabric ofMilan;amedieval A few years later, in1957,BBPRstudiobuilttheTorre the powerful residential buildingattheendofblock. building sitscrossways to thestreet looking outtowards expressionistic space. Resting onthelow street wall, the Casali thatgives usthesenseofviolence ofthislarge most well-known imageisaphotograph by Giorgio Milan street wall to provide unexpected views. The the sequenceofurban spacesandcuttingthedense and somehouse-hotels inMilan,experimenting with After thewar, Moretti builttheCorsoItaliacomplex memory andpublicsentiment 3 . 4

1 Theattention 2 to to publications, itis necessary to compare andexplore Despite theobvious differences between thetwo made astatement. from a consistently mute non-imposing cover to one that to reflect thespecificissuecontents. There was amove the role ofvicedirectors, thecovers began to change the word Continuità.Whentheyoung editors assumed of thetitleCasabellaandway itintersected with remained white, withaperiodicchangeofthecolour decisions, telling aclearstory: for many years thecovers graphic design evolved instep withtheseeditorial Throughout itslonghistory, Casabella's covers and push themagazine towards othereditorial decisions. historical importofrediscovering certainauthorswould the homogenisingeffect oftheeconomicboom,and ancestors. Later, theurgency ofpost-war reconstruction, also (andespecially) theirpredecessors, theprimordial Movement, importantly notjustthemajoronesbut issues Rogers didmention afew authorsoftheModern continue through thelife ofthemagazine. Inthefirst The policyofpublishingin-depthmonographs would Tentori, and . such asGiancarlo DeCarlo, , Francesco become leadingpersonalitiesinItalianarchitecture directions andpoetics,individuals who would later young scholarseager to cultivate theirown individual as alocusofdebate andresearch. Thecentre attracted Studi (Study Centre), aclearreference to itsfunction work group thatquickly adopted thenameCentro of Casabella-Continuitàwas carriedoutby apermanent design to thedesignofindividual objects.Theediting array ofissues,withascalethatranges from regional includes international work andaddresses awide In contrast, right from thestartCasabella-Continuità scale oftheindividual buildingandresidential work. is primarily Italianwithaspecialpredilection for the The architecture publishedintheseven issuesofSpazio all theissues. and thischangeisclearly evident when leafingthrough Luigi Moretti began personally laying outthemagazine of Moretti in thefirstbookoutsincerecent criticalrediscovery approach.As hasbeenwell describedby Federico Bucci Navone inherwork. the houseLaSaracena, asdescribedby AnnalisaViati provocation thatparallels Moretti’s explorations in design research shinethrough, namely avolumetric fifth issue;and,itistheonly onewhere heletshisother artists. Moretti personally designedthecover ofthe an articleontheBaroque. Theothercovers are by third issuewhere anabstract photograph accompanies presented intheeditorials. Theoneexception isthe the covers donotreflect thetopics thatare soclearly The magazine was never issuedasamonograph and each issue.InSpazio,thecover operates independently. is reinforced by thesophisticated graphic designof to contemporary architectural design.Thisapproach periods andhighlight theirrelevance andapplicability the formal andabstract perceptual qualitiesofthese Romanesque andthe17thcentury. They extrapolate of thegreat momentsinarthistory includingthe explore amaterial-descriptive re-reading ofsome the magnificationoftheirdetails.Moretti's articles presented according to aspecificpointofview, i.e. selected masters,art, andclassicalpainters thatare of awork ofarchitecture withare-reading ofancient individual architect. Eachissuepairsthepresentation work rather thanhighlighting thepoeticsofan and thearchitecture mostly represents acollective big namesfrom theinternational Modernismscene like GinoSeverini andArdengo Soffici. historians, amongthemToesca andArgan, andartists Pica. Only occasionally dowe findarticlesby famous art pages. Heismainly joinedinwritingby Agnoldomenico cropping images,aswell asdesigningandmockingup architecture, writingarticles,selecting,framing, and art criticism(bothancientandcontemporary), selecting on Spazio,including:cultural features onarchitecture, 5 ,LuigiMoretti doespractically allthework 7 Startingwiththefourth issue, 6 There are no beautiful works, theCasa Girasole inRome. Here, the you are suddenly reminded ofoneMoretti's most practically unrecognisable. Leafingthrough thesepages, entire page,soclosely cropped andfragmented asto be by MichelangeloandBorromini take upalmostthe Thephotographsart. ofBerninifountains andworks the different centres andunifying structures ofBaroque analysis we learnto recognise therelationships between architecture, specifically theBaroque. Through his uniting text andimagefor are-reading ofhistoric implementing themodernconceptofabstraction, [Abstract Forms inBaroque ]. Moretti begins in thearticle,Forme Astratte nellaScultura Barocca descriptive capacitythatunites thetext andimage starting withthethird issuethere isastrengthened While thesetwo texts couldbeconsidered more general, Greek sculpture. in thecreative process through are-reading ofclassical addresses thethemeoffigure anditsdevelopment [Genesis ofForms Derived from theHuman Figure], he presents thetext, GenesidiForme dallaFigura Umana of forms andfragments. Inthesecondissuewhere he of adensemateriality through theperceptual reading most heterogeneous materials, tensions, andthepower modern andontheother, richly personalised,withthe a languagethatisontheonehandshared, current, and introduces usto hisworking method.Itisasearch for Linguaggio [Eclecticism andUnityofLanguage],Moretti In anessay inthefirstissue,Eclettismo eUnitàdi relationships amongtheotherelements. is thencarefully positionedonthepageto generate on entirely different meanings.Eachofthesedetails them somuchfrom theoverall figure thatthey take is evident intheway hehandlesimages,distancing shapes, explained sowell by Moretti inhiswriting, preserving asenseofunity. Theprocess ofabstracting enlarging, andfragmenting, while atthesametime acquired. Hemakes strikinguseofcropping, framing, in history thatacertainobjectmay have previously few authorscan,makingusforget thespecificposition rather Moretti difficult. describesarchitecture asonly a whole thatactually madesubsequentre-publication diagrams,coherentcompose a designsand all indivisible architecture andmaterials, fragments ofpaintings, The gravitas oftheessay titles,thephotographs of powerful andevocative layout oftext and image. unifying thread which isfurtherreinforced by the reading theseven essays together, there isastrong come Struttura as'Estratti diSpazio essays onMichelangeloandBorromini, includingForma subsequent years LuigiMoretti would publishkey abruptly, practically inmidstride.Itistruethat It isoften saidthatthemagazine ceasedpublication di Spazi. come to fruitioninthelastissue,Strutture eSequenze a longertreatise onarchitectural designthatwould issue contents. Rather, they canberead asexcerpts from not canonicaleditorials inthesenseofintroducing the The articlesthatopeneachoftheseven magazines are concentrations ofreality, andsuspensionsofmateriality. various alignments,imbalances,tensions, densities, to detect thecoherent graphic designstrategy, its it ispossibleto examine anddecodetheentire series is immediately obvious. Sincethey are sofew innumber, played intheindividual issues,especially theeditorials, of imagesathisfingertips;and,therole theseimages named Spazioafter themagazine, hadarichinventory and future managerofanartgallery thatwould be images andhow they were cropped. Thisartcollector in thegraphic designoftheentire layout, working onthe As already mentioned,Moretti personally participated Discontinuity inSpazio resulting formal, figural, andeducationalconsequences. editorial strategy. Anattempt hasbeenmadeto trace the cases they played anything butasecondaryrole inthe how thesetwo publicationsusedimages,sinceinboth '. Nonetheless,when

- 141 - Continuity and Discontinuity in Casabella and Spazio

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when when

24 22 for the reader to to the reader for 19 , highlighting the freedom the freedom , highlighting '. However, they could they '. However, 21 textures . The unambiguous nature of the written of the written . The unambiguous nature 20 ' and meanings relationships objects become antiquities when they have ceased ceased have they when antiquities become objects and opportunity to learn from figures that were still in that were figures learn from and opportunity to frozen yet and as such, not flux, still in development, thinking facilitate able to but instead unusable icons into the other. about the new, when the end of the war the moment at Starting from by Domus founded the magazine over took Rogers us a lot about his tells his choice of images , his commitment, It points to his awareness, personality. in setting up a and at the same time his practicality topics presenting discourse based on “questions” by out dirigible that is the worn images. There through as progress of technological the fragility demonstrates of the topic introduce used to as the ancient vase well '’What writes, Rogers lines where ornament and its two braids, complex become two They would those lines?’ are [...] so as to and monsters dragons, leaves, bulges volutes, ' substantial. the into accidental the transform pick up on. This has been well described by Salvatore Salvatore described by well pick up on. This has been a was who the philosopher Enzo Paci a student of Veca, duality: hallmark and confirms Rogers' friend of Rogers, and the the rational the personal and the subjective, objective issues and mental concepts, in stark contrast to Moretti Moretti to contrast stark concepts, in and mental issues materiality. their visual for used images who Nathan output of Ernesto editorial the vast Navigating in each that the images used it becomes clear Rogers, a kind of subliminal discourse, a broader facilitate text First of reading. shades different offers that repertoire one, and meaning, then an implied is the explicit there among established of relationships a network finally two-coloured These could be the multiple images. or the delicate of Casabella-Continuità, summary cards ' called graphic index the years over images used repeatedly also be symbolic Costantin such as the texts, different accompany to Le Commencement du Monde, that sculpture, Brancusi in Esperienza and finally appears in Domus, Casabella the 1958 anthology of Rogers' dell’Architettura, published work. than suggest rather laid out to always The images are impose ' The earlier fragmented explorations find a more precise precise find a more explorations fragmented The earlier already have application in Casabella-Continuità.We the first 24 editions publish mentioned the decision to cover illustrated first The of Casabella with blank covers. der Rohe. Mies van the beloved to is dedicated The title page was charged with building anticipation charged The title page was so that the summary page could about the contents, and with a reduced, abstracted, bear an image, often depicting an unrecognisable quality, graphic strong such as Sullivan, reference a beloved from fragment detailCasabella Norwegian or some traditional Perret, the to introduced were the Modern Masters where was its pages However, of Italian architecture. culture high documentation the heartfelt to also devoted were did not Rogers and cultures. traditions of extinct word drives towards objective thought, while the thought, while objective towards drives word aspect. the subjective of the images feeds freedom Century 20th of the early the forms passion for Rogers' of the uncertainties or whiplash Art Nouveau as the such on a precise as a focus is interpreted Proto-rationalism the point ' It was moment in the design process. ' in form is a revolution there Rogers is a careful architect; he is precise and scholarly and scholarly he is precise architect; is a careful Rogers and scale of design and its material-built about the form who he is a thinker all however, possibilities. Above the poetics of future to up the stuff of history offers in Athens It is no accident that the Acropolis architects. in an appearances that makes symbol is a beloved In his both Casabella and Esperienza dell’Architettura. ' words, is a quality By this verybeing old, yet possess. that few with resources current become they antiquities becoming ' consumption. of cultural daily use as objects practical

16 15 13 We can theorise that We 18 The seven essays that essays The seven 17

14 Cornices are the spaces in architecture where where in architecture spaces the are Cornices It is fairly inevitable that, the descriptions of inevitable after It is fairly densities and the different discontinuity in Caravaggio at the last article, Strutture should arrive described, we and Sequences of e Sequenze di Spazi [Structures of the history traces systematically Spaces]. The text of the linking of spaces, including in terms architecture and sequencing. expansion, their compression, make up the magazine's editorial body of work have have of work body editorial up the magazine's make a with each one addressing power, such theoretical design, architectural to related issue formal different treatise a veritable represent they together that taken points to composition. This certainly on architectural of the architect the pioneering and educational value Italian society during contribution to Luigi Moretti's those years. Continuity in Casabella magazines: post-war two directs Nathan Rogers Ernesto about ten first, issues of Domus, and then, for few a starting in 1953, Casabella-Continuità. During years courses at the three also teaching this time he was School, Caratteri Architecture di Milano's Politecnico and Composizione dell’Architettura stilistici, Storia In his writing, lessons, and magazines Architettonica. use of images, also developing made careful he always and habits. certain predilections In recent years, there has been much theorising (often been much theorising (often has there years, In recent art. figural about the connections to abstract) quite no comparisons writings draw Moretti's However, without providing art and architecture between descriptions of the and precise examples concrete art from in a continual transition actions and works and vice versa. architecture to the greatest reality is condensed not only because of their their of not only because reality is condensed greatest the spaces free the with alternate they but because forms their reality […] Crystalline of mouldings. due to devoid ' diminished density. Structure, form, figure, and space: Luigi Moretti's Luigi Moretti's and space: figure, form, Structure, and with words is integrated lexicon architectural a includes sixth issue of the magazine images. The pauses, distance, between the relationships on reflection initial insightful parts. Moretti's and the different the between about the disconnection observation 20th century and the in the early of abstraction arrival architectural of unique abstract simultaneous rejection out. be pointed In Valori has to i.e. mouldings, forms, Moretti of Moldings] [The Value della Modanatura the perceiving for as tools mouldings reads initially object, sharpening the point of useful for architectural lines of the composition. the figural and the gaze, view, forms, the unique abstract he celebrates Subsequently, size, and light hinges on the quality, everything where ' and dark. Rogers used images rather freely to articulate specific articulate to freely used images rather Rogers modulations: one is the fracturing and discontinuity and discontinuity is the fracturing one modulations: is the the other of temporality; and therefore of space, forms. light-illuminating of palpitation stellar However, in this instance the images dominate the text the text in this instance the images dominate However, their eloquence. express to allowed rightly and are detailed incredibly of largely are The photographs he himself in which Moretti models made by plaster the extruding the spatial density by represent tried to The historical space of the architecture. interior void series, with design this a complex sequencing makes and black backgrounds and red diagrams, fragments, and compression the shadows juxtaposed against the essay, of space. This is the last Spazio magazine description the analytical into closing of the exploration sense Moretti's qualities that formed of perceptual form, words, figural Concepts about of architecture. corresponding have always would and space structure, of in terms work applications in his architectural of in the transformation and tension expansion, density, materiality. of space into the immateriality would that Moretti words are and form Structure idea of because his frequently to refer continue to (i.e. and immateriality structure, architecture, material and complimentary. so interrelated space) were

8

11 accepted accepted 10 The passage from from The passage

12 space of almost shapeless details 9 quality is laboratory proof of the fracturing of space. […] of space. fracturing quality of the proof is laboratory and summary limited areas these reality, Concentrating figures it is in the In Caravaggio powerful. more become is condensed, power evocative the cut off, that are that shoulder A cut-off figures. in frontal than powerfully more use, s these Caravaggio figure. human a whole for stands inference powerful their understanding figures, cut-off anticipate Baroque late of the architects […] just as the on its side, of a volume sum and densitythe of projections not view and of the direction in the space perforating our moderns with We obstacles. frontal it with blocking our mature due to this understood have edifices bladelike needs.' heredity and precise taken from Caravaggio together with a smaller paintings together Caravaggio from taken - the architecture insert of Moretti's cropped closely are The photos on Via Corridoni in Milan. house-hotel becomes a which background a white laid out against in the composition. figure ' words, clear and poetic In Moretti's acute the to form whole in the of interest centering this form, in a section of the of interest centering At the same time it is impossible not to connect these the same time it is impossible not to At on working was Moretti with the Milan projects words of the Corso volume at that time such as the rotated on Via mentioned house-hotel Italia and the previously positioning of his writings Corridoni. The theoretical in a built application. finds expression always it is also important to In thinking about the built form, time and bear in mind the significance that the terms writings; is in Moretti’s space acquire him as the magnificent sees Moretti figure. also a key in being constructed that allude to of works conceiver Michelangelo and indeed he credits periods different Again, awareness. historical with triggering his own drastic the 'Longhi evokes Moretti, to according and metaphysical direct the where articulation of ‘frames’ time into and disappear through meanings converge by 'Time' as expressed a single unity spaces. the with the seventeenth- constitutes Michelangelo, which is expressed stability, Renaissance century antithesis to superimposed in two Caravaggio by rusticated base contrasts with the smooth areas, hinting hinting smooth areas, with the contrasts base rusticated Informale. Arte for author's passion at the di Trasfigurazioni includes the essay issue The fourth Structures]. of Wall [Transfigurations Murarie Strutture of play in a powerful engaged and image are text Here are 'Transfigurations black and white. between contrasts ,' structure utilitarian and on a tectonic operations like between rule and variation. The strongly symbolic symbolic The strongly rule and variation. between of constructive freedom transfiguration, use of colour, of the perimeter combined with the fracturing honesty, lose its meaning as a constructive to cause the wall wall element based it becomes an abstract element; instead, so much so that it is relationships, formal on purely a Mondrian on the very to compared directly same page. more includes an even The fifth issue of the magazine in Caravaggio article, Discontinuità dello Spazio complex in which in Caravaggio], [Discontinuity of Space the time and space connections of compares Moretti the subsequent and its homogeneity, the Renaissance, work, in Michelangelo and Caravaggio's developments of light describing space as an articulation passionately a offer the text The images that juxtapose and dark. black of contrasting and balanced assembly controlled into fade columns The white photographs. and white a black immaterial as a condensation of the representational reality of representational of the as a condensation across and diluted expanded [...] Reality, itself form the and academic painting due to the of surface entire the of in pockets concentrate to tends mannerist repetitions, sufficient vitality. act of existence. Terrible of inertia. […] kernels [...] Real hallucinatory the density from [...] This vision derives absolute the and from areas of reality in certain stereoscopic this say I would others. in emptiness

CPA 6 - 142 - Moretti. educational approach andmethodologyreminds usof Finally, despite theircleardifferences, Rogers' and meaning. to discover newrelationships between form, materials, of repetition and,itistheobligation ofeachnewartist artefact thatreleases theform from theabsurd banality interpreting Itisprecisely it. thespecificityofbuilt culture through itsmateriality andthepersonality when character findsformal expression inaspecific the process ofstylisation," heispointingto themoment he says, "Inthecaseofmodern,we cantalkabout the tool for representing Sowhen ahistoric moment. cannot beconsidered anabstract entitywithmateriality Each momentisinserted inthedrama ofexistence and artefact canbefound initsspecifictimeandplace. For Rogers, theparticularmeaningofmodern materiality thatdrawings sooften lack. and Rogers usesphotographic detailsto express a new architecture. Yet aphotograph isnotadrawing, these architecture fragments thatallows themto inspire the absenceofacoherent whole. Itistheabstraction of resisting falling prey to theabsenceofperspective and and thegeneral, two polesintension, inthisway Rogers chosetheonesthatcelebrated boththedetail strikingly different ends. WithLuigiMoretti, hisiconic experienced intheirprofessional lives andusedfor the studio-workshop -issomething bothofthem architectural studiosfor years to come.Thisideaof magazines thatwould populate theshelves ofItalian Reconstruction andoftheeducationalvalue ofthe to beaware oftheroles they are playing inItalian Albeit quite different, bothRogers and Moretti seem style orfashion. broader historic context, resisting reduction to aspecific thoughtful reflection thatallows for placementwithina Theirs isnotamodernityincrisis,butrather a interpretation. and timelessnessoftheircompositionssoripefor new time andplaceto highlight therelevance oftheforms articles, often asfragments orcloseupsabstracted from for Rogers. Bothauthorsusephotographs intheir and Baroque for Moretti andtheancienttraditional strong working knowledge ofhistory; the Romanesque design sense.Certainly, thetwo masters alsoshare a figuratively orliterally), bothemploying aclearly facile place theminto alarger compositionalwhole (whether conceptual symbol. Bothfrequently crop imagesand Rogers, theimageisalmostalways anautonomous case, thefigure isclosely tiedto thetext, while for explicit freedom ofthephotographic image.InMoretti's In thisthey are helpedby ashared passionfor the formulaic essay writing. without falling prey to theconstraints ofacademiaor proactive (onecouldeven say theory-based) message especially when they manageto communicate astrongly communication skillsofbothmagazine directors, some strikingsimilarities.Theseincludethestrong use imagesandtheoretical criticismandhighlighted We have compared how thesetwo Milanmagazines Legacy forthefuture Werner Bischof's The specificandtheuniversal atthesametime.Among Two extremes, theoverall viewandthebuiltdetail. details where theentire buildingisnolongerlegible. context, alternated withzoomed-inimagesoffaçade years show glimpses ofbuildingsinserted withina The imagesthatdocumentItalianproduction ofthose to thedetail. particular pointofview, onethatjumpsfrom thegeneral modernists, butalsoby describingdesignsfrom a just express hisModernismby exploring theearly 25 many fascinating photographs,

entrusted thepencilto hisfriendsandpupils. contrast, Rogers, ever theeducator, seemsto have nonetheless remains inthebackofourminds.In architecture, while rarely publishedinthemagazine, ARCHITECTURALTHEORY POSTWAR MILAN MATERIALITY MAGAZINES SPACE

- 143 - Pessoas influence in Fernando Tavoras discourse