Light, Dark, and all That’s in Between: Revisiting the Role of Light in Architecture by Elena Chernyshov A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Architecture Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2008 ©Elena Chernyshov 2008 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Natural light, aside from its functional roles, has little significance in many contemporary spaces. The decline of its earlier shared cultural values and lack of any other to replace these translates into an impoverishment of architecture’s deeper experience and significance. By evaluating the connections that exist between light and architecture, and, consequently, between light and man, a better comprehension can be attained of its present value and of its potential as a creative inspiration and as an agent of its expression. By tracing the relationship between light and architecture in Western culture, the forces that have shaped its significance are revealed. From agrarian cultures that connected closely to nature, to the anthropocentric modern era, the way light is treated in architecture has expressed the cultural relationship not only to the sun, to the light itself, but also to nature and to one’s own position within it. The understanding of this progression and the analysis of the contemporary episode of this narrative elucidates the current significance and approach to light in architecture. The profound focus on light by many individual architects and architectural writers acknowledges its importance in contemporary architecture, although its collective cultural significance remains uncertain. A broader conception of light’s significance and ways of integrating it more meaningfully with architecture can be derived from positioning three case studies as complementary to the contemporary episode of its story. These case studies – the tearoom of the Katsura Palace, Junichiro Tanizaki’s book In Praise of Shadows, and photographic series Colors of Shadow by Hiroshi Sugimoto – exhibit nuance and subtlety in consideration of light and shadows alike, illustrating a different approach and attitude to natural lighting. Light becomes more than an enriching physical phenomenon or agent of poetic evocation, it creates a deeper connection of man to his surroundings. Two designs – a house and a library – explore this connection and the potential of light to articulate dwelling. In these, the encounters with light and shadows are palpable and intrinsic to the architectural space fostering the ability to appreciate light and its attendant significance. iii Acknowledgements My sincere gratitude is to my supervisor Rick Andrighetti, committee members Andrew Levitt and John McMinn, and external thesis examiner David Lieberman for their insight, enthusiasm, and engagement in this work. Likewise, I am very grateful to Philip Beesley, who was instrumental to setting it on its course, for all his guidance, patience, and rigour. Many thanks are due to David and Sharon Johnston, Michelle Laing, Robert McNair, and Robert Jan van Pelt for their much appreciated contributions to this effort; and to Adrian Politano for invaluable help, generosity, and support. iv Contents Author’s Declaration ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv Illustrations vi Introduction 1 Discussing Light: Terms, Roles, and Limits 7 Part One 13 Sun Worship 14 Sacred Light 18 Modern Light 38 Part Two 81 Tea Ceremony and Tearoom: Shokin Tei 87 In Praise of Shadows 96 Colors of Shadow 101 Design Projects 111 Writer’s House 113 Library 159 Conclusion 211 Appendix 215 Bibliography 223 v Illustrations 1. Cave of Sybil, Cumae With permission; photo by Giovanni Lattanzi/ArchArt; www.archart.it 2. Casa Barragán, Luis Barragán, 1947 Rene Burri, Luis Barragán (London: Phaidon Press, 2000), 12. 3. Capucin Chapel, Luis Barragán, 1955 Yutaka Saito, Luis Barragán (Tokyo, Japan: TOTO Shuppan, 2004), 86. 4. Plan, Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae David Watkin, History of Western Architecture (New York, N.Y.: Thames & Hudson, 1986), 40. 5. View in the cella towards adyton, Temple of Apollo Epicurius Ibid. 6. Axis through the atrium and the garden, Pompeii Residence By author. 7. The Octagon Room, Golden Palace William Lloyd MacDonald, Architecture of the Roman Empire (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982), 278. 8.The Pantheon Photo by David Politano 9. Hagia Sofia, 532-7 William Lloyd MacDonald, Early Christian & Byzantine Architecture (New York: George Braziller Inc, 1962), 82. 10. Ceilings, Basilica of Saint Mark, Venice, 1063-1617 By author. 11. Santa Sabina, 422-32 Marilyn Stokstad, David Cateforis, and Stephen Addiss, Art History (New York; London: Harry N. Abrams, 2002), 299. 12. Ste.-Foy, Conques, 1050-1120 Spiro Kostof and Greg Castillo, History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 306. 13. Church of Le Thoronet, 1160-1240 Henry Plummer, Poetics of Light (Tokyo: A. + U Publishing Co., 1987), 68. 14. Nave and aisle, Church of Le Thoronet, 1160-1240 Lucien Hervé and Francois Cali, Architecture of Truth: The Cistercian Abbey of Le Thoronet (London; New York, NY: Phaidon Press, 2001), 120. 15. Lay brothers’ building, Church of Le Thoronet, 1160-1240 Ibid., 134. 16. Restored chevet section and plan, St.-Denis (William Clark after Sumner Crosby) Robert G. Calkins, Medieval Architecture in Western Europe: From A.D. 300 to 1500 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 175. vi 17. Chartres Cathedral, 1194-1220 Christopher Wilson, The Gothic cathedral : the architecture of the great church, 1130- 1530 (New York: Thames and Hudson, 2000), 95. 18. Ste.-Chapelle, 1242-48 By author. 19. Window detail, Ste.-Chapelle, 1242-48 Plummer, 105. 20. Dome, Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Turin Cathedral, Guarino Guarini, 1667-90 H. A. Meek, Guarino Guarini and his architecture (New Haven : Yale University Press, 1988), 79. 21. Altar, St. Peter’s Cathedral, Gianlorenzo Bernini, 1658-65 Tod A. Marder, Bernini and the art of architecture (New York : Abbeville Press, 1998), 166. 22. Hidden window illuminates from above sculptural group Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Coronaro Chapel, Gianlorenzo Bernini,1647-1651 Ibid., 111. 23. Hidden windows illuminate the sculpture from the side of the niche, Altieri Chapel, San Francesco A Ripa, Gianlorenzo Bernini, 1671-74 Ibid., 297. 24. The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1602 http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/caravaggio/matthew.jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 25. Dome, San Carlo alle Quatro Fontane, Francesco Borromini, 1637-41 By author. 26. Dome, San Ivo della Sapienza, Francesco Borromini, 1642-60 By author. 27. Church of Vierzehnheiligen, Balthasar Neumann, 1743-72 Hans Reuther, Balthasar Neumann, der mainfränkische Barockbaumeister (München : Süddeutscher Verlag, 1983), 77. 28. Abbey-Church of Neresheim, Balthasar Neumann, 1747-92 Ibid., 85. 29. Asamkirche, the Asam Brothers, 1733-46 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/St._Johann_Nepomuk_-_Inside_ %28M%C3%BCnchen%29.jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 30. The Mirror Room, Amalienburg, François Cuvilliés and Johann Baptist Zimmerman, 1734-9 Plummer, 35. 31. Ceilings, S.Andrea, Mantua, Leon Battista Alberti, 1470-6 By author. 32. Interior, Pienza Cathedral, Bernardo Rossellino, 1459-62 By author. 33. Example of sfumato shadows in Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, c. 1510 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Leonardo_da_Vinci_020.jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 34. Newton’s sketch of his refraction experiment with prisms http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/History/Carnegie/newton/refraction.html (accessed on January 3, 2008). 35. Interior, Ste.- Geneviève, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, 1757 Kostof, 564. vii 36. Windows in cross-arms, Ste.-Geneviève, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, 1757 Watkin, 396. 37. Carcieri VII print, Giovanni Battista Pianesi, 1749-50 Luigi Ficacci, Giovanni Battista Piranesi: Selected etchings (Köln: Taschen, 2006), 43. 38. Bibliothèque Nationale, Etienne-Louis Boullée, 1785 Helen Rosenau, Boullée and Visionary Architecture (New York: Harmony Books, 1976), 62. 39. Metropole, Etienne-Louis Boullée, 1782 Ibid., 38. 40. Newton’s Cenotaph at daytime, Etienne-Louis Boullée, 1784 Ibid., 70. 41. Newton’s Cenotaph at night, Etienne-Louis Boullée, 1784 Ibid., 71. 42. Consols Office, Bank of England, Sir John Soane, 1798-9 Mary Anne Stevens and Margaret Richardson, John Soane, Architect: Master of Space and Light (London: Royal Academy of Arts, distributed by Yale University Press, 1999), 209. 43. Breakfast Room, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Sir John Soane, 1792-1824 Ibid., 157. 44. ‘Museum’, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Sir John Soane, 1792-1824 Plummer, 120. 45. Wanderer above the Mist, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Caspar_David_Friedrich_032. jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 46. The Polar Sea, Caspar David Friedrich, 1824 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Caspar_David_Friedrich_006. jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 47. Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway, J. M. W. Turner, 1844 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rain_Steam_and_Speed_the_Great_Western_ Railway.jpg (accessed on January 3, 2008). 48. Nine paintings from the Cathedral series, Claude Monet,