DOCSLIB.ORG

Informanon to USERS

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Informanon to USERS INFORMAnON TO USERS This manuscript has been rept'Oduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitlecl. Thus. sorne thesis and dissertation copieS are in typewriter face. while oIhers rnay be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the qu.lity of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct prim, ooIored or poor quality illustrations and photographs. print bleedlhrough. substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. ln the unlikely event thet the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages. these will be noted. AllO. if unauthorized copyright material had to be rernoved. a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g.• maps. drawings. charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper Ieft·hand corner and continuing tram left ta right in equal sections with small overtaps. Photographs induded in the original manuscript have been reproc:tuced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6- x 9- black and white photographie prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contad UMI directfy to order. Bell & Howell Information and leaming 300 North Zeeb Road, AnnArbor, MI 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 architecture and the b e e : virtue and memory in Filarete's Trattata di Architettura © Carole Yocum, July 1998 College ofArchitecture McGill University. Montréal A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Architecture in History and Theory. National Ubrary Bibliothèque natiOnale 1+1 of Canada duC8nada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue WeIIingIoI. Ottawa ON K1 A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library ofCanada ta Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, 1030, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies ofthis thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fonne de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership ofthe L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son penmSSlon. autorisation. 0-612-50694-0 Canad~ c o n t e n t 5 abstraet ii prologue iii biography - treatise - milan introduction b e e s - memory virtue self-portraits 10 the dance - antiquity - bees founclations 26 gathering - elements - interment excavations 36 stones books vice -' virtue 46 fantasia - mountains - adam ark the path rooms summit grotta rituals conclusion 88 appendix 94 bibliography 96 • a b s t r a c t Antonio Averlino, known as Filarete (1 400- 1469). wrote that architecture IS a gestational process, likening the architeet to the mother and the father as the client. The process reqUires the architect-mother to Ufantasticare e pensare e rivoltarse/o per la memoria." fermenting ideas and Incubatlng them in conjunction with one's memory. The intent is to understand mnemonics as a creatJve operation in Filarete's Trattaro di Archirerwra. A key to thlS lies wrth Filarete's persona1 symbol, the bee. The bee's process of mellification acts as a metaphor of the architect's gestauonal design. The bee, long utilized as a memorative trope, points towards other memory models created throughout the treatise, culminating with the design for the House of Vice and Virtue. Dlrecting the reader and inhabitants of the city in a social narrative, Filarete's architecture reveals the dependence upon remembrance and VÎrtue for the city's creation and public rituals to sustain its life. Antonio Averlino, connu sous le nom de Filarete (1400-1469), a écrit que l'archrtecture est un processus de gestational, comparant l'architecte à la mère, et le père en tant que client. Le processus exige de la mère d'architecte de ufanrasticare e pensare e rivoltarselo per la memoria," de fermenter des idées et les incuber en même temps que la mémoire. L'intention est de comprendre la mémOire comme processus créateur en Filarete's Trattato di Architertura. Un clé a ceCi se trouve avec le symbole personnel de Filarete, l'abeille. Le processus de 'abeille du mellification agrt en tant que métaphore de la conception du gestational de l'architecte. l'abeille. longtemps ser d'un trope de mémorie. se dirige vers d'autres modèles de mémoire créés dans tout le livre. culminant avec la conception pour la Chambre le Vice et la Vertu. Dirigeant le lecteur et des habitants de la Ville sur dans un récit social, l'architecture de Filarete indique la dependance le remembrance et la vertu pour que les rituels de la création et du public de la ville soutiennent sa vie. • • a c k n o w e d 1 e RI e n t s T 0 Alberto Pérez-Gémez. for his patience and faith during the formulation of the ideas comprislng this thesis. and his unstated understanding that it may take sorne of us years to find the fortltude and acumen to open the box of knowledge. T0 Greg Caicco, for his persistent belief in the keys of memory and guidance in uncovenng the bee of archrteeture; his enthusiasm and encouragement is gratefully infectious. T 0 Susie Spurdens. for her kindness in helping the finalization of the thesis proceed smoothly and easily. To the Interlibrary Loans Department at the University of Louisville, and thelr Art Library. who unknowlngly enabled the completion of the work to be realized away from Montréal. ToTed Bressoud. for his flexible understanding and friendship that facilitated my search to find tJme to complete the work. T0 Megan Spriggs. Alice Guess and David Williams. for their crucial moral support. advice and countless reassurances. T0 Jerzy Rozenberg. Keith Plymale. and others at the University of Kentucky who guided my first Investigations into architecture and its poetic content. They initiated the fundamental gestation ofthese thoughts. • architecture and the bee 1 acknowledgament. Il • p r o o 1 u e - milan- ln 1446 Francesco Sforza led the March of Ancona through ltalyand narned himself "Count and Viscount, Lord ofthe Marches." 1 He had aJready, by 1434, acquired the moniker "GonfaJoniere della Chiesa" from Pope Eugene IV, who approved of Sforza's drive to conquer various cities and was a powerful condottiere.2 However, when Sforza was evemually able to take over Milan (with the rronetary assistance of Cosimo d'Medici), his entrance Into the city ln February of 1450 was under hostile and questionable circumstances. Arnong the methods to establish his legitimacy to the throne was the forging of a deed claiming that his father-in-Iaw, the former Visconti duke, had given him power and he went to the extent of adopting their coat-of-arms. There was much opposition to his claim and it became necessary to "engineer some semblance of security for the struggling regime... 3 Francesco Filelfo wrote an epic poem on Sforza's deeds, Sforziade, and began a history on hrm. De vita et rebus gestis Frandsd Sfortiae. The creation of a strong system of diplomatie alliances also became part of Sforza's regime. Arnong them was France, where he sent diplomats to reside with Louis Xl beginning in 1460.4 When Christian 1of Denmark visited Francesco's IG. Mattrngly. "The First Resident Embassies." Speculum. (Cambridge. 1937).431. 2 J. Spencer. "Filarete's Bronze doors at St. Peter's" Collaboration in 'rahan Renaissance Art. (New Haven. 1978). 36. and n. 14. A condottiere was a mercenary soldier that was for hire by other crtres in thelr milrtary reglmes. 3 G. lanzrti. "Patronage and the Production of History: the case of Quattrocento Milan." Patronage. Art and Soaery. ed. F. W. Kent, P. Simons. and J. C. Eade. (New York, 1987).305. 4G. Mattingly. "The First Resident Embassies." 437. • archlt.ctur. and th. b.. 1 prologu. III son Galeazzo in 1474 he was shown the Sforza's collection of relies and valuable items. They • included the body ofa Holy Innocent, the arm of Mary MagdaJene, a tooth of St. Christopher. and sorne of the Virgin's haïr, ail displayed in omamented. gilded reliquaries. 5 ~ vvell, Sforza developed extensive patronage - "the distribution and manipulation of favors to create a c1ientele of firm supporters amongst Milanese noble families. n6 Machiavelli writes that Francesco Sforza's rise to power - from private citizen to prince - was obtained precisely because he was skilied in arms. 7 He took Fortune by the hand and when she abandoned him, he was equipped with military preparations and was able to resist adversity in part by these engineered construetÏons. - biosra,hx - By 1451, not long after Sforza took control, Antonio Averlino, known as Filarete, was at work on various projeets in the city, including the still extant Ospedale Maggiore. Averlino was bom around 1400 in Florence to Pietro Averlino 8 and nothing is noted about his life until 1433, when it is known he entered Rome, and was present for the May 31st coronation of Sigismondo. Later in that year he began work on the bronze doors for Old St. Peter's (they are still intact in the present day St. Peter's and were extensively c1eaned in 1962), obtaining the commission From Pope Eugene IV. He ran a large bronze foundry in the city and J.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas
    5 Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas has been part of the international avant-garde since the nineteen-seventies and has been named the Pritzker Rem Koolhaas Architecture Prize for the year 2000. This book, which builds on six canonical projects, traces the discursive practice analyse behind the design methods used by Koolhaas and his office + OMA. It uncovers recurring key themes—such as wall, void, tur montage, trajectory, infrastructure, and shape—that have tek structured this design discourse over the span of Koolhaas’s Essays on the History of Ideas oeuvre. The book moves beyond the six core pieces, as well: It explores how these identified thematic design principles archi manifest in other works by Koolhaas as both practical re- Ingrid Böck applications and further elaborations. In addition to Koolhaas’s individual genius, these textual and material layers are accounted for shaping the very context of his work’s relevance. By comparing the design principles with relevant concepts from the architectural Zeitgeist in which OMA has operated, the study moves beyond its specific subject—Rem Koolhaas—and provides novel insight into the broader history of architectural ideas. Ingrid Böck is a researcher at the Institute of Architectural Theory, Art History and Cultural Studies at the Graz Ingrid Böck University of Technology, Austria. “Despite the prominence and notoriety of Rem Koolhaas … there is not a single piece of scholarly writing coming close to the … length, to the intensity, or to the methodological rigor found in the manuscript
    [Show full text]
  • A Chronological Analysis of Utopias, Urbanism and Technology
    RICE UNIVERSITY A CHRONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF .UTOPIAS, URBANISM, AND TECHNOLOGY JAMES L. BOTTORFF A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE IN URBAN DESIGN aiocU M (feU4 O. Jack Mitchell Thesis Director Houston, Texas May, 1971 ABSTRACT A CHRONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF UTOPIAS, URBANISM, & TECHNOLOGY By James L. Bottorff This thesis is a comparative analysis of the chronological patterns of utopias, urbanism, and technology that have prevailed throughout European and American history. It analyzes a wide range of carefully selected utopian concepts, and compares them with the dominant urbanistic and technological events existing at similar points in time. The result of this investigation is a theory that utopian activity has responded to urbanistic and technological trends in a recurring sequence, and that this pattern continues up to the nineteenth century. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the recurring pattern becomes complex and less defined because of an increase in utopian concepts. Based on this theory, the thesis concludes that utopian activity has responded to the prevailing urbanistic trends and technological changes of society and'the appearance of utopian activity has signaled society of important changes. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION , 2 1. 1 Importance of Utopias, Urbanism & Technology 2 1.2 Statement of the Thesis .3 1.3 Definition of Terms 4 Chapter 2. UTOPIAN, URBANISTIC & TECHNOLOGICAL TYPOLOGIES 8 2. 1 Physical and Social Utopias 8 2. 2 Urban and Rural Trends 10 2.3 Transportation and Communication Technology 12 2.4 Summary 13 Chapter 3. CHRONOLOGICAL PATTERNS 15 3. 1 Utopian Activity .
    [Show full text]
  • '…Con Uno Inbasamento Et Ornamento Alto': the Rhetoric of the Pedestal C. 1430-1550
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by UCL Discovery Wright, A; (2011) '... con uno inbasamento et ornamento alto': The rhetoric of the pedestal c. 1430- 1550. Art History, 34 (1) pp. 8-53. 10.1111/j.1467-8365.2010.00798.x. Downloaded from UCL Discovery: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1399808/. ARTICLE ‘…con uno inbasamento et ornamento alto’: the rhetoric of the pedestal c. 1430-1550. Alison Wright School of Arts and Social Sciences, University College London When, in 1504, the Florentine painter Cosimo Rosselli gave his opinion on the best situation for Michelangelo’s colossal David, he suggested it be placed by the cathedral and raised up on a high pedestal (‘uno inbasamento et ornamento alto’).1 Rosselli imagined the marble statue dominating the corner of the entrance steps, just to the right of the façade. Sandro Botticelli lent his backing to Rosselli’s view with the argument that the sculpture would here be best visible to passers-by. Against both these painters, a goldsmith, Andrea Riccio - almost certainly a local Florentine and not the Paduan bronze sculptor - proposed a position in the courtyard of the town hall, the Palazzo della Signoria.2 Here, he claims, the sculpture would be better protected and passers-by would go to see it rather than, as he vividly puts it, ‘the figure should come and see us.’3 Differences of opinion expressed in this unusually well documented debate centred above all around questions of visibility, concern for the statue’s material preservation as well as the representational and ritual needs of the Florentine government.4 Tangentially, the debate also highlighted the crucial role of the pedestal and its physical and ritual situation in mediating the encounter with sculpture.
    [Show full text]
  • Siân Adiseshiah University of Lincoln, UK [email protected] The
    Siân Adiseshiah University of Lincoln, UK [email protected] The unbridgeable bridge to utopia: Howard Brenton’s Greenland Written and performed just after Thatcher’s third election victory in Britain in 1987, Howard Brenton’s Greenland is an isolated example durinG this period of a Left playwright’s attempts to represent utopia on staGe. Unlike the savaGely satirical approaches of other Left plays around the same time, such as Brenton and David Hare’s Pravda and Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money (both sardonic travesties of the riGht-winG press and the City of London in Thatcher’s Britain) Greenland attempts to reconstruct a utopian future. The second act of Greenland partially resembles a utopian space usually encountered in a conventional utopian narrative, and in doinG so, has led some commentators to dismiss the play as tedious and lackinG in dramatic interest. Its lack of conflict and the contentment of its inhabitants have led to it being described as static and dull. This interpretation has brouGht with it a readinG that concurs with the character, Severan-Severan, whose view is that misery and sufferinG are essential to the human condition and that liberation is a living death. However, this approach neglects a more complex engagement with utopia that can be traced in the play. Spectators of the play - along with the non-utopian character, Joan - respond to Greenland in a way that can be illuminated by Frederic Jameson’s idea of the ‘terror of obliteration’. This paper will explore ways in which Greenland exposes psycho-political barriers to utopia, barriers that frame the spectator’s view of the play, and it will also reveal ways in which bridGes to utopia are constantly at stake.
    [Show full text]
  • Measuring and Making the World: Self-Promotion, Cosmology and Elite Appeal in Filarete's Libro Architettonico
    MEASURING AND MAKING THE WORLD: SELF-PROMOTION, COSMOLOGY AND ELITE APPEAL IN FILARETE’S LIBRO ARCHITETTONICO HELENA GUZIK UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD UNITED KINGDOM Date of receipt: 21st of February, 2020 Date of acceptance: 23rd of July, 2020 ABSTRACT Antonio Averlino (Filarete) (c. 1400-c. 1469) is best remembered for his architectural treatise, the Libro architettonico. Despite a longstanding tradition, beginning with Vasari, of dismissing Filarete as a mediocre artist with ridiculous ideas, his treatise ended up in some of the most prestigious courts within and beyond Italy. This article, in a corrective to that narrative, argues that Filarete was an incredibly ambitious artist and that the Libro was his attempt to channel intellectual trends of interest to the fifteenth-century ruling elite whose patronage he courted. It begins by situating the Libro within the broader context of Filarete’s consistent self-promotion and shrewd networking throughout his career. It then examines, through analysis of the text and illustrations, how the Libro was designed both to promote Filarete to his patrons and appeal to contemporary patronage tastes through its use of specific themes: ideal urban design, cosmology, and universal sovereignty. KEYWORDS Architectural Treatise, Cosmology, Intellectual Networks, Italian Court Culture, Fifteenth-century Art. CAPITALIA VERBA Tractatus architecturae, Cosmologia, Reta sapientium, Cultura iudiciaria Italica, Ars saeculi quindecimi. IMAGO TEMPORIS. MEDIUM AEVUM, XV (2021): 387-412 / ISSN 1888-3931 / DOI 10.21001/itma.2021.15.13 387 388 HELENA GUZIK Like many of his humanist contemporaries, Antonio Averlino (c. 1400-c. 1469) had a predilection for wordplay. Adopting the nickname “Filarete” later in life, he 2 cultivated his identity as a “lover of virtue”, the name’s Greek1 meaning.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Architectural Historiography Begins by Renegotiating Foundational and 9 Contemporary Boundaries of Architectural History in Relation to Other Cognate fields
    1111 2 Rethinking Architectural 3 Historiography 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011 1 2 3111 4 5222 Rather than subscribing to a single position, this collection informs the reader about 6 the current state of the discipline looking at changes across the broad field of 7 methodological, theoretical and geographical plurality. Divided into three sections, 8 Rethinking Architectural Historiography begins by renegotiating foundational and 9 contemporary boundaries of architectural history in relation to other cognate fields. It then goes on to engage critically with past and present histories, disclosing assump- 20111 tions, biases and absences in architectural historiography. It concludes by exploring 1 the possibilities provided by new perspectives, and reframing the discipline in the 2 light of new parameters and problematics. 3 Featuring distinctive contributions from authors with a range of expertise on the 4 writing, teaching and practice of architectural history, this timely and internation- 5 ally relevant title reflects upon the current changes in historiographical practice. This 6 book explores potential openings that may contribute to further transformation of 7 the discipline and theories of architectural historiography, and addresses the current 8 question of the disciplinary particularity of architectural history. 9 30111 Dana Arnold is Professor of Architectural History and Director at the Centre for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, University of Southampton, UK. 1 2 Elvan Altan Ergut is Assistant Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of 3 Architecture at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. 4 5 Belgin Turan Özkaya is Associate Professor of Architectural History in the 6 Department of Architecture at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • Center 8 Research Reports and Record of Activities
    National Gallery of Art Center 8 Research Reports and Record of Activities ¢ am I, ~i.,r .~,4, I , ~, - ....... "It. ",2.'~'~.~D~..o~ ~', ~, : -- "-';"~-'~"'-" tl..~" '~ ' -- ~"' ',"' ." , ~. " ;-.2. ; -,, '6.~ h'.~ ~,,.'.~ II,,..~'.~..~.->'. "~ ;..~,,r~,; .,.z . - -~p__.~..i..... • , ". ~:;° ..' = : .... ..i ~ '- 3:.,'~<'~- i £ :--.-_ National Gallery of Art CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS Center 8 Research Reports and Record of Activities June 1987-May 1988 Washington, 1988 National Gallery of Art CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS Washington, D.C. 20565 Telephone: (202) 842-6480 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 20565. Copyright © 1988 Trustees of the National Gallery of Art, Washington. This publication was produced by the Editors Office, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Frontispiece: Thomas Rowlandson, Viewing at the Royal Academy, c. 1815, Paul Mellon Collection, Upperville, Virginia. CONTENTS General Information Fields of Inquiry 9 Fellowship Program 10 Facilities 12 Program of Meetings 13 Publication Program 13 Research Programs 14 Board of Advisors and Selection Committee 14 Report on the Academic Year 1987-1988 Board of Advisors 16 Staff 16 Architectural Drawings Cataloguing Project 16 Members 17 Meetings 21 Lecture Abstracts 32 Members' Research Reports Reports 38 ~llpJ~V~r ' 22P 'w x ~ i~ ~i!~i~,~ ~ ~ ~ ~!~,~!~!ii~!iii~ ~'~,i~ ~ ~ ~i~, ~ HE CENTER FOR AI)VANCED STUDY IN THE VISUAL ARTS was founded T in 1979, as part of the National Gallery of Art, to promote the study of history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, and urbanism through the formation of a community of scholars.
    [Show full text]
  • 236F, 237,238
    Index References followed by " f" are to figures . religion , 225 , 227 , 242 , 251 , 253 . See also church es, above Adams , John Quincy , 34 and " revelation ," 39 , 231 , 251 Advance , California , tent community , 344f . See also saying quoted , 224 Kaweah Colony site plans , 231 , 232 -233f , 236f , 237 , 238 , 240f , Agriculture . See also Land and natural resources ; 241f . 353 Landscape design and standardiza tion , 49 barn design , 92 , 94f , 95f vantage points , 43 , 44f communitarian , 15 , 16 , 18 , 25 villages , 225 , 236f , 237 -238 , 239f , 240f , 241f , 257f , Amana , 231 , 234f , 235f 365 con temporary , 323 warehouses and stores , 251 , 252 , 255f Fourierist (North American Phalanx ) , 16 , 25 , 154 , and women , 227 , 229 , 231 , 242 -243 , 361 . See also 159 , 161 , 183n .24 , 197 235f , 247f Llano del Rio , 293 , 299 woolen industry , 6 , 225 , 227 , 231 , 256f , 258n . 17 Mormon , 16 , 18 , 118 - 119 American Socialist , The ( Oneida newspaper ) , 24 , 35 Oneidan , 16 , 18 , 25 , 190 . 191 , 197 , 198 American Woman 's Home , The (Stowe ) , 25 . See also Shaker , 16 , 18 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 92 , 161 , 323 28f Union Colony , 16 , 40 , 266 , 270 , 272 , 273 , 278 , Andrews , Stephen Pearl , " Unitary Home " of , 16, 365 285 Angell , Truman , Sr., 142 irrigation and , 40 , 266 , 270 , 272 , 273 , 278 , 293 . See Arcadia , California , 3 also 264 -265f , 271f , 294f Archigram group , 339 , 340 and pastoralism , 14 , 15-16 , 66 , 75 , 111 , 332 Architecture . See also Design and construction ; Environment Albany . New York . 65 . 157 . 164 . 174 ; Housing ; Landscape design Allen , J. Madison , hexagonal block and grid by , 37f " architecture writes history ," 151 , 161 Almond ale , California , 292f , 293 barn , 92 , 94f , 95f Altruist , The (Saint Louis periodical ) , 181 Biblical descriptions , 34 , 68 , lID - Ill , 125 , 131 Altrurian Romances (Howelis ) , 261 vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Heaven on Earth in Medieval Europe: Material Expressions of an Immaterial Realm
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History 8-10-2021 Heaven on Earth in Medieval Europe: Material Expressions of an Immaterial Realm Christopher A. Tiegreen Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Recommended Citation Tiegreen, Christopher A., "Heaven on Earth in Medieval Europe: Material Expressions of an Immaterial Realm." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2021. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/87 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Heaven on Earth in Medieval Europe: Material Expressions of an Immaterial Realm by Chris Tiegreen Under the Direction of Nick Wilding, PhD A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2021 ABSTRACT The religious mind in medieval Latin Christianity was thoroughly preoccupied with heaven, not only as an afterlife destination but as a present reality just beyond the reach of physical senses. But material expressions of heaven could, in connecting with the senses, usher the soul into an experience of heaven’s realities, and many ecclesiastics, philosophers, architects, artists, musicians, city leaders, and utopian visionaries thought heaven’s realities had significant implications for life on earth. As a result, social hierarchies, the geometry of structures, the intervals of sacred music, the iconography of artists, the organization of sacred and civic space, and the words and rituals of the liturgy mimicked heavenly ideals in myriad ways.
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Anticipations of Utopia: Discovering an Architecture for Post-War Britain Matthew Latusek PhD in Architecture The University of Edinburgh 2016 Signed Declaration I declare that this thesis was composed by myself, that the work contained herein is my own except where explicitly stated otherwise in the text, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification except as specified. Signed: Date: 2 Abstract of Thesis This thesis responds to a growing appreciation for the richness and ambiguity of mid- century architectural culture in Britain. Initially focussing on the enthusiasm for a science-based approach among architects and town planners, the thesis identifies – in the diverse debates of the Second World War and immediate post-war years – an architecture that achieves significantly more than an abstract, inhuman, or totalising utopianism.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Revista de Estudios Globales y Arte Contemporáneo | Vol. 4 | Núm. 1 | 2016 | 1-17 Julia Ramírez Blanco University of Barcelona Spain INTRODUCTION Utopia seems to have been one of the culturally unconscious aspects of our society. If for a while its study was limited to literary traditions drawing on Thomas More, in recent years many authors have been updating and expanding the narrative about what constitutes the utopian tradition, incorporating fields such as art, architecture, performative practices, communities, and political movements. From the sphere of utopian studies, this type of analysis has been systematised, understanding the utopian impulse as a human element that has taken various forms. But, while this approach opens the space of what we can consider utopia, it sometimes continues granting a fundamental importance to texts, without always addressing some of the ambiguities and paradoxes that are put forward by the world of the image. Revista de Estudios Globales y Arte Contemporáneo ISSN: 2013-8652 online http://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/REGAC/index Literary utopias, popular utopias It is certainly undeniable that, as a word, “utopia” is born with a novel. When he published his Utopía,1 Thomas More was creating a new term that would enrich itself with meanings and polysemy over the following centuries. It has often been claimed that one of the triggers for More’s text was the recent invasion of the American continent and the numerous legends that were spread about its territories.2 Following the example of the English humanist, a whole tradition of authors set about writing treatises that generally described the voyage to a perfect place, where human beings had succeeded in perfecting collective government through the exercise of reason and ethics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Virtù of Architectural Invention
    THE VIRTÙ OF ARCHITECTURAL INVENTION: RHETORIC, INGEGNO, AND IMAGINATION IN FILARETE’S LIBRO ARCHITETTONICO Jonathan Powers School of Architecture McGill University, Montreal, Canada January 2014 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Jonathan Powers 2014 i All human creation occurs through the offices of love. This dissertation came to be under the aegis of the generosity, compassion, and encouragement of my wife, Heather Lee Mitchell Powers. I dedicate this work to her. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. x Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... xi Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................ xv Introduction: Architectural Excellence .................................................................................................... 1 Better Architecture through Better Patronage
    [Show full text]