Architectural Research Tangent - Villa Rotunda and Flickr chats

November 12, 2009 | 2 Comments


Ten years ago I started reading history of architecture books (starting with Renaissance) in order to develop an appreciation of classical architecture which was certainly not encouraged during my architectural education (history really started with Le Corb and FLW). The goal, which I set myself, was to be able to distinguish the different styles of Gothic cathedrals and to learn to like Baroque architecture which I absolutely hated at the time!?! Little did I know that I would discover Amazon and then develop an extensive personal library of books and really get into history and theory in a big way – in particular Baroque and Borromini!

The sketches and research that I did post 2000 trip to the UK was a major personal project and posting some of them – along with Maarten’s comments on my Flickr got me back in that mood.

This is a journal page that I have done to record the questions and thoughts going around in my head the last few days and the books that I have taken off my shelf to look up references to Vanbrugh’s work at Castle Howard and how it ties in with Palladio and Palladianism in England. This is not my full collection of books on this subject but it is a start. The list is a bit abbreviated and not sure if anyone will be able to read it.

Before Flickr I didn’t have anyone that would understand my interest in this – but I know at least one of my Flickr friends loves Wittkowers book! Not sure if I will have time to go down this tangent further (still have almost 3 complete sketchbooks to scan and post) but….for those of you that will understand Colin Rowe’s ‘Mathematics of the Ideal Villa’ was one of the most inspirational articles I read as a university student and if studying Palladio was good enough for Le Corbusier…it is worth it for me!

A bit too much of an essay today… Sorry! BTW the pile of books was done with lexington grey noodlers ink in a pentel waterbrush (idea from Roger Urban Sketcher)


Lots of fun discussions on my Flickr version of this image here


and it was in response to Maarten’s sketch and limerick here


 

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