History and Theory of Architecture I

Abstract

Introduction and overview of the history and theory of architecture from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. The course covers the chronology and key works, protagonists and discourses of early modern European architecture.‘Fundamentals for the History and Theory of Architecture I-II’ provides a practical introduction to the methods and instruments of the history of art and architecture.

Objective

1. Acquiring basic knowledge of the history and theory of architecture during the early modern period, of its key protagonists and discourses and of the methods and instruments of architectural research. 2. Identifying the main architectural issues and debates of the period and recognising the places and architectural works covered in the course. 3. Acquiring the tools to develop a historically informed reading of the built environment, recognising debates, styles, ideas and problems which drive and inform architectural production. 4. Developing the tools to draw on historical, theoretical and critical research to the benefit to one's own architectural culture.

Content

The course ‘History and Theory of Architecture I-II’ offers a chronological and thematic survey of early modern architecture and architectural theory produced in Europe from the 15th up to 19th century. The course is based on thematic lectures, analysing key European architectural works, texts and iconography. Themes will include the origin of the Vitruvian tradition in architectural theory and practice and its dissemination in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries; the mediatisation of architectural principles through the development of book production during the 16th century; the development of divergent theories of architectural composition and design in Italy and France between the 16th and 17th centuries; the formation and international spread of religious symbolism through architecture; analyses of original design practices, such as in the case of Michelangelo; a study of building types, such as the palazzo and the villa, and their codification by architects like Andrea Palladio; debates over questions of beauty and ornament, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries; questions of patronage and the relationship between architecture and political and religious powers (e.g. the French Monarchy and the Roman Papacy); the relation between buildings and their urban setting in the development of European capitals like Rome, Paris and Berlin; historicism and attitudes towards the past in architectural styles. In addition to the main lectures, the course ‘History and Theory of Architecture I-II’ will also include a series of seminars, called ‘Small Narratives’. These seminars are meant to widen the scope of the programme by exploring case studies, such as buildings and ruins in Zurich, which relate and contribute to the content of the course. While content of the ‘Small Narratives’ seminars is not part of the exam, students are invited to make use of it for their study, and attendance is compulsory. The course ‘Fundamentals of the History and Theory of Architecture I-II’ aims to explore and develop basic methods and strategies to research the history of art and architecture. It consists of four parts, each developed under one of the four Chairs of the gta, and each dealing with a particular area of study in the field of architecture and art history. The course will consist of four different exercises and tasks, carried out under the supervision of each of the four Chairs throughout the year: 1. Architecture and books (M. Delbeke) 2. Architecture and media (L. Stalder) 3. Architecture and art (P. Ursprung) 4. Urbanism and the Commons (T. Avermaete)

Resources