There are many interesting periods throughout history. One of the well-known historical periods was Renaissance. The Renaissance has had a large impact on society in a multitude of ways. It has been instrumental in shaping our cultural outlook and various ways of artistic expression such as music, painting, writing, and, of course— architecture. Andrew Palladio, an Italian architect, introduced the ideas of palaces and villas in his designs. Many writers documented his work into words, providing the opportunities for later generations to look to the past for insights and inspirations. However, each writer develops his or her unique style, voice, diction, which fits different audiences and leads them to having varying interpretations. The following essay will illustrate how Palladio’s Villa Rotonda was being written by four authors Howard Burns, Francis Ching, Andrea Palladio, and Rudolf Wiittkower. They convey the messages to readers through their approaches, using their own language to achieve a certain effect.
One point which is considered to be vital in writings is its ability to capture audiences’ attention. In order to understand, human brains have to focus on specific information. Attention helps us screen out the irrelevant information and select the important ones stay in our awareness. As a result, it is important that writers make sure the content is appealing. In book Guido Beltramini and Howard Burns, Burns stated:
There was other advantages: the country was healthier than the town, especially in summer, and offered the possibility of physical exercise, recognized as healthy and necessary for landowners who were also professional soldiers. Hunting enriched the table. For a cultivated owner, the villa provided a context for music-making, study, entertainment of friends or patrons, while for those with heterodox ideas, the opportunity to practice and discuss their religion in private.
In this quotation, Burns chose to demonstrate not only architectural details, but also show economic, educational, entertaining aspects, allowing readers to take a glimpse of residents’ everyday life and to be interested in the subject. Considering our minds are selective, writers sometimes provoke the curiosity by providing a bit of information. Once the readers get into it, they will want to find out more and fill in the missing information, which Burns has successfully achieved.
While it cannot be denied that writing in this way might result in less detailed content and the lack of consistency, making vague and unfocused thesis. As a result, some writers tend to produce work that contains more technical terminology suited to professional audiences. In A Global History of Architecture, Ching wrote:
It is symmetrical around both axes and stands on the top of a low hill artificially enhanced with retaining walls. The building’s plan centred on a rotunda—originally planned with an open oculus—with identical suites of rooms at each of the four corners. Each of the facades had a temple front. The villa is elevated on a basement that is disguised by its stairs.
Ching, as an architecture and design graphics writer, he used the more precise and informative languages for readers to generate visual images. Unlike Burn’s approach, this allows audiences to have a better understanding of building’s structure rather than the social content. Additionally, his use of references to books by Palladio, Alberti and Sergio further enhance the credibility and persuasiveness.
Similarly, we can see the techniques being used in Wittkower’s work as well. He referenced Palladio’s remark at the beginning of the writing.
However, not only did he use it to establish credibility, but he also brought out his personal thoughts and assumptions:
He makes this statement in a definite context, but it may be generalized, and we shall now try to explore how Palladio interpreted the universal precepts of architecture. The villas in particular lend themselves to such an investigation. For the planning of his villas and palaces he followed certain rules from which he never departed.
Wittkower took a more subjective approach to analyze Palladio and his work instead of providing facts and statistics. Compared with Ching’s and Wittkower’s work, the former demonstrates the observation of certain objects whereas the letter reveals his own interpretation towards Palladio’s work, expressing his feelings, opinions, and judgments. In addition, his use of interrogative sentence is quite effective. He wrote, “What was in Palladio’s mind when he experimented over and over again with the same elements? Once he had found the basic geometric pattern for the problem ‘villa,’ he adapted it as clearly and as simply as possible to the special requirements of each commission.” Wittkower added in his opinions after asking a question, which illustrates the effectiveness of sentence structures used for dramatic effect.
Not surprisingly, the architect Palladio himself also documented his own work. Unlike other authors, Palladio introduced the context and inspiration of Villa Rotonda, informing readers how did he start off building one of the best-known legacies to the architectural world. It is also interesting to note that in Palladio’s The Four Books on Architecture, he remarks:
The site is one of the most pleasing and delightful that one could find because it is on top of a small hill which is east to ascend; on one side it is bathed by the Bacchigliune, a navigable river, and on there other is surrounded by other pleasant hills which resemble a vast theatre and are completely cultivated and abound with wonderful fruit and excellent vines.
The quotation demonstrates the subjective bias through the use of positives words such as pleasing, delightful, wonderful, and excellent. This is basically attributed to the fact that Palladio is the creator of this building, and it is inevitable for him to filter out the less appealing parts and present his best.
Historians construct a compelling narrative that makes sense of the evidence they have gathered without forcing the facts to fit into a predetermined analytical structure. And thanks to their attribution, we are able to gain knowledge reading their work. There are some similarities and significant differences among Burns’, Ching’s, Wittkower’s, and Palladio’s work while they all contributed to the work with their unique approach, and dressed up their writing style to fit the specific context, purpose, or audience. Diction, tone, sentence structure, and the writer’s voice— they help us receive informations from all points of views, broadening our horizon across time and space.
Biobiogrophy
Andrea Palladio, The Four Books on Architecture (Cambridge, Mass: MIT, 1997) 94-95.
Francis Ching, Mark Jarzombek and Vikramaditya Prakash, A Global History of Architecture (Hoboken,
NJ: Wiley, 2007), 491-492.
Howard Burns, “Designing a Villa,” in: Palladio, ed. Guido Beltramini and Howard Burns (London:
Royal Academy of the Arts, 2008), 100-103.
Rudolf Wittkower, Architecture in the Age of Humanism (London: Academy Editions 1973 [1949]),
70-75.