Resumen de Aesthetic Formalism in Renaissance Architectural Theory
An article based on a paper presented at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in April 2002. The writer argues that Renaissance architectural theorists relied on formal aesthetic judgments, independent from meanings ascribed to architectural works and their parts. He discusses the views of various theorists, including Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Andrea Palladio, who relied on the assumption of such a power of judgment of formal properties contemplated through visual imagery; Leon Battista Alberti, who described this power of judgment; and Daniele Barbaro, who explained its functioning in the context of the contemporary understanding of human cognitive processes. The writer concludes that the Renaissance theorists' enthusiasm that such judgments are universal or based on an inborn ability needs to be taken into account when attempts are made to reconstruct their views.
