Between Antinomy and Symmetry. Architectural Drawings of Presentation and Comparison in the XVI Century

Abstract

As part of a wider enquiry on the historical typologies of architectural representation, this essay addresses a classification of XVI century architecture drawings that exploit the presence of one or more symmetry axes in the represented building. This kind of split drawings have never been studied as a specific group of works inspired by the specific peculiarities of buildings but only occasionally to mark a new role of architectural drawing. Actually, symmetry combined to orthogonal projections allowed the development of graphic procedures with peculiar goals. Initially restricted into the circle of artist and his assistants, they were gradually addressed to a wider audience. They show a diffuse attitude to draw or copy only half-building; to match interior with exterior; to combine distant elements from a building; to compare alternatives; to confront geometry and perspective effect. All of these practices deeply changed the visual code of architects, evolved the relationship between the artist and commitment; and improved the ability of ordinary people to understand partial and analytical drawings.