Books by Nicholas Temple
Architecture and the Language Debate: Artistic and Linguistic Exchanges in Early Modern Italy, 2020
This book examines the inter-relationships between language and architecture in early modern Ital... more This book examines the inter-relationships between language and architecture in early modern Italy, from the early 15th to the early 18th centuries. Focusing on the linguistic debates and architectural/artistic activities in Florence and Rome, the book evidences the rich cross-fertilisation of ideas between both areas, and how humanists, theologians, philosophers, artists and architects recognised the importance of buildings and urban spaces as communicative settings for vocal and gestural exchanges that drew upon a legacy of ancient and medieval literature, from Cicero to Dante. The book is divided into four historical periods: early 15th century (Early Renaissance), late 16th century (Late Renaissance), 17th century (Baroque) and early 18th century (beginnings of Neo-Classicism).
In the course of four centuries during the early modern period, the intersections between languag... more In the course of four centuries during the early modern period, the intersections between language and built form were gradually transformed. But such change, as this study demonstrates, was not straightforward and unidirectional, by discarding previous practices for the sake of new innovative or radical forms of expression and communication. Instead throughout the early modern period in Italy we witness re-interpretations and adaptations of earlier Medieval and Classical traditions, which in various ways returned to the debates of the early fifteenth century about written, oral and visual forms of communication (and their architectural and urban contexts) as the basis for religious and cultural reform. At the core of this 'inheritance' were the analogical relationships between 'word' and 'image', highlighted in Peter Carl's 'diagram' in the Introduction. Hence, a key strategy in this study has been to take the debates surrounding the meanings of language, and their appropriate forms of delivery, as the starting point for considering architectural, pictorial and urban developments
The search for a communicative structure of language in early modern Italy, which could inform as... more The search for a communicative structure of language in early modern Italy, which could inform aspects of both creative and intellectual life in poetry, painting and architecture, was accompanied by an equal search for a community of shared interests across disciplinary pursuits and linguistic priorities. We saw in the first chapter of this book how debates and exchanges among different groups of humanists, artists and architects, on issues relating to the relationships between oratory, writing, perspective and architectural meaning, were informed by a mixture of Classical and Medieval principles of language, exemplified in the legacies of such figures as Cicero and Dante. These debates, moreover, inspired a body of writing which was disseminated through the exchanges of the Respublica literaria, an emerging literary and artistic movement first inaugurated by Petrarch and others in the late Middle Ages as a renovatio literarium et artium, and later cultivated by the likes of Aldo Manuzio in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries through his famous and highly productive printing press in Venice. 1 By the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, however, we witness a transition from the broadly humanistic concerns of the Respublica literaria to the libertarian ethos of the "République des Lettres" 2 ; a reforming movement of literary and linguistic exchanges that became the provenance of French intellectual life, but also exerted a powerful influence on the literary, artistic and architectural activities in Italy. At the heart of late seventeenth and early eighteenth-century developments in the Republic of Letters was a reaction against the perceived excesses of the Baroque period, particularly relating to the use of hyperbole; a form of figurative rhetoric that intentionally exaggerates poetic evocation and artistic representation. In the previous chapter we saw examples of its use in both artistic and architectural projects, for example in the famous frescoes of the Apotheosis of St Ignatius by 3 Andrea Pozzo in Rome and Apollo and the Continents by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in Würzburg. 3
geological, geographical, religious, artistic and linguistic material was sent by missionaries fr... more geological, geographical, religious, artistic and linguistic material was sent by missionaries from different regions of the world, to be analysed and ordered according to various categories of knowledge. Importantly, the advent of this globalising perspective in the seventeenth century was framed by what M. Slaughter argues was a cross-pollination between developments in scientific knowledge and the quest for a universal language. 9
Architecture and the Language Debate: Artistic and Linguistic Exchanges in Early Modern Italy (to be published by Rourledge in March 2020), 2020
The authored book examines the intersections between architecture, urban space and language in ea... more The authored book examines the intersections between architecture, urban space and language in early modern Italy, from the early 15th century to the early 18th century. Tracing these exchanges in both Florence and Rome, the study highlights how developments in architecture were entangled in debates concerning the role and meaning of language; that the communicative dimensions of both physical and pictorial space served as symbolic and visual registers of aural and written forms of communication. The study examines these relationships during four critical periods in the history of Italian culture; the Early Renaissance, the Late Renaissance, the Baroque and the early 18th century.
Early Quattrocento Florence provides a rich and fertile period in which to explore the complex in... more Early Quattrocento Florence provides a rich and fertile period in which to explore the complex interrelationships between architecture and language at the end of the Middle Ages. Underlying the dialogues and debates that flourished during this time, between architects, artists, humanists and theologians, were a series of themes or topics which exerted an important influence on both creative and scholarly work, most importantly: 1) the status of Latin and the Tuscan dialect in Florentine society; 2) the communicative dimensions of the written (recorded) word, and their relationships to pictorial and architectural representation; and 3) modes of exchange between spoken word, gesture and vision in pictorial and urban space. All these issues gave rise to interconnected artistic, humanistic and theological initiatives, such as the writing of treatises, the commissioning of buildings and public works, and the delivery of speeches and sermons. This chapter will examine aspects of these different pursuits, with the aim of shedding new light on how developments in architecture and pictorial space, which paralleled linguistic debates, provided an effective framework (and a shared focus) for articulating verbal, visual and spatial relationships.
The Festa della Chinea, which roughly translates as ‘Festival of the Wandering Nag’, was a histor... more The Festa della Chinea, which roughly translates as ‘Festival of the Wandering Nag’, was a historic festival held in Rome bi-annually until the late 18th century (1788), in which the viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples was required to pay his homage to the pope. This entailed, among other things, the offering of a white horse (‘nag’) that formed part of a procession through the streets of Rome. The destination of the procession was the Basilica of St Peters, where the horse was traditionally allowed to roam within the basilica before finally being guided to the cathedra of the pontiff for a formal blessing. The peculiarity of this festival has never really been properly explained. By the early 18th century it gave rise to the most elaborate ephemeral constructions in the city, culminating in a huge firework display in the Piazza Farnese, the location of the embassy of the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples and Sicily from the late 17th century. In this paper, I will examine the Festa della Chinea in the context of the tradition of festivals in Rome, tracing changes in the symbolic and ceremonial meanings of these extravagant events with specific focus on equine and water symbolism. As one of the oldest festivals in Rome, which was held annually over a period of about 600 years, the Festa della Chinea provides a rich source of material about how such events were celebrated and understood, both by the organisers and the spectators.
An in-depth investigation of Grosseteste's relationship to the medieval cathedral at Lincoln and ... more An in-depth investigation of Grosseteste's relationship to the medieval cathedral at Lincoln and the surrounding city. The architecture and topography of Lincoln Cathedral are examined in their cultural contexts, in relation to scholastic philosophy, science and cosmology, and medieval ideas about light and geometry, as highlighted in the writings of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln Cathedral in the thirteenth century. The book explores Grosseteste's ideas in the broader context of medieval and Renaissance cosmologies, optics and perspective, natural philosophy and experimental science, along with issues such as the policies of the bishop in governance and education. The book contributes to the broader understanding of the relations between architecture and cultural issues. Edited with Nicholas Temple and Christian Frost, with essays by Nicholas Bennett, Nicholas Temple, Cecilia Panti, Jack Cunningham, John Hendrix, Noe Badillo, Dalibor Vesely, Christian Frost and Allan Doig.
Noé Badillo is an architectural historian and theorist, whose research focuses on the area of opt... more Noé Badillo is an architectural historian and theorist, whose research focuses on the area of optical theory in architecture, and the correlation between architecture and the philosophy of science. He is also a professional artist, who has exhibited internationally in museums and galleries. He holds a BFA in studio art, and an MA in art history from the University of Arizona. In 2012, he wed his wife Elizabeth and most recently became the proud father of his son, Griffin Augustine. He currently teaches art and art history at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.
The arguments presented in this book demonstrate a rich and varied exchange of ideas between arch... more The arguments presented in this book demonstrate a rich and varied exchange of ideas between architectural practice, research and education. They indicate, from a range of perspectives and areas of interest, the central importance of academic research and studio teaching in the development of an approach to architectural practice. Conversely, they also present examples where the processes of design in architectural practice provide a productive generator of ideas for research work and studio teaching. Such cross-fertilizations, moreover, are not so much a question of applying a theory or ideological position to a particular design problem, as some would advocate. Rather, as we have seen in many instances, the relationship is more ambiguously an issue of orientation with regard to a set of issues revealed through a given situation or cultural context. Critically, this approach is informed by an understanding of research which is, first and foremost, a creative task that is always implicated in some way in design thinking, rather than deemed a separate intellectual concern from the activity of making physical spaces.
Papers by Nicholas Temple
(forthcoming) Micrologus, 2021
In this paper I will revisit the debates surrounding Lorenzo Ghiberti’s approach to ‘perspectivis... more In this paper I will revisit the debates surrounding Lorenzo Ghiberti’s approach to ‘perspectivist’ optics, with the aim of shedding new light on the complex intersections between the new developments in pictorial space and the traditions of Medieval optics in early fifteenth century Florence. My aim, however, is not to examine these influences in the context of the techniques and methods of pictorial construction, which have been done by others, but rather to consider broader cultural, artistic and theological issues underlying the relationships between perspectivus naturalis and perspectivus artificialis, that Ghiberti recognised and drew upon in his own work.
This paper was presented at a roundtable debate at a conference in Dundee in November 2019 (Archi... more This paper was presented at a roundtable debate at a conference in Dundee in November 2019 (Architecture and Collective Life). The theme of the debate concerned the future of the architectural humanities. In my paper, entitled 'The Humanities in Crisis: Architecture’s ‘Fate’ in an Age of Radical Change', I consider how the future relevance and viability of the humanities in architectural education and research will depend on its capacity to inform our understanding of ecological issues. This centres on a premise, highlighted in Bruno Latour's book 'Facing Gaia', that we need to critically re-evaluate the relationship between 'culture' and 'nature' in the contemporary technological world. I argue that architecture and the built environment form a central 'pivot' in this problematic relationship which I explore in a historical context. The paper reflects a growing interest in the contribution of the architectural humanities in deepening knowledge of our relationship to the 'natural order' at a time of environmental catastrophe. My intention is that this subject will form the basis of a more extensive research project.
This unpublished paper was presented at the AHRA (Architectural Humanities Research Association) ... more This unpublished paper was presented at the AHRA (Architectural Humanities Research Association) conference in Dundee in November 2019 (Architecture and Collective Life). I presented the paper in a session that explored architectural and urban responses to the competitiveness of commercial life. My paper examines mercantile life in Renaissance Florence, and how palaces and public spaces provided situations for productive and creative negotiation in a highly competitive environment. This initial study serves as a comparison to the commercial/corporate environment of contemporary London and its architectural and urban manifestations. I refer to a project in Westminster by Lynch Architects that demonstrates the possibilities of invoking a sense of civic identity in the fractured corporate world of business districts, drawing upon historic models of 'uffizi' to counteract the placelessness of many commercial spaces.
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Books by Nicholas Temple
Papers by Nicholas Temple