Renaissance Architecture on the Page

This seminar examines how architecture was conceived, represented, and disseminated through drawings, prints, and books in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Europe. Bringing together the study of manuscripts, architectural drawings, printed treatises, and reproductive media such as woodcuts, engravings, and etchings, the course investigates the central role of the page as a critical site of experimentation and the production of architectural knowledge in the Renaissance. By breaking down traditional divisions between media, it seeks to elucidate interconnected graphic and textual practices. It also aims to understand how the mediation of architecture on the page conditioned its reception across a range of contexts. The weekly seminar is structured thematically and roughly chronologically, and will consist of discussion of primary and secondary sources, an examination of visual material, and student presentations. We will also draw on a variety of critical theory while also being grounded in an object-based approach, utilizing especially the rich collections of Avery Library.