The reception and study of Renaissance architecture in Great Britain, 1890-1914

The writing of Renaissance architectural history in the period 1890-1914 in Great Britain changed dramatically. Despite modernism's tenet of rejecting history from design, Renaissance architectural history in Great Britain functioned as both an alternative to and a source of inspiration for modernism. At first Renaissance architecture supplied a stylistic alternative to the Gothic Revival; then it acted as a bastion against modernist influences from the Continent. Finally, it provided a foundation of aesthetic principles applicable to modern design. With the advent of university programs in architecture, the writing of architectural history became more formalized, marking the beginning of architectural history's autonomy as a discipline and foreshadowing modernism's rejection of history from the design process. In my dissertation I analyze the perceptions and presentations of Renaissance architecture in order to investigate the relationship between history and design in architectural education, literature, and practice at the turn of the century in Great Britain. An analysis of architectural curricula, designs, and publications from this period reveals the development of an autonomous architectural history and the foundations of a modern architecture.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Wheeler, Katherine Jean

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Mark Jarzombek.

• Architecture.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38540

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/38540