January 6, 2022 – Andrea Palladio: Still the Eternal Contemporary?

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Speaker: Dr. Guido Beltramini
Interlocutor: Charles Hind

Palladio earned his living by drawing. He thought and created with drawing, and through drawing he communicated with patrons, builders and readers. Examining Palladian drawings means setting off on a journey of exploration. In some cases, Palladian drawings seem to be an x-ray of the architect’s mind, as he puts his thoughts to paper, combines ideas and considers alternatives. In other sheets the drawings are a means of communication, at times even of seduction, given that – unlike painters and sculptors – architects depend on other people to realise their projects. But the drawings also tell another story. Today we know that Palladio went through life in a very different way from the image promulgated in subsequent centuries of the unchallenged genius and artisan-like deity who, in Greek philosophy, fashions and arranges the physical world to make it conform to a rational and eternal idea. On the contrary, his difficult career was at times beset with failure and disappointments, and many projects remained ‘paper architecture’. Looking at Palladio through his drawings enables us also to tell the story of his setbacks and not only of the successes of his splendid buildings. In this sense, by gaining greater insight, we really can feel that we have come ‘closer to the master’.