Activities per year
Abstract
Broken and salvaged bricks were employed since Imperial Roman times as a key ingredient in opus caementicium. In the 16th century, broken bricks, by then known as tevolozza, constituted a primary material in cortina (curtain) wall construction. It was not until the 17th century, however, that the brick left-over was transformed into spatial expressions in their own right, appearing particularly in the architecture of Francesco Borromini, who used the fragmented and broken brickwork to explore new solutions in form and plastic space. Covered with a thin layer of marble dust and lime stucco, tevolozza is the critical apparatus concealed beneath his well-known use of geometry and symbolism. This paper argues that Borromini's use of broken bricks was not just a practical building solution, as it had been a century before him. Rather, the implementation of tevolozza had a fundamental agency in conceiving an innovative architecture that relied on continuity, supple light, and inflected space.
Original language | English |
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Publication date | 11 Nov 2021 |
Publication status | Published - 11 Nov 2021 |
Event | Early Modern Rome 4 - Early Modern Rome, Rome, Italy Duration: 11 Nov 2021 → 13 Nov 2021 https://earlymodernrome.org |
Conference
Conference | Early Modern Rome 4 |
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Location | Early Modern Rome |
Country/Territory | Italy |
City | Rome |
Period | 11/11/2021 → 13/11/2021 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- Francesco Borromini
- re-use
- brick history
- Architectural design practice
- stucco
- baroque
Artistic research
- No
Activities
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Architekturgeschichte(n): Historische Bauten im Diskurs
Jonathan Foote (Speaker)
13 Mar 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Lecture and oral contribution
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Det Danske Institut i Rom
Jonathan Foote (Visiting researcher)
1 Apr 2022 → 30 Apr 2022Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution
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Early Modern Rome 4
Jonathan Foote (Speaker)
11 Nov 2021 → 13 Nov 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organisation and participation in conference
Research output
- 1 Journal article
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Borromini's Smudge
Foote, J., 15 Nov 2022, In: Drawing Matter Journal. 2, p. 1-28 28 p.Publications: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile
Projects
- 1 Finished