Intellectual Ventriloquism | On Semantics in Modern Architecture
Reapplications of Andrew Holder's Method of Analysis in "Notes on More"
This Substack is by David Perrine. I write about architecture, aesthetics, design theory, and philosophy. I share new posts bi-weekly. If you enjoy my work, please consider subscribing.
Intellectual Ventriloquism is the act of discussing one concept through the analysis of another. The intent is not to compare and contrast two ideas, but to use one idea as a mouthpiece, simply to build a better understanding of a seemingly unrelated topic. The first mention I’ve heard of this method of analysis was in Andrew Holder’s “Notes of More” published in Harvard GSD’s “Shelf Life” no. 43 — F/W 2016. In this essay, Holder discusses contemporary notions of “More” in architecture through the formal analysis of Rococo chapels and ornamentation. Holder mentions that the usefulness of this method is, in his opinion… up to interpretation?? — His specific wording was:
“Whether or not this attempt succeeds as something other than vague grandiosity depends on the credulity of the reader”.
This post will be my attempt at the same process, but we will be discussing the conceptual, semantic, and rhetorical qualities of Modern architecture through examples of Gothic architecture. I chose this application of his method because I had written compare and contrast essay on Modernist art museums and Gothic cathedrals while studying for my Bachelors degree in Architecture at The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. I felt it was time to reexamine this topic under a new mode of analysis. I hope you find something interesting about this experiment beyond its vague grandiosity.
The value of this experiment lies in our collectively flawed interpretation of Modernist architecture. Many understand its large dogmatic following, but don’t understand the extent and which this dogma was defended. Modernist architecture also gets a good wrap in contemporary academia as being ‘human focused’ and attempting to solve societal issues using today’s technology. I think these ideas are simultaneously misleading and distracting, and that framing Modern architecture in terms of its more Gothic characteristics will help us to understand it more accurately. The primary argument made in this post is that modern architecture is first and foremost a rhetorical machine lacking any sense of aesthetic consideration. Speaking of these characteristics through gothic architecture will help the reader understand the weight at which this rhetoric was intended to communicate and should be taken seriously. Modernist architecture is the result of an anti-aesthetic, conceptual, economic, driven society. This is why most design-y architecture programs around the world study works of architecture before 1929 and after 1968 often ignoring what happened in-between.
As you read the following paragraphs about Gothic architecture, let you mind think of each points relation to the International Style and understand that the intent is to discuss the meanings of concepts of Modernist architecture through the Gothic.
Enjoy..
Gothic architecture, especially cathedrals, was implemented internationally regardless of the climate or cultural context of the location for several reasons. One implicit reason was the belief that the typology had been perfected. There were always relatively minor changes from cathedral to cathedral across different cities to incorporate the building into its urban landscape. These changes were made only to reconcile the idealistic design with the imperfect site on which it was built or to make minor accommodations based on factors such as available materials and builder preferences. However, the cathedral still required violent conformity and bent the cultures in which it was placed to its will. Below is a juxtaposition of Reims Cathedral with Notre Dame. they are practically indistinguishable at first glance.
Cathedrals are rigorously practical and centrally planned, designed to meet liturgical and communal needs. The central and axial organization ensures that the altar is visible from the entirety of the interior space. The layout is almost completely open, aside from a small network of back-of-house servant spaces, accommodating processions and large congregations efficiently. In the clerestory section of such churches, less material is required, allowing for large windows that maximize natural light to the interior of the building.
Cathedrals are incredibly flexible spaces. They were designed to function as universal community spaces capable of serving a variety of functions beyond merely being places of religious assembly. The rhythmic sea of columns was arranged to accommodate activities such as markets, town meetings, and providing shelter from the elements in times of need. Even today, cathedrals are often repurposed for other architectural programs without significant intervention. These reuses include museums, concert halls, academic spaces, recreational centers, and even single-family homes.
The construction of cathedrals was not merely for religious assembly or community use. In many cases, cathedrals were constructed for their rhetorical messages. These interventions were acts of architectural assertion, conceived to communicate wealth, relevance, and status. Often, cathedrals were the tallest structures in the cities in which they were built, and legislation was passed to guarantee this. Additionally, the construction of these buildings was an act of cultural or political imposition, designed to enforce a specific religious order and aesthetic sensibility upon the local population. The most egregous example of this was the construction of the Cordeba Cathedral directly inside of the city’s Mosque. See photo below.
Gothic cathedrals prominently display their structural elements as an aesthetic tool. Ribbed vaults, buttresses, and arches remain functional, but were often manipulated to speak of their structural utility. Many of the ribbed vaults were ornamental and didn’t carry much structural load. Large stone columns were carved to visually read as a bundle of smaller columns working together. The structural elements served not just as practical elements but also rhetorical ones, speaking to a commitment to functionality, despite being somewhat ornamental.
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Thanks for the introduction to a new concept.