CFP: The Professional Architect in Early Modern Europe (EAHN, 17-20
June 2010)

CALL FOR PAPERS:

1st International Meeting EAHN
European Architectural History Network
Guimarães, Portugal
17-20 June 2010

Deadline: 30 Oktober 2009

At the Crossroads of Painting, Mathematics and Cultural Change: The
Professional Architect in Early Modern Europe

Architecture as a profession is thought to have emerged in Early
Modern Europe, starting with the Italian Renaissance. This widely
accepted assumption remains under investigated, partly due to the
scant historical evidence. A number of studies have dealt with
particular aspects of the profession, especially related to the
changes in the socio-political context, such as patronage. Raphael's
workshop, for instance, due to the increased number of commissions,
has been seen as the new paradigm of artistic collaboration, including
architectural projects. Other studies have focused on the organization
of architectural workshops-cantieri of individual buildings, and the
relationships established among the different members of the work
force. Furthermore, the emergence of architectural theory, in the
treatises of Alberti, Francesco di Giorgio and Filarete, has been
considered as the gateway for transforming "building practice" to a
liberal art as well as an independent profession. Interestingly, the
exact relationship between theory and practice, including their
possible interaction, has not received sufficient consideration. The
lack of knowledge and full understanding of medieval building
practices further complicates the issue. The absence of architecture
as an autonomous profession or a separate field of theoretical
investigation during the Middle Ages points to its necessary
correlation to other practices/fields as its means of development in
the Early Modern Period. The obvious sister arts that architecture
could draw from appear to be painting/drawing and mathematics. We
believe that these relationships constitute the raw material upon
which further analysis can be based. Moreover, the practical aspect of
architecture, the building/design procedure, would require further
attention so as to better inform the analysis of the broader cultural
context.
In two sessions at the 2009 meeting of the Renaissance Society of
America, an international panel of scholars examined these issues, in
order to begin to formulate approaches that inspire further critical
study. This panel continues that dialogue and invites proposals that
investigate all aspects of the architectural profession in Early
Modern Europe.

Please send abstract of no more than one page and short CV by email to:

Dr. Berthold Hub
e-mail: berthold.hubgta.arch.ethz.ch
ETH Zurich, Institute for History and Theory of Architecture

Dr. Angeliki Pollali
e-mail: apollaliacgmail.gr
The American College of Greece

Deadline: 30 Oktober 2009

For more information on the conference, see:
http://www.eahn2010.org

For more information on the European Architectural History Network, see:
http://www.eahn.org