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Columns & Capitals
“The column is a mediator, a support, and a structuring element at the same time. Resembling the trunk of a tree, in early cultures, the column was associated with the “column of life”, and combined firmitas - the capability of supporting - with venustas, the elegance of the body. It acts as a mediator between heaven and earth, top and bottom, and if placed in a row as a colonnade, such a row looks like a “holed wall” (Alberti), a type of perforated wall that allows one to look into another space, opening the view.
Together with its crown - the capital - the column forms a unity that symbolizes growth, unfolding and confinement. Comparing the column with the human body was a key aspect of Greek architecture. Set in relation to the shaft, the capital plays a similar role to that of the head to the body. This reference to the head is implicit in the etymology of the capital, which comes from capitulum, meaning “small head”. Another relevant reference, from Egyptian times onwards, is that of a plant or tree, which symbolizes the natural capacity to grow and to unfold, combining dynamics with proportion and order.”
Together with its crown - the capital - the column forms a unity that symbolizes growth, unfolding and confinement. Comparing the column with the human body was a key aspect of Greek architecture. Set in relation to the shaft, the capital plays a similar role to that of the head to the body. This reference to the head is implicit in the etymology of the capital, which comes from capitulum, meaning “small head”. Another relevant reference, from Egyptian times onwards, is that of a plant or tree, which symbolizes the natural capacity to grow and to unfold, combining dynamics with proportion and order.”
51 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2021
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