Papers by Matthew A. Cohen
Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration, 2018
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Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration, 2018
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Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration, 2018
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San Lorenzo: A Florentine Church, 2017
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Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2008
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Appendices containing surveys and survey methodologies.
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Books by Matthew A. Cohen
Prior to the advent of modern structural engineering, architects and builders used proportional s... more Prior to the advent of modern structural engineering, architects and builders used proportional systems to imbue their works with a general condition of order that was integral to notions of beauty and structural stability. These mostly invisible intellectual frameworks ranged from simple grids and symbolic numbers, to sly manipulations of geometry and numbers that required privileged knowledge and arithmetical calculations to access. Since the origins of architectural history, proportional systems have served as objects of belief and modes of iconographical communication. Whether they are capable of fulfilling more tangible functions remains a matter of debate today, but as the contributors to this volume show, these ancient and diverse belief systems continue to infiltrate architectural thinking in subtle and sometimes surprising ways today.
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The notion that numerical proportional systems contribute to the serene, orderly appearance of th... more The notion that numerical proportional systems contribute to the serene, orderly appearance of the basilica of San Lorenzo has long stood as a virtual axiom of architectural history. In this book, Matthew A. Cohen challenges this and other longstanding preconceptions about proportional systems in the history of architecture. Using Brunelleschi's basilicas of San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito as case studies, the author reveals multi-layered, late medieval proportional systems through his analysis of building measurements that he recorded from scaffolding, other observations of the built fabric, and a variety of documentary sources. The proportional analysis is continually explored in light of late medieval developments in mathematics and measuring systems, and in light of modern scholarly theories of proportion. In particular, this book provides an alternative understanding of medieval and Renaissance proportional systems in response to Rudolf Wittkower’s influential writings on this subject. It furthermore uses proportional analysis as a form of historical evidence to shed new light on difficult questions of authorship and construction histories. This book presents a rigorous new observation-based approach to an important but little studied area of architectural history with wide applicability. Winner of the James Ackerman Award in the History of Architecture.
If you enjoy this book, please help out the James Ackerman Award program by buying a copy, available here: https://www.palladiomuseum.org/shop/2 , or through second party retailers.
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Book Reviews by Matthew A. Cohen
Harvard University Graduate School of Design Alumni Updates, 2019
Review article on Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration... more Review article on Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration (Leiden University Press, 2018)
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WSU Insider, 2019
Review article on Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration... more Review article on Proportional Systems in the History of Architecture: A Critical Reconsideration (Leiden University Press, 2018)
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Conference Presentations by Matthew A. Cohen
SAH Virtual Conference (Seattle), 2020
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Papers by Matthew A. Cohen
Books by Matthew A. Cohen
If you enjoy this book, please help out the James Ackerman Award program by buying a copy, available here: https://www.palladiomuseum.org/shop/2 , or through second party retailers.
Book Reviews by Matthew A. Cohen
Conference Presentations by Matthew A. Cohen
If you enjoy this book, please help out the James Ackerman Award program by buying a copy, available here: https://www.palladiomuseum.org/shop/2 , or through second party retailers.