Virginia Polytech Institute and State University
Aldo Rossi An Influence on Post-Modernism
Jessica Zapata History of interiors I ITDS 3125/ Art 3004 Dr. Marilyn Castro November 2, 2017
ALDO ROSSI I. INTRODUCTION A. What is Architectural Design? II. BIOGRAPHY A. Childhood B. Education III. POST-MODERNISM A. Definition and Inferences B. Criticism III. WORKS A. Cemetery of San Cataldo i. Post-modern Drawing Style ii. Architecture B. Funerary Chapel i. Compare to Cemetery of San Cataldo ii. Symbolism C. Carlo Felice Theater i. Mixing Old and New ii. Rossi’s Patterns D. Cento Torri Shopping Center E. Monumental Arch F. Art Gallery IV. CONCLUTION
Architecture is the makeup of cultural, technological, and historical influences that are then applied to construction methodologies. This produces rich and specialized conceptual designs that become associated with a specific time. Recognition that pyramids are associated with ancient Egypt or that the arch is a predominately Roman feature are just a few examples of how design speaks to a time. However, design is not simply an obvious outward appearance. Architecture speaks to the mind and is also a source of visual dynamism. Therefore, when architects’ aims are to evoke a message or feeling in a building, they tend to pull design inspiration and knowledge from earlier works. In order to achieve said goal, architects pull from established designs to evoke an idea. This is the case for architects of the post-modernism movement whose goal was to bring back the simplicity and logic evident in the classical architecture while continuing with a modernist approach. One architect at the forefront of this movement is Aldo Rossi, widely accepted as a contributor to post–modernism and whose works are worth studying to decipher how the past influences the future. Aldo Rossi was born May 3rd, 1931 in Milan, a city known today as one of Europe’s most profound design and fashion hubs.1 However, in 1939 the country was shaken by the onset of World War II and Milan’s rich culture and beautiful design was all together forgotten. The turmoil and destruction of the war not only left buildings and cities devastated but also left architects with the monumental task of reconstructing everything. This surely impacted Rossi’s budding views on architecture and its practical purpose. When the war ultimately came to a close Rossi continued his education pursuits and attended the Milan Polytechnic University up until 1959 when he successfully earned his degree in architecture.1 Rossi did not become a renowned
architect right away but rather built up his prestige until it became recognized later in his career. Therefore, upon graduating his first job was serving as “editor of the Architectural magazine Casabella” which he did from 1955 to 1964.1 Two years later in 1966 he published his first book entitled “The Architecture of the City” in which he, “assigned classifications that described specific urban phenomena and posited precise terms for analyzing changes in urban structures”.3 Rossi’s growing views on architectural design did not come into fruition until 1971 when he was involved in an auto accident. His injuries were quite serious to a point that “he was painfully aware of his bones and their displacement”.6 This got him thinking about a body in relation to a city and how the fragments of both, bone and building, where essential parts needing to be “arranged in a logical framework” for the whole to function.6 This revelation was possibly the only positive outcome from the accident for, as Rossi wrote in his published journal entitled A Scientific Autobiography, it served as a transition from his youth and inspired his mature views on architecture.1 Rossi developed an interest in city planning when he began to consider breaking down the city and reconstructing it into what he envisioned a flowing metropolis to be. “Rossi sought to identify the specific nature of the forces acting upon the city,” which strongly contrasted modernist views of the time. 3 During this period approaches in architecture were often very lack-luster and positioned the functionality of a single space over the design of a building in relation to the town or city it was a part of. Rossi believed in and admired “the continuity and progressive evolution of modernism and elaborates a concept of function that includes broadly construed criteria such as societal, psychological, and historical”.3 Modernist architects had only addressed issues
present in the city and were creating buildings from the ground up rather than observing historically established benefits the city already possessed. Referring to historical methods of city planning and architecture is, in Rossi’s opinion, the best way to create a city.4 Rossi also deemed that there is a continuity to architecture that should not be ignored but reworked into innovation.4 Rossi’s method of design was to pull successful ideas from the past and rewrite them to agree with cityscapes at the time. These ideas can be condensed into a single quote by Rossi which reads, “The basic principles of an architectural style, once they have been created, exist over long periods of time and are capable of development”.4 This is the basic definition of post modernism. The adaption of past cultures, beliefs, and works that are compiled to send a message that speaks new familiarity.4 Post-modernism, which really started to emerge in the 1950s and 1960s, is defined by Graham Livesey as, “a movement that sought to reconnect with the history and theory of architecture”.5 Several architects, including Rossi, were well versed and eloquent writers at the time, on top of being really innovative designers, and so had some of their written works published. These published books advocated for, “the study of historical precedents as a way of repairing the perceived break with the past”.5 In other words this was a time period in which architects and other disciplines sought to evoke past architectural favorites and envision them in a more contemporary approach without letting go of the core ideas linking the two periods together. In Rossi’s case he pulled most of his influences, as do most post-modern architects, from Neo-classical or Classical time periods. There is something about classical design that feels so familiar and comfortable that it resonates with most everyone. The ornamented yet simple
designs that are also basic geometries but read as something more are just a few reasons why classical design is always referenced by modern architects who are looking for design brilliance. Unfortunately, there continue to be critics of post-modern design who believe that the works produced are simply imitations seeking recognition through the adaption of a popular ideas and have a serious lack of originality. Rossi argues that “every architect developed his own special qualities” by practicing a building style.4 He does not regard this as blatant theft or forgery but instead an altered way of communicating an idea through study. Observing and giving recognition to past architectural styles enriches the mind and one’s own style of architecture.7 The discussion will begin with the analysis of some post-modernist influences present in Rossi’s architectural portfolio. First on the list is one of his most famous and recognized works, the Cemetery of San Cataldo. Constructed in 1971 in Modena, Italy this building assemblage is a primary example of Rossi’s skill and ambition in creating an idyllic city plan.6 One of the great thing about Rossi’s works is that he draws and paints these images of what he aspires for the building to look like. These images are often set in vibrant multi-color scenes and have a sketch like appearance to them. This whimsical, dreamlike image reads in an entirely different way than previous architectural drawing that are typically more precise and muted. It is quite humorous to note that even in Rossi’s drawings he rejects the old modernist way of drawing through clean realism. His colors bleed into one another and his line work is quite messy however it looks complete and works as a whole. That’s not to say that he completely disregards other drawing styles or that he lacks the ability to produce concise, realistic drawings. He simply choses to depict his thoughts in an unconventional way. As stated previously,
in the building design Rossi has an underlying system to the layout of his building. All the structures making up the cemetery including a columbarium and an ossuary have been thoughtfully arranged to, when seen as a whole, create a larger image. The structures all line up along one large, expansive axis that is invisible because it doesn’t exist yet it is implied due to the strategic placement of each foundation. The individual buildings are relatively barren, simple, geometric squares and rectangles with no obvious denotation to the classical world besides the city planning and the gabled roof atop the columbarium. Small geometric punctures in the wall serve as windows but given the context of the place, it being a cemetery in remembrance the lives lost at world War II death camps, there is really no need for light or accessories.6 The mundane, somber rituals that take place there are mirrored in the architecture, just one of Rossi’s many examples of how form mirrors function. The second body of architecture completed by Rossi is yet another burial place entitled the Funerary Chapel however the approach taken in designing this building is completely different to the former. This building resides in Guissano, Italy and was completed in 1981, exactly ten years after his fist funerary building.8 The only similarities that these two building share is the fact that they are both funerary or burial sites but their designs are largely different. Firstly, the scale of the funerary chapel is a lot smaller than the Cemetery of San Cataldo due to the function of the space. The Funerary Chapel is just for one family chapel whereas the Cemetery of San Cataldo hold multiple family chapels. Another difference is the design itself. From the outside the chapel appears to be another rectangular brick façade however the white contrasting cornice wrapping around the upper portion of the chapel gives a hint to what is inside.
Stepping foot into the small chapel through the main entrance there is a wooden structure that appears massive in comparison to the confines of the chapel. “Inside the Chapel is a twenty-foot-high screen, or retablo, modeled on Andrea Palladio’s Porta Borsari in Verona”.8 The screen appears to be a relief carving of a typical classical period archway illuminated by the light pouring down from the glass enclosed ceiling space. The carving has all the cues suggesting it was sourced from the classical period, such as the Doric columns which hold up the architrave with clean pediments resting on top. The Frieze even contains trygliffs and a metopes signifying that it is in fact a carving taken from the classical period Doric order.8 Given that an object like this would typically be, in the right context, the monumental sized entrance to the temple of a god is no small matter. The weight of this symbol and its representation within the chapel was surely taken into consideration when Rossi was deliberating the design. The proportionality of the screen in relation to the cramped chapel was also intended by Rossi to make the individual feel a sense of wonderment and awe as they enter the chapel. The form feeds into the experience of the space which was only made possible by the historic reference the Rossi put into play after studying works of the past. The Carlo Felice Theater located in Genoa, Italy is another one of Rossi’s works which required a sufficient amount of study and thought to come up with his successful design. Aldo Rossi and Ignazio Gardella worked together on this project to address the question of “how to incorporate the physical remains of the 1828 structure and the technological demands of a twentieth Century opera house into a visually coherent whole”.9 What Rossi and Gardella did was to, “retain the footprint of the original opera house” and “restore and… recreate according to Barabino’s drawings”.9 Baribino was
the architect who initially designed the theatre in 1828, it being that old and historic is why specification of building requirements leaned more towards restoration instead demolition.9 Images of sketches and written process work completed by Rossi show how tedious a job this was along with the time and effort put in to make sure the restoration stayed true to the original building design.9 Bernard Huet made a comment on Rossi in a book entitled Three cities: Perugia, Milano, Mantova / Aldo Rossi, in which he writes, “it is justly in the name of historical continuity that Rossi vehemently rejects every all-embracing solution of megastructural type”.10 The statement goes hand-inhand with the action taking place in the construction of the theater. Rossi tried as best he could to include the history of the building in the restorative project. Although the project was not largely additive there was still room for incorporation of additive elements that are recognized as Rossi’s staples. “Several geometric patterns run though Rossi’s work” some of which include the triangular gable, the column, the portico, and the cone.11 These elements are evident in the construction of the theater building as well. Two of the patterns are present at the forefront of the building and they are the gable roof and the cone, which rests directly center of the building. The cone, another pattern Rossi likes to use in his work but not as much, serves as a “light well” for small luminosity during the day and represents the “port city light houses” and the “post war sky scrapers” of the town, once again bringing in influences of the city into his building design. Holding up the gamble roof are the columns which double as an access to the portico space. All the aspects of Rossi’s design work together to combine old with new with a mixture of simple geometries used throughout history.
A few more architectural works by Rossi include the Cento Torri Shopping Center, the Monumental Arch and the Art Gallery. The Cento Torri Shopping Center is located in Parma Italy and was constructed in 1985. Rossi worked with the location to decide on the architectural plan for the building. Parma’s terrain is relatively flat and so to combat the horizontality of the region, Rossi decided to design the building so that it was upright or vertical in orientation rather than emphasizing the horizontality of it. These 50-foot-high towers are now prominent features on the building that draw the attention of onlookers from any direction.12 In doing so Rossi allowed for the Building to work as a composition with the land around it rather than against. The Monumental arch located in Galveston Texas and built in 1987 is another perfect example of the incorporation of classical era concepts in the functional uses and designs today.13 The monumental arch, a play on words in reference to the historical Roman triumphal arch, resembles four large lighthouses propped up on what looks to be larger than life box crates and are planted on the street for passersby and cars to travel under. The historical significance of a triumphal arch in a classical context was to represent grandeur and triumph for soldiers to parade though with the spoils of victory. In this modern day application, although it was not designated to signify a triumph of war, it still serves a celebratory use with relevant historical context. Lastly the simply named Art Gallery located in Fukuoka Japan.14 It was assembled in 1989 with two very prominent, tall classical period structures at the forefront of the building.14 The two Doric columns are 26-foot-tall and have fluted shafts with no base, one of the aspects that identifies this column as being part of the Doric order.14 There does not seem to be an entablature of any sort or triangulate gable pediment. However, that area does appear
to be occupied by what resembles an elongated arch or semicircular ceiling that stretches straight back creating a barrel vault. The structure is quite large with small widows for little natural light but given that this building is taken out of classical context and set in a time period with electricity there should be little problem on that end. All in all, the three aforementioned works of architecture are all pretty distinct yet they one share one very prominent commonality. Rossi used the language of past architecture to produce an individualistic style that is still a mix of something familiar and continuous. A whisper of history and recollection run through all of Rossi’s designs. His emphasis on continuity of an idea and the inclusiveness of the location in a building are prominent trademarks of his work. Although at first glance the buildings Rossi produced appear largely geometric and stiff with basic geometries there is still an evident underlying uniqueness which he has managed to cultivate over the course of his career and historical research. The beauty of post-modernistic work, not solely architecture, but art, music and literature as well, is that they are able to transcend the boundaries of time and be appreciated today as relevant marvels.
Endnotes 1 Kurt W. Forster, “Biography: Aldo Rossi,” The Pritzker Architecture Prize. The
Hyatt Foundation, http://www.pritzkerprize.com/1990/bio (accessed 01 Nov. 2017). 2Julie V. Iovine, “Aldo Rossi, Architect of Monumental Simplicity, Dies at 66,”
Arts, New York Times, 5 Sept. 1997. http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/05/arts/aldo-rossi-architect-of-monumentalsimplicity-dies-at-66.html (accessed 01 Nov. 2017). 3 Mary Louise Lobsinger, The New Urban Scale in Italy: On Aldo Rossi's
"L'architettura della città," Journal of Architectural Education (1984-), Vol. 59, No. 3 (Feb., 2006), pp. 28-38, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40480643 (accessed 01 Nov. 2017). 29. 4 Aldo Rossi, quoted in Helmut Geisert, Aldo Rossi, architect / [conception and
organization, Helmut Geiser; translation (English edition), Flora Fischer] (London: Academy Editions; New York, NY: Distributed to the trade in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press, 1994), 17. 5 Graham Livesey, “Changing Histories and Theories of Postmodern
Architecture,” Building Research & Information, 39:1, (Dec. 2010), 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2010.508240 (Accessed 01 Nov. 2017). 6 Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 19-24. 7 Aldo Rossi, quoted in Helmut Geisert, Aldo Rossi, architect / [conception and
organization, Helmut Geiser; translation (English edition), Flora Fischer] (London:
Academy Editions; New York, NY: Distributed to the trade in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press, 1994), 18-19. 8 Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 31-37. 9 Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 45-53. 10 Bernard Huet and Patrizia Lombardo, Tre città: Perugia, Milano, Mantova =
Three cities: Perugia, Milano, Mantova / Aldo Rossi, (Milano : Electa ; New York : distributed by Rizzoli, c1984), 12. 11 Hans Gerhard Hannesen, quoted in Helmut Geisert, Aldo Rossi, architect /
[conception and organization, Helmut Geiser; translation (English edition), Flora Fischer] (London: Academy Editions; New York, NY: Distributed to the trade in the U.S. by St. Martin's Press, 1994), 33. 12
Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 77. 13 Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 111. 14 Morris Adjimi, Diane Ghirardo and Karen Stein, Aldo Rossi: architecture, 1981-
1991, (New York, N.Y.: Princeton Architectural Press, c1991), 165.
Online Source Review 1Kurt Forster, author of “Biography: Aldo Rossi” an article commissioned by the
Hyatt Foundation, has taught under the Department of Architecture at numerous prestigious universities such as Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Mr. Forster attended the universities of Berlin, Munich, and Florence and received a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich”. He is a reputable source and author of architectural works such as Exploring Boundaries and his most recent work Schinkel: A Meander Through His Life and Work. (http://architecture.yale.edu/faculty/kurt-forster) 2
Julie Iovine, author of “Aldo Rossi, Architect of Monumental Simplicity, Dies at 66” an article sponsored by the New York Times, has served as an “architecture reporter, critic, editor, and author” for reputable sources such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Architect’s Newspaper. She has also written several books on architecture. Some of her works include Michael Graves: Compact Design Portfolio and Guggenheim New York / Guggenheim Bilbao. (http://www.designersandbooks.com/commentator/bio/julie-iovine)