What is more important in architectural works-their form, shape, and colour, or the meanings and symbolism that can be associated with them? Can aesthetic judgments of architecture be independent of the stories one can tell about buildings? Do non-architects perceive buildings in the same way as do architects?

For the greater part of the twentieth century it was common to respond to these and similar questions by relying on psychological theories asserting there is no innocent eye, that we think only in language, and that human visuality results from pre-existing, conceptual knowledge. Dramatic breakthroughs in philosophy and psychology over the past two decades, however, have shown us that human visuality functions for the most part independently of conceptual thinking and language.

This book examines the ways in which new theories of human visuality create a different understanding of architectural design, practice, and education. This new understanding coincides with and supports formalist approaches to architecture that have become influential in recent years as a result of the digital revolution in architectural design.

About the Author
Branko Mitrovic is Professor of Architectural History and Theory at the Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, New Zealand and the author of Learning from Palladio and Philosophy for Architects.


Book Information
ISBN 9780813933795
Author Branko Mitrovic
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint University of Virginia Press
Publisher University of Virginia Press
Weight(grams) 211g