The Science Behind Francesco Borromini’s Divine Geometry

John G. Hatch ()
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John G. Hatch: The University of Western Ontario, Department of Visual Arts

Chapter Chapter 61 in Architecture and Mathematics from Antiquity to the Future, 2015, pp 217-229 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The buildings of Francesco Borromini (1599–1667) rarely follow the accepted design standards of the time and their meaning eludes traditional readings. His eclecticism result from both the unique personality of the man himself, and the fact that many of his sources of inspiration were far from traditional. One such source is the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1603) best known for his three planetary laws of motion. Kepler’s methodology and interpretation of the universe appealed to Borromini on many levels, the most important being Kepler’s belief in the divine geometry ruling the structure of the universe and his manner of interpreting it. Borromini’s churches of S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and S. Ivo della Sapienza involve rather novel and complex geometric designs that are both the starting and endpoint in understanding these buildings. The debt to Kepler is further confirmed by Borromini’s adoption of the astronomer’s rather unique Trinitarian interpretation of the cosmos.

Keywords: Planetary Motion; Shared Corner; Lower Storey; Divine Revelation; Ancient Architecture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-319-00143-2_14

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-00143-2_14

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