Vitruvius: Writing the Body of Architecture
"Indra McEwen's book is an elegant and imaginative exploration of Vitruvius's intellectual horizons that allows us to look at *De architectura* with new respect. In her hands it transcends the dimensions of a technical handbook and becomes a window onto the Romans' conceptual construction of their world."--Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Director, The British School at Rome, and Professor of Classics, Reading University"... An exemplar of scholarship in architectural history... recommended."D. SachsChoice"This new, rhetorical Vitruvius deserves to be taken seriously... [a] highly original book."Vaughan HartTLS"Vitruvius has provided architects with guidance across two millennia. At the beginning of a third, McEwen demonstrates, with the authority of considerable scholarship, the significance of an architectural approach in which form and content are in balance. Here we are presented with the kernel of traditional architecture, not just its shell."Robert Tavernor, Professor and Head of Architecture, University of Bath"With her vast and nuanced knowledge, Indra McEwen is able to restore Vitruvius's oeuvre to its rightful place within the world of the beginning of Augustus's reign. She demonstrates that the intentions and precepts ofDe architecturaconform to the political and religious context of the period to a greater extent than is generally maintained. The continuity she establishes between Vitruvius's 'perfect man,' Polyclitus's Doryphorus, and the idealized statue of Augustus is bold indeed, but proves its relevance upon reflection and compels us to consider the whole of the Vitruvian project in new terms."Pierre Gros, Université de Provence, France"With her vast and nuanced knowledge, Indra McEwen is able to restore Vitruvius' oeuvre to its rightful place within the world of the beginning of Augustus' reign. She demonstrates that the intentions and precepts of 'De architectura' conform to the political and religious context of the period to a greater extent than is generally maintained. The continuity she establishes between Vitruvius' 'perfect man,' Polycletus's Doryphorus, and the idealized statue of Augustus is bold indeed, but proves its relevance upon reflection and compels us to consider the whole of the Vitruvian project in new terms."--Pierre Gros, Université de Provence, FrancePlease note: Earlier version had author's name misspelled. Apologies."Vitruvius has provided architects with guidance across two millennia. At the beginning of a third McEwen demonstrates, with the authority of considerable scholarship, the significance of an architectural approach in which form and content are in balance. Here we are presented with the kernel of traditional architecture, not just its shell."--Robert Tavernor, Professor and Head of Architecture, University of Bath