Abstract

In a time concerned with the emancipation of architecture from the mechanical arts to the liberal ones, Filarete challenged the mainstream rational-objective approach by proposing a poietic definition of architecture which spanned beyond craft and science. »Non è altro lo edificare se none un piacere volunptario…« is not yet another account of architecture, but it has become its supreme definition, possessing an almost universal value and demonstrating a vision ahead of its time. This paper investigates the multiple facets of this definition by situating it in the context of Renaissance architectural practice and within the framework of Filarete’s architectural treatise. Humanistic to the core, this definition transcends the usual anthropomorphic perspective on architecture (regarding the proportions, styles or expressions derived from the human body) and goes beyond the rational-material approach, addressing the sphere of sensitivity or even the realm of the spiritual. For Filarete, architectural creation is a true poietic act, consecrated to symbolism and emotion, while genuinely rooted in its manual, material dimension.

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