The Evolution of Spatial Understanding: From Cubist Painting to Phenomenal Transparency in Architecture
W. Zhang (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Everhard Korthals Altes – Mentor (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)
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Abstract
In Transparency: Literal and Phenomenal, published in 1963, Colin Rowe and Robert Slutzky introduced the concept of phenomenal transparency, suggesting that transparency should be understood as a broader spatial order and a perceptual effect rather than merely an optical illusion. Their essay established an initial connection between Cubist paintings and early 20th-century Modernist architecture through examining the complexity of spatial experience. Building on this notion, this thesis aims to further explore the development of spatial understanding within Cubist paintings and its translation and effect in architecture. This thesis will begin with a general overview of the transformation in spatial perception of the early 20th century artists, tracing its evolution from Post-Impressionism to Synthetic Cubism paintings. The second chapter will focus on the analysis of representative paintings from the Cubist movement, aiming to extract the fundamental interpretations of space during this period. This will be followed by an examination of architectural case studies, illustrating how these concepts were translated from the two-dimensional surface into the three-dimensional physical world.