To say Giulia Foscari's book is a beautifully put together trove of information about Venice's luxuriantly scenic architecture sounds gushy. Actually, it is an understatement. Foscari's distinctive analysis of the variegated riches that are a feast for the eye in this city of encrusted layers pays proper homage to its subject. By zeroing in on the architectonic vocabulary of facades, walls, ceilings, stairs, doors, and other elements, the author, who is a young architect in Hamburg, provides an intensive look into the creation of this water-bound urban place. The 6½-by-4¾-inch pages of this glossy paperback are artfully packed with texts, drawings, and photographs (though sometimes reading the tiny type is like taking an eye exam). Yet, because it can be easily held in your hands, you want to take it with you to visit the architecture under scrutiny, as inspirational perhaps as carrying an illuminated book of hours into a Gothic cathedral.
The impetus for Foscari's investigation stems from a research project she embarked on with Rem Koolhaas for his 2014 Venice Biennale exhibition and book, Elements of Architecture. While Koolhaas dissected the components of architecture, such as floors, walls, roofs, ceilings, and facades, in a general way, Foscari has applied the method to the particular city where she was born. She quotes from scholarly resources, and places the different parts and pieces of Venice's medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and modern buildings against a tapestry of sociopolitical and economic history.
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