On Representation: The Greek and Roman Roots of the Idea of Character in Architecture

Abstract

The French term caractère (character) was frequently debated during the second half of the eighteenth century and was meant to establish a relationship between the form of a building and the purpose for which it was built. Its importance was twofold: it raised the issue of the intelligibility of architectural forms beyond their beauty, and, as a consequence, it directly maintained that architecture was similar to a language, in poetry or prose, capable of conveying social, civil, and religious meanings. By emphasizing the possible parallels between architecture and literature, this article analyses some ancient texts—by the likes of Aristotle, Theophrastus, Horace, Cicero, and, of course, Vitruvius—that are at the foundation of the notion of character. This “dive into the past” has nothing to do with the will to reestablish the classical style (or classicism); quite differently, it aims to rediscover the philosophical basis of architectural theory, by means of which architecture can hopefully get back to expressing collective meanings. Some final questions connect the ancient theme of character to open contemporary issues.