Andrea Palladio: The Architect in His Time

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for students of architecture and the Renaissance
Review: Architecture, no matter how interesting, can be a rather dry topic to read about. For that reason alone this book is worth having, since the writer Boucher deftly handles the material in an engaging and fluid style. However, the real strength of this tome is the way Boucher is able to get into the head of Palladio without ever resorting to speculation. This is accomplished through analysis not only of Palladio's as-built works, but also early versions of the plans and designs, rejected proposals, and a study of the architect's own vastly influential book, the Quatro Libri. Boucher chooses to discuss his structures by type (religious, villa, palazzi, civic) rather than chronologically, which requires frequent checking of the chronology section in the back to follow along. Although this format requires a bit more mental investment on the part of the reader, in the end it is a more illuminating way to understand Palladio's creative genius.

My only complaint about the book is the lack of modern ground plans. Boucher relies on Palladio's own woodcuts but few of these accurately reflect the actual buildings. Ground plans are usually the least colorful part of an architectural discussion, so having to rely solely on one's mental images for these passages is too abstract. The illustrations are good, especially considering the difficulty of photographing architecture in the cramped quarters of certain northern Italian cities, but I didn't find them to be as spectacular as did those who wrote the editorial reviews above. Nothing wrong with the quality of the photos, it's just that they are often printed small or taken from (necessarily) oblique angles. It is also recommended that one has at least a rudimentary understanding of classical architecture to get full value from this book. Scholars and informed fans of classical and Renaissance architecture are sure to benefit the most.