Trachtenberg Summary

Throughout the article, Trachtenberg claims that Italian Gothic is different from French Gothic. He states that French architecture changed gradually from Romanesque to Gothic. French Romanesque is a conflict between historicism and modernism. Then, French Gothic conciously eliminated historicizing elements. So, it is best described as medieval modernism. Further, he argues that Italian architecture is eclectics, and it has no linear progression. Also, Italian architects made active choices when they designed different buildings. For example, the secular buildings emulate French Gothic superficially, whereas the religious architecture imitates French Gothic to a great extent to convey spiritual meaning.
In his argument about the linear progression displayed in French architecture, Trachtenberg uses visual evidence to solidly support his idea. First, he shows that the colonnettes used to imprison the pilier cantonné are thinned down gradually, and their antique meanings vanish away. Then, he discusses the disappearance of capital. In addition, he …show more content…
But his sources do not adequately support his argument. The author argues that it is the sociopolitical reason that leads to the eclecticism of Italian architecture. First, he discusses the construction of the monuments and compares northern and southern architecture. Then, he concludes that northern architecture is designed within the confines of modernism. Southern architecture, in contrast, is freer in style. Trachtenberg makes clear comparison between northern and southern architecture. Nevertheless, he does not give readers the sociopolitical reason that result in the difference in architectural style. Therefore, this paragraph is more like a restatement of the former argument rather than a solid and detailed

Show More

Related Documents: Trachtenberg Summary

Managing Information Technology (7th Edition) Essay