Plattegrond van de eerste verdieping van het Palazzo Campanella te Genua 1622

This is Nicolaes Ryckmans's "Floor Plan of the First Floor of the Palazzo Campanella in Genoa," made sometime in the 17th century. The drawing presents a formal arrangement of geometric shapes. Rectangles and squares define rooms, while lines demarcate walls and corridors. The overall structure reveals a carefully considered symmetry, bisected by a central axis that guides the viewer's eye through the spatial layout. The drawing's formalism isn't merely representational; it embodies the era's pursuit of order and rationality. Ryckman’s rendering reduces architecture to a set of abstract symbols. In doing so, it underscores how architectural plans function as a symbolic language: a semiotic system in which lines and shapes represent physical realities, allowing for the conceptualization and communication of space. This interplay between representation and abstraction invites us to consider how our understanding of space is always mediated by symbolic forms.