Designs for Decoration of Vaults 1865 - 1875

Editor: This drawing from around 1865 to 1875, titled "Designs for Decoration of Vaults," is from an anonymous artist. It shows different sketches of arches and ceiling designs and seems very geometric. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Immediately, the bilateral symmetry and geometric forms present a study in balance and order. The artist’s use of line and shape dictates a very controlled, almost mathematical aesthetic. Do you notice how the eye is constantly led through a sequence of repeated motifs and spatial demarcations? Editor: Yes, it's as if the arches are built off smaller repeated design elements. Curator: Precisely. And consider the spatial organization itself. Each element, the vault, the arches, exists in its own defined space, separated by borders that enforce this structural independence. How does that affect your understanding? Editor: It feels like I am seeing a breakdown of architectural elements rather than a cohesive space. Almost like a technical drawing… Curator: Exactly. This is not merely a representational piece. Rather, the structuralist lens encourages us to consider this work as a system of signs, each form acting as a signifier. We examine not just what is depicted but how these depictions are arranged. The medium of drawing is important, as it renders visible the otherwise obscured constructive planning. It reduces architecture to graphic elements. Editor: So, the drawing isn't about the finished building, but about the elements which define it? I’m beginning to see how analyzing the individual shapes reveals new aspects of this art! Curator: Precisely! These vault designs move past their mere functionality to embody their mathematical components as art forms in themselves.