Elevation of a House 1700 - 1800

This delicate drawing, “Elevation of a House,” presents us with the facade of a building rendered with great precision. The symmetry and classical motifs speak of order and control. Consider the windows: arranged rhythmically across the facade. They echo the "eye of the divine". In ancient temples, these "eyes" appeared as small openings, thought to allow the gods to watch over humanity. Here, the windows are domesticated, tamed, yet still serve as apertures through which the world is both observed and interpreted. Note the balustrade at the roofline, and how it appears in Renaissance paintings as a symbol of secular authority, fencing off earthly space from the heavens. Here, it is no longer a barrier against the divine, but a declaration of human mastery over the environment. The classical language used in the design speaks to a desire for permanence, an emotional anchor in an ever-changing world. This drawing, therefore, is more than just a plan; it embodies humanity's recurring dream of order amidst chaos.