Architecture in Context: The Villas of Bagheria, Sicily

This dissertation investigates the question of conceptual interrelationships in the work of the Baroque architect and stage designer Filippo Juvarra (1678-1736), with concentration on the decade of his residence in Rome (1704-1714). The three basic categories of Juvarra's designs--projects for real architecture, architectural fantasies or capriccios, and designs for the stage--are often so similar that it is impossible to discern to which of the categories a design belongs. Behind the problem of categorization is the more far-reaching question whether in Juvarra's mind these categories remained neatly separated, or whether these designs were in fact conceptually interrelated and, if so, to what degree? To answer these questions we have prefaced our study with a history of the origins of the perspective stage, a story that begins with the invention of visual perspective by Brunelleschi early in the fifteenth century. An examination of the development of the Renaissance theatre in Italy, the significance of the role of the Medici court in Florence where the intermezzi evolved into opera, and a look at the treatises on perspective which were crucial for the development of Italian stage design, are followed by an introduction to the seventeenth century stage. An investigation of Juvarra's architectural and stage design work in Rome sets the stage for our conclusions. The problem of conceptual interrelationships is approached systematically by means of a detailed analysis of a selected number of Juvarra's centralized designs for the stage, an analysis that culminates in the planimetric and geometric reconstruction of this group of designs. The visual evidence inherent in these reconstructions reveals a close conceptual affinity to Juvarra's projects for real architecture--and his predilection for geometrically oriented centralized spaces, manifested in numerous drawings. The final revelation is in Juvarra's open structures, especially his church of the Carmine and the grande salone at Stupinigi, where, with spectacular success, Juvarra fully realized his natural scenographic aspirations in a permanent form.