- Ghent University
Dept. of Architecture & Urban Planning
Jozef Plateaustraat 22
B-9000 Ghent
Belgium - 32/9/264 37 42
Bart Verschaffel
Ghent University, Architecture And Urban Planning, Faculty Member
The aesthetic appreciation of architecture or of buildings differs fundamentally from the appreciation of a built environment or of landscapes. Beautiful sites have been described and drawn in classical literature and the visual arts as... more
The aesthetic appreciation of architecture or of buildings differs fundamentally from the appreciation of a built environment or of landscapes. Beautiful sites have been described and drawn in classical literature and the visual arts as loci aemoni. Their aesthetic appreciation presupposes that it is effectively possible to see and name a place as a 'site', as a 'region', or as a 'landscape'. A site is at the same time a 'here'-a circumscribed centre or an 'inside', and therefore a place to stay-with a view on (and thus: a relation to) The World (and Time). Dwelling not only involves structuring space and giving meaning, it also requires imagination. A site acquires aesthetic quality when the successful structuring of the interplay of place and World is, furthermore, 'pictorial': when it suggests or offers an image to the aesthetic gaze. This implies, contentwise, the imbedding of the site in a topos-a familiar and recognizable basic image of what is (for us) a strong or 'lovely site'-basically a variation on the enclosed garden-the memory of and anticipation of Paradise-or the 'lovely site' in front of a landscape, looking out on Faraway.
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Unpublished translation of an essay from 2002, ‘Gemengde Gedachten. Over Balthus’, published in De Witte Raaf, no. 96, 2002. The ‘Correspondance amoureuse’ from 1928 to 1937 between Balthus and his first wife Antoinette de Watteville,... more
Unpublished translation of an essay from 2002, ‘Gemengde Gedachten. Over Balthus’, published in De Witte Raaf, no. 96, 2002.
The ‘Correspondance amoureuse’ from 1928 to 1937 between Balthus and his first wife Antoinette de Watteville, published in 2001, brings back forgotten and repressed facts, gives context, and allows a staggering look into the experiences and emotional material Balthus’ early monumental works, with fundamental paintings such as La Toilette de Cathy and La Montagne, were dealing with. It turns out that the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë made the intersection between life and work, and is central and crucial for the understanding of Balthus oeuvre. The story was used as a mirror of their relationship and of the daydream of Childhood and ambiguous innocence present in Balthus' oeuvre. For the interpretation of the work I use the novel Pornografia by Witold Gombrowicz, which contains the same basic elements as Wuthering Heights and as Balthus' love story with Antoinette.
The ‘Correspondance amoureuse’ from 1928 to 1937 between Balthus and his first wife Antoinette de Watteville, published in 2001, brings back forgotten and repressed facts, gives context, and allows a staggering look into the experiences and emotional material Balthus’ early monumental works, with fundamental paintings such as La Toilette de Cathy and La Montagne, were dealing with. It turns out that the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë made the intersection between life and work, and is central and crucial for the understanding of Balthus oeuvre. The story was used as a mirror of their relationship and of the daydream of Childhood and ambiguous innocence present in Balthus' oeuvre. For the interpretation of the work I use the novel Pornografia by Witold Gombrowicz, which contains the same basic elements as Wuthering Heights and as Balthus' love story with Antoinette.
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Unpublished translation of an article, published in Dutch in 1991. The essay genre and 'essayistic thinking' are characterized, starting from Montaigne and Adorno, and from the theory of the grotesque and of collecting, as different from... more
Unpublished translation of an article, published in Dutch in 1991. The essay genre and 'essayistic thinking' are characterized, starting from Montaigne and Adorno, and from the theory of the grotesque and of collecting, as different from 'literature' and from 'science'.
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Unpublished English translation of a 2008 article in Dutch on the novel Malpertuis (1943) by the Belgian author Jean Ray (Raymond Jean Marie De Kremer) (1887-1964). The article interprets the novel as an illustration of what literature as... more
Unpublished English translation of a 2008 article in Dutch on the novel Malpertuis (1943) by the Belgian author Jean Ray (Raymond Jean Marie De Kremer) (1887-1964). The article interprets the novel as an illustration of what literature as such does: preserving meanings and experiences in 'the realm of fiction' that a culture no longer believes in, but still does not want to lose. Ray's 'gothic' novel, about an adventurer who captures the surviving Greek Gods and locks them up in a mysterious house in Ghent, shows that this is a dangerous enterprise, and comes at a price.
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Unpublished English translation of a reworked article in Dutch 'Bad acting: over Hamlet', in DWB, DWB. 2000. 145 (6) p.691-703. In the logic of tragedy, the denouement or the end is expected to be a moment of revelation and truth. The... more
Unpublished English translation of a reworked article in Dutch 'Bad acting: over Hamlet', in DWB, DWB. 2000. 145 (6) p.691-703.
In the logic of tragedy, the denouement or the end is expected to be a moment of revelation and truth. The special and specific thing about Shakespeare's play is not that Hamlet is indecisive, but that he does not speak. During the whole play only Hamlet knows what really happened, but he cannot or doesn’t want to speak up. He really misses every opportunity to reveal what happened. He does take revenge on Claudius - he acts according to the old code of honour - without revealing the truth. What does it mean that in this tragedy truth is not doing its job, and only comes out twisted, partial, and wild? Shakespeare turns Hamlet into a bad actor, a modern man who doesn’t fit in the old world, but has nowhere else to go. He thereby undermines the belief and trust that the stage (and the world) can be a 'place of truth', where people and lives can show who they are and - ultimately - be themselves.
In the logic of tragedy, the denouement or the end is expected to be a moment of revelation and truth. The special and specific thing about Shakespeare's play is not that Hamlet is indecisive, but that he does not speak. During the whole play only Hamlet knows what really happened, but he cannot or doesn’t want to speak up. He really misses every opportunity to reveal what happened. He does take revenge on Claudius - he acts according to the old code of honour - without revealing the truth. What does it mean that in this tragedy truth is not doing its job, and only comes out twisted, partial, and wild? Shakespeare turns Hamlet into a bad actor, a modern man who doesn’t fit in the old world, but has nowhere else to go. He thereby undermines the belief and trust that the stage (and the world) can be a 'place of truth', where people and lives can show who they are and - ultimately - be themselves.
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This article (in Dutch) argues that the public space, as the realm of the political, is not 'communal', and as such essentially related to the tradition of rationality and the public character of knowledge.
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This essay discusses the oeuvres of the painters Raoul De Keyser and Luc Tuymans on the occasion of their two retrospective exhibitions in Brussels in 2011.
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An essay (in Dutch) on the still life following the exhibition 'Die Magie der Dinge' in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt and the Kunstmuseum in Basel in 2008.
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As You Like It (by Rem Koolhaas) is the screenplay (in Dutch) for a film about Koolhaas by the film maker Jef Cornelis for the BRTN (now VRT) in co-production with Hiemstra-Rutten, in 1997. Production was stopped at the last minute for... more
As You Like It (by Rem Koolhaas) is the screenplay (in Dutch) for a film about Koolhaas by the film maker Jef Cornelis for the BRTN (now VRT) in co-production with Hiemstra-Rutten, in 1997. Production was stopped at the last minute for financial reasons. The text was published in De Witte Raaf in an issue dedicated to the oeuvre of Cornelis.
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Article (in Dutch) on the dwelling culture in Belgium and on what to expect from a house and a home.
In Dutch also published in 'Van Hermes en Hestia' (2010).
In Dutch also published in 'Van Hermes en Hestia' (2010).
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Interview with Rem Koolhaas published in Dutch in De Witte Raaf.
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This essay (in Dutch) demonstrates how Balthus unmistakingly used the erotic prints of 'Le Lascive' by Agostino Carracci to compose important works such as 'La Chambre', 'Thérèse sur une banquette' and 'La fenêtre'. The article was also... more
This essay (in Dutch) demonstrates how Balthus unmistakingly used the erotic prints of 'Le Lascive' by Agostino Carracci to compose important works such as 'La Chambre', 'Thérèse sur une banquette' and 'La fenêtre'.
The article was also published in French in the monographical publication 'A propos de Balthus. Le Roi des chats, le regard sondeur' (2004).
https://www.dewitteraaf.be/artikel/detail/nl/2671
The article was also published in French in the monographical publication 'A propos de Balthus. Le Roi des chats, le regard sondeur' (2004).
https://www.dewitteraaf.be/artikel/detail/nl/2671
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Original publication in Dutch of an essay published in English as "The World of the Landscape." in: CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 14.3 (2012): <https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.2036> In French in the monographical... more
Original publication in Dutch of an essay published in English as "The World of the Landscape." in: CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 14.3 (2012): <https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.2036>
In French in the monographical publication 'Essais sur les genres en peintture. Nature morte, portrait, paysage.'
In French in the monographical publication 'Essais sur les genres en peintture. Nature morte, portrait, paysage.'
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De Duve on Duchamp and the ready-made, Courbet, Greenberg and the avant-garde... (in Dutch).
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Overview article about the career and the oeuvre of the Belgian architect Charles Vandenhove. Vandenhove mainly built, in the first period of his career, for the University of Liège (Academic hospital, sports complex Sart-Tilman). From... more
Overview article about the career and the oeuvre of the Belgian architect Charles Vandenhove. Vandenhove mainly built, in the first period of his career, for the University of Liège (Academic hospital, sports complex Sart-Tilman). From around 1980 he builds and renovates in the city of Liège (Hotel Torrentius, Hors-Chateaux district), after which he has realized large projects in Paris (Théatre des Abbesses) and public buildings and housing complexes in the Netherlands (Den Bosch Court of Justice, City Hall Ridderkerk ...).
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Article (in Dutch, unpublished so far) from 2017 contributing to a book on academic freedom. The idea of the University includes four principles: (1) the public nature of knowledge; (2) the autonomy and self-government of the community... more
Article (in Dutch, unpublished so far) from 2017 contributing to a book on academic freedom.
The idea of the University includes four principles: (1) the public nature of knowledge; (2) the autonomy and self-government of the community that acquires and manages knowledge; (3) the unity or connectedness of all forms of knowledge based on reason; (4) the assignment to pass on knowledge and the values and attitudes associated with it.
The state of affairs in academia today can be measured against these principles.
The idea of the University includes four principles: (1) the public nature of knowledge; (2) the autonomy and self-government of the community that acquires and manages knowledge; (3) the unity or connectedness of all forms of knowledge based on reason; (4) the assignment to pass on knowledge and the values and attitudes associated with it.
The state of affairs in academia today can be measured against these principles.
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Essay (in Dutch) on the theme of the mirror in the work of René Magritte, published in ARCHIS (Amsterdam), January 1986, pp. 20-25.
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Catalogue essay (Dutch/English) on the work of Jan Fabre on the occasion of an exhibition of his drawings in Museum Overholland (Amsterdam) in 1989/1990.
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This essay (English as published, with the unpublished original text in Dutch) discusses the architectural approach of the Belgian office Bovenbouw Architectuur based on 5 model projects.
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Unpublished translation (and Dutch original) of an essay on the video film 'Ottone Ottone', made by the Belgian choreographer Teresa De Keersmaeker and the Belgian video-artist Walter Verdin (1991). The argument is that the film succeeds... more
Unpublished translation (and Dutch original) of an essay on the video film 'Ottone Ottone', made by the Belgian choreographer Teresa De Keersmaeker and the Belgian video-artist Walter Verdin (1991). The argument is that the film succeeds in capturing the meaning of Monteverdi's opera better than any performance. The dance - "l'etat de danse" (Paul Valéry) - is the clue: the dance embodies the explanation for what happens to emperor Nero and is driving the action: amor vincit omnia.
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This article (in Dutch and French) extensively discusses and analyzes the renovation project for the Le Balloir social center in Liège (1996) by the Belgian architect Charles Vandenhove (1927-2019).
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This article (in Dutch) discusses the intellectual method, critical strategy and guiding ideas of the Belgian essayist and art critic Dirk Lauwaert (1944-2013) who for many decades has written an impressive and very personal oeuvre of... more
This article (in Dutch) discusses the intellectual method, critical strategy and guiding ideas of the Belgian essayist and art critic Dirk Lauwaert (1944-2013) who for many decades has written an impressive and very personal oeuvre of hundreds of articles on photography and film, visual arts, fashion and clothing.
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This short text discusses the theme of the morning silence or the 'Hour Blue' in the early work of the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. The text was published in the catalogue of an exhibition in Kunstverein Hannover and the Museum of... more
This short text discusses the theme of the morning silence or the 'Hour Blue' in the early work of the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. The text was published in the catalogue of an exhibition in Kunstverein Hannover and the Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki 1992.
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This short catalog text comments on the artist's book Choco Choco by Stephanie Kiwitt, and was written for her exhibition at Camera Austria in Graz December 2016 - January 2017.
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History writing - a true story, or the truth about a stories? This article (in Dutch) makes a state of affairs of the narrativity discussion in the history of the end of the 1980s, and argues that the specificity of historical... more
History writing - a true story, or the truth about a stories? This article (in Dutch) makes a state of affairs of the narrativity discussion in the history of the end of the 1980s, and argues that the specificity of historical understanding is not in narrativity, but in explaining and filling with evidence of what is claimed. The historiography does not have the basic form of the story, but of the argument.
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A brief reflection on the way in which people can experience the 'time' of the city as different from its history. The text was read at the conference 'In Situ. Cities and City Museums' that was organized in Leuven and Gent in 2002.
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This article is published in the book published at the overview exhibition 'b0b Van Reeth / Architect' at BOZAR in Brussels in June-September 2013. The text discusses the architectural approach and the design concept of the Belgian... more
This article is published in the book published at the overview exhibition 'b0b Van Reeth / Architect' at BOZAR in Brussels in June-September 2013. The text discusses the architectural approach and the design concept of the Belgian architect (1943°)
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This article analyses the way in which the art collection of Anton and Annick Herbert was presented in the Kunsthaus Graz in 2006, in a design by Heibo Zobernig, and discusses the critical potential of the chronology against an... more
This article analyses the way in which the art collection of Anton and Annick Herbert was presented in the Kunsthaus Graz in 2006, in a design by Heibo Zobernig, and discusses the critical potential of the chronology against an associative or aesthetic setting.
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Dit artikel typeert, uitgaand van Montaigne en Adorno, en van de theorie van de groteske, het 'essayistisch denken' als verschillend van 'literatuur' en van 'wetenschap'.
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Short catalog text in Dutch and English for an exhibition in Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in 1994.
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This article (in Dutch) links the emerging 'faith in religion' without 'faith in God' in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 1980s (with philosophers and literary writers such as Gerard Reve) with the French dandyesque (neo) catholicism... more
This article (in Dutch) links the emerging 'faith in religion' without 'faith in God' in Flanders and the Netherlands in the 1980s (with philosophers and literary writers such as Gerard Reve) with the French dandyesque (neo) catholicism of late 19th, early 20th century (JK Huysmans cs) (Nieuw Wereld Tijdschrift, 1987-4)
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A short essay in Dutch and English on the art of Philip Akkerman, who paints a self-portrait every day, for his solo exhibition in Witte de With in Rotterdam in 1992.
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This article (in Dutch) discusses in detail the book "The Sight of Death. An Experiment in Art Writing " by T.J. Clark from 2006, on 'Landscape with a Man Killed by a Snake' by Poussin. The descriptions of Poussin's paintings in terms of... more
This article (in Dutch) discusses in detail the book "The Sight of Death. An Experiment in Art Writing " by T.J. Clark from 2006, on 'Landscape with a Man Killed by a Snake' by Poussin. The descriptions of Poussin's paintings in terms of (precarious) equilibrium and balance, in which the horror is shown while simultaneously the world remains in balance, suit Poussin's stoicism. Clark frames this philosophical acceptance of life and shows the structural similarity between the contents of 'Landscape with a Man Killed by a Snake' and the working of the image as such. (De Witte Raaf, nr. 125, 2007).
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The method of Walter Swennen. This article (in Dutch) describes the iconography and composition strategies of the 'superficial' images of the Belgian artist and painter Walter Swennen, in between the dream image and the visual joke. (De... more
The method of Walter Swennen. This article (in Dutch) describes the iconography and composition strategies of the 'superficial' images of the Belgian artist and painter Walter Swennen, in between the dream image and the visual joke. (De Witte Raaf, nr. 167, 2014)
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"The House Wolfers by Henry van de Velde, as occupied by Herman Daled" was published as part of the project 'Hotel Wolfers' by Richard Venlet in 2015. The original text in Dutch (2004) was published in a collection of essays, 'Van Hermes... more
"The House Wolfers by Henry van de Velde, as occupied by Herman Daled" was published as part of the project 'Hotel Wolfers' by Richard Venlet in 2015. The original text in Dutch (2004) was published in a collection of essays, 'Van Hermes en Hestia' (2006/2010) the English publication
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A brief essay (English/Dutch) on the relation between architectural design and art, published in Dutch in the liber amicorum for Rob Cuyvers ("Verbeelding als kompas, participatie als kracht", UHasselt, 2018).
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This article 'What now? After 130 years of art criticism (in the Netherlands)' is based on a lecture given on the symposium 'The Changing Language of Art Criticism' (15 September 2017) in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is argued that... more
This article 'What now? After 130 years of art criticism (in the Netherlands)' is based on a lecture given on the symposium 'The Changing Language of Art Criticism' (15 September 2017) in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is argued that due to the ongoing shift on the 'correctness' of the content of the art work and the its legitimation by 'theory', and to the overflow of unmediated 'contact' between art works the 'public', the role and work of the art critic, focused on 'ekphrasis' and contributing to a discursive production of what is current and topical in the arts, is diminished and becomes more and more obsolete.
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The principle of architecture is the creation of an " inside " or an interior. There are three layers of meaning involved in isolating and defining a space as an " inside " : the floor/ earth, the wall/world, the ceiling/heavens. The... more
The principle of architecture is the creation of an " inside " or an interior. There are three layers of meaning involved in isolating and defining a space as an " inside " : the floor/ earth, the wall/world, the ceiling/heavens. The three combined constitute and define a particular version of the archetypical " interior " : the room. Each architectural interior, though, is at the same time a closed space, on itself, and at the same time represents and relates to an " outside " or to the World. This article is published as part of a collection on interiorities.
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The illustrations from Jules Champfleury’s (1821-1889) publications on "L' Histoire de la caricature" provided a crucial source of images for James Ensor between 1885 and 1900. It is possible to identify direct and significant borrowings... more
The illustrations from Jules Champfleury’s (1821-1889) publications on "L' Histoire de la caricature" provided a crucial source of images for James Ensor between 1885 and 1900. It is possible to identify direct and significant borrowings from Champfleury in at least twenty-five of the major ‘grotesque’ paintings and drawings from his most creative and fertile period. Champfleury is the channel through which Ensor discovered and explored the universe of the grotesque, satirical and macabre. Furthermore, his books offer an interesting framework for an analysis of several of Ensor’s key grotesque motifs, and for an understanding of his rebellious and satirical perspective on art and the role of the artist.
Part of the evidence and a first outline of this article have been tested in an article in Dutch: "‘Siffler les vices et les laideurs de la civilisation…’
Het groteske oeuvre van James Ensor en de Encyclopédie de la caricature van Jules Champfleury", published in the art journal De Witte Raaf, no. 181, 2016, pp. 14-21.
This English version of the text contains all the visual evidence.
The introduction and the last sections of this text will be published by the Bucharest University Press in 2017 in the series of the Centre of Excellence in Image Studies, in the proceedings of a conference on ‘New Treatments of the Figure’, as ‘ Jules Champfleury and James Ensor’s view on the modern artist’.
Part of the evidence and a first outline of this article have been tested in an article in Dutch: "‘Siffler les vices et les laideurs de la civilisation…’
Het groteske oeuvre van James Ensor en de Encyclopédie de la caricature van Jules Champfleury", published in the art journal De Witte Raaf, no. 181, 2016, pp. 14-21.
This English version of the text contains all the visual evidence.
The introduction and the last sections of this text will be published by the Bucharest University Press in 2017 in the series of the Centre of Excellence in Image Studies, in the proceedings of a conference on ‘New Treatments of the Figure’, as ‘ Jules Champfleury and James Ensor’s view on the modern artist’.
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A short essay on laughter, and on the comical and pseudo-classical works by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. The text was part of the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Wim Delvoye’ in the Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015... more
A short essay on laughter, and on the comical and pseudo-classical works by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. The text was part of the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Wim Delvoye’ in the Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015 (pp.31-34).
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The essay ‘Le gothique comme manifeste’ on the ‘gothic’ works by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye was published in the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Knockin' on heaven's door / Wim Delvoye’, BOZAR, Brussels, 2010, pp. 45-59. (20 Oct.2010-23... more
The essay ‘Le gothique comme manifeste’ on the ‘gothic’ works by the Belgian artist Wim Delvoye was published in the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Knockin' on heaven's door / Wim Delvoye’, BOZAR, Brussels, 2010, pp. 45-59. (20 Oct.2010-23 Jan 2011). The text discusses the 'gothic' works of Delvoye by relating them to the artist's oeuvre as a whole and to his customary 'comical' artistic strategies. (text in French)
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(Unpublished) English translation of an article published in Dutch + original publication in De Witte Raaf,140, July-August 2009: Kunstenaar zijn is ook een kunst Over het 'eerste werk' en het 'oeuvre'. ABSTRACT : In the 'mythology... more
(Unpublished) English translation of an article published in Dutch + original publication in De Witte Raaf,140, July-August 2009: Kunstenaar zijn is ook een kunst
Over het 'eerste werk' en het 'oeuvre'.
ABSTRACT : In the 'mythology of the artist' the 'first work' and the status of the 'oeuvre' are crucial. Modernist art is by definition conscious of its (institutional) context. A 'first work' therefore is always 'naive' and not ‘modern’. It is understood and often later presented as a 'natural sign' and the first proof of artistic talent and vocation. When the notion of an artistic 'oeuvre' does not just refer to the totality of the production of an artist any more, but become a construction and a work of art in itself, 'early works' that do not 'fit' can become problematic… The artist has to choose the work that can count as its 'beginning'.
Over het 'eerste werk' en het 'oeuvre'.
ABSTRACT : In the 'mythology of the artist' the 'first work' and the status of the 'oeuvre' are crucial. Modernist art is by definition conscious of its (institutional) context. A 'first work' therefore is always 'naive' and not ‘modern’. It is understood and often later presented as a 'natural sign' and the first proof of artistic talent and vocation. When the notion of an artistic 'oeuvre' does not just refer to the totality of the production of an artist any more, but become a construction and a work of art in itself, 'early works' that do not 'fit' can become problematic… The artist has to choose the work that can count as its 'beginning'.
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(unpublished) Lecture held at a Claude Lorrain conference organized by Helen Langdon in The British School in Rome, June 2003.
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(Unpublished) Lecture given in Chevetogne in 2009 at a symposium on the theme of 'the master'.
A series of essays published between 1990 and 2009 on the work of the Belgian artist and theatre director Jan Fabre, republished in English in 'Jan Fabre in the Grand-Duchy of Luxemburg 1994-2009' by Beaumontpublic in 2009.
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Dit artikel is gebaseerd op een lezing gehouden op de Tweede Landelijke Dag van de Theorie op 21/11/2014 op de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Den Haag. Het artikel bespreekt de manier waarop theorie kan bijdragen tot het... more
Dit artikel is gebaseerd op een lezing gehouden op de Tweede Landelijke Dag van de Theorie op 21/11/2014 op de Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Den Haag. Het artikel bespreekt de manier waarop theorie kan bijdragen tot het kunstonderwijs. Daarbij wordt ingegaan op het conflict tussen de waarheidsbetrachting inherent aan het wetenschappelijk onderzoek en de wil te slagen in het kunstenaarschap en in het realiseren van een 'oeuvre'.
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This article presents and discusses three original drawings found in the Album Goetghebuer, discovered in 2008, on long term deposit in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent. The drawing of a view of Castel Sant'Angelo by Lieven Cruyl is... more
This article presents and discusses three original drawings found in the Album Goetghebuer, discovered in 2008, on long term deposit in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent. The drawing of a view of Castel Sant'Angelo by Lieven Cruyl is examined at length, and connected to the environment of Queen Christina of Sweden.
Included in: Dirk De Meyer, Bart Verschaffel, Pieter-Jan Cierkens (eds.), Aspects of Piranesi : essays on history, criticism and invention.
A&S/books, Ghent, 2015, pp. 160-175.
Included in: Dirk De Meyer, Bart Verschaffel, Pieter-Jan Cierkens (eds.), Aspects of Piranesi : essays on history, criticism and invention.
A&S/books, Ghent, 2015, pp. 160-175.
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This article analyses recent work by the Belgian architects De Vylder Vinck Taillieu as representative of new tendencies in Belgian architecture that use form in architectural design in a way that might be called Mannerist. The term is... more
This article analyses recent work by the Belgian architects De Vylder Vinck Taillieu as representative of new tendencies in Belgian architecture that use form in architectural design in a way that might be called Mannerist. The term is systematically developed and explained, and then introduced in a critical evaluation of the newly built community centre L-Berg in Ghent and the House Huik in Antwerp.
Published in: Tailored Architecture. Flanders Architectural Review N°12, VAI, Antwerp, 2016, pp.126-133.
Published in: Tailored Architecture. Flanders Architectural Review N°12, VAI, Antwerp, 2016, pp.126-133.
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On Hermes and Hestia. This book (2010) contains a selection of 15 essays on architecture (in Dutch) published between 1992 and 2009. A first selection with 10 texts was published with the same title in 2006. Content: De kring en het... more
On Hermes and Hestia. This book (2010) contains a selection of 15 essays on architecture (in Dutch) published between 1992 and 2009. A first selection with 10 texts was published with the same title in 2006.
Content:
De kring en het netwerk. Over het statuut van de publieke ruimte (1992)
'Architectuur is (als) een gebaar'. Over het 'echte' als architecturaal criterium (1993)
Monumentaliteit: de betekenis van een vorm (1999)
Achterkant, binnenkant, oppervlakte: kunst voor de stad? (1999)
Mon lieu commun. Over de betekenis van het ‘werk’ in het moderne (2000)
De betekenis van huiselijkheid (2002)
De mythe van de straat. Over het begrip ‘publieke ruimte’ en de (cultuur)politiek (2004)
Publiek/privaat: het krachtverlies van een metafoor (2005)
Bad Dream Houses. De impasse in de woningarchitectuur (2005)
Naschrift (bij de eerste uitgave) (2006)
Verbergen is beschermen (2003)
“Ik woon er niet, ik ben aanwezig”. Het huis Wolfers van Henry van de Velde zoals bewoond door Herman Daled (2004)
(Sacrale) Plaatsen zijn van tijd gemaakt. De ervaring van het sacrale in de categorisering van plaats in de moderniteit (2008)
Het binnen buiten de wereld: over het interieur als architecturaal principe (2009)
Raden naar de toekomst van de bibliotheek (2009)
Content:
De kring en het netwerk. Over het statuut van de publieke ruimte (1992)
'Architectuur is (als) een gebaar'. Over het 'echte' als architecturaal criterium (1993)
Monumentaliteit: de betekenis van een vorm (1999)
Achterkant, binnenkant, oppervlakte: kunst voor de stad? (1999)
Mon lieu commun. Over de betekenis van het ‘werk’ in het moderne (2000)
De betekenis van huiselijkheid (2002)
De mythe van de straat. Over het begrip ‘publieke ruimte’ en de (cultuur)politiek (2004)
Publiek/privaat: het krachtverlies van een metafoor (2005)
Bad Dream Houses. De impasse in de woningarchitectuur (2005)
Naschrift (bij de eerste uitgave) (2006)
Verbergen is beschermen (2003)
“Ik woon er niet, ik ben aanwezig”. Het huis Wolfers van Henry van de Velde zoals bewoond door Herman Daled (2004)
(Sacrale) Plaatsen zijn van tijd gemaakt. De ervaring van het sacrale in de categorisering van plaats in de moderniteit (2008)
Het binnen buiten de wereld: over het interieur als architecturaal principe (2009)
Raden naar de toekomst van de bibliotheek (2009)
Research Interests:
This collection addresses interiority as a concept debated by artists and philosophers, historians and sociologists alike. From Augustine to Montaigne, from the monk’s cell to the Renaissance studiolo, the artist’s studio and the modern... more
This collection addresses interiority as a concept debated by artists and philosophers, historians and sociologists alike. From Augustine to Montaigne, from the monk’s cell to the Renaissance studiolo, the artist’s studio and the modern library, the interior has provided subjectivity with a protective layer that defined one’s identity and its relation to the world. The goal of this interdisciplinary collection is to approach interiority and the interior as relational entities that interact with architectural spaces, visual arts and music, social and political ideologies, geographical and historical structures. How does the interior—of mankind, of the earth, of architecture—affect identity, its historical, cultural and artistic representation? How do we think of the interior other than as Cartesian solipsism or as a volatile architectural decorum? How does the Earth’s interior relate to the world we experience every day? Just as the façade relates a building to the public space and betrays something of its interior structure, the interior is hereby approached as a space that mediates between the psyche, its history and its impact onto the world.
Research Interests:
Exhibition catalogue, edited by Maarten Delbeke, Dirk De Meyer, Bas Rogiers, Bart Verschaffel / Exhibition: Museum voor Schone Kunsten (MSK, Museum of Fine Arts), Ghent, 20 Sept 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 / Book chapters: Dirk De Meyer,... more
Exhibition catalogue, edited by Maarten Delbeke, Dirk De Meyer, Bas Rogiers, Bart Verschaffel /
Exhibition: Museum voor Schone Kunsten (MSK, Museum of Fine Arts), Ghent, 20 Sept 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 /
Book chapters: Dirk De Meyer, Archeologie en inventie: Piranesi kunstenaar, archeoloog, ingenieur, polemist, architect, handelaar / Maarten Delbeke, Roma antica, moderna e sacra: Piranesi en de vedute-traditie / Bart Verschaffel, Piranesi's Carceri: een postscriptum / ...
Exhibition: Museum voor Schone Kunsten (MSK, Museum of Fine Arts), Ghent, 20 Sept 2008 – 18 Jan 2009 /
Book chapters: Dirk De Meyer, Archeologie en inventie: Piranesi kunstenaar, archeoloog, ingenieur, polemist, architect, handelaar / Maarten Delbeke, Roma antica, moderna e sacra: Piranesi en de vedute-traditie / Bart Verschaffel, Piranesi's Carceri: een postscriptum / ...
Research Interests:
This collection of three essays, published in French in 2007, analyses traditional genres in painting, concentrating on the image space of the 17th century still life and the significance of the ledge, the model and the 'portrait... more
This collection of three essays, published in French in 2007, analyses traditional genres in painting, concentrating on the image space of the 17th century still life and the significance of the ledge, the model and the 'portrait situation', and the compression of the world vs. the evoking of the distant in the landscape.
The book, with the essays originally written in Dutch, was translated by Daniel Cunin, and published by 'La Lettre Volée', Brussels, in 2007.
The book, with the essays originally written in Dutch, was translated by Daniel Cunin, and published by 'La Lettre Volée', Brussels, in 2007.
Research Interests:
Unpublished internal memorandum (1995) with a theoretical reflection on the concept of 'sustainable (space) development' and on concepts & metaphors of change in general.
Research Interests:
On the Aesthetic Gaze, Beauty, and the two Sources of Ugliness in: Jane Forsey & Lars Aagaard-Mogensen (eds.), On the Ugly. Aesthetic Exchanges, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019, pp. 4-16. (9781527535237). Beauty and ugliness are... more
On the Aesthetic Gaze, Beauty, and the two Sources of Ugliness
in: Jane Forsey & Lars Aagaard-Mogensen (eds.), On the Ugly. Aesthetic Exchanges, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019, pp. 4-16. (9781527535237).
Beauty and ugliness are not extreme poles of the same continuum. The experience of ugliness is fundamentally different, entailing a digestion of primary emotions and reactions that precede the aesthetic and are connected to the (experience of the) threat of the monstrous OR the infection by the formless. This is illustrated with childhood memories of Paul Valéry taken from his 'Inspirations méditerranéennes'.
in: Jane Forsey & Lars Aagaard-Mogensen (eds.), On the Ugly. Aesthetic Exchanges, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019, pp. 4-16. (9781527535237).
Beauty and ugliness are not extreme poles of the same continuum. The experience of ugliness is fundamentally different, entailing a digestion of primary emotions and reactions that precede the aesthetic and are connected to the (experience of the) threat of the monstrous OR the infection by the formless. This is illustrated with childhood memories of Paul Valéry taken from his 'Inspirations méditerranéennes'.