Author Description

This volume was originally published on the occasion of the five-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the great architect Andrea Palladio in 2008. SASSI is publishing this new edition on the villas; in combination with a forthcoming volume on Palladio's palaces, churches and public works it will comprise the most complete and exhaustive monograph on the architect's work. With the help of a set of iconic photographs with great visual impact that were tailored specifically to the text, author Luca Trevisan traces the evolution of the theory and practice of this Vicentine architect, the most influential in the history of Western architecture. Through a close reading of the drawings in Palladio's Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (Venice, 1570), Trevisan makes connections between the buildings as they were built and the concepts and designs behind them, which employed classical architecture and Vitruvian teachings in a then-contemporary and Renaissance setting. With its modern design, this book resembles a contemporary architecture book more than a historical overview. That design emphasizes the functional nature and precision of Palladio's work. The photographs highlight the purity of Palladio's buildings and are paired with drawings from the architect's Quattro Libri. They make this book a must-have for architects, researchers, scholars and anyone else working in the field who wants to draw inspiration and knowledge from Palladio's magnificent work.