First written in 1925, the essay by Sedlmayr makes an indispensable contribution to knowledge of the work of Borromini, while representing an important chapter in artistic historiography.
[The architecture of Borromini] Even recent studies have overlooked this disturbing, difficult book by Hans Sedlmayr, the first version of which dates back to the beginning of 1925. Forgotten for a range of different reasons, including its author’s involvement with the Nazis, the book is not only an indispensable contribution to knowledge of the work of Borromini, one of the greatest architects of the western world, but also an important document for an understanding of the evolution and meaning of the research of the renowned Austrian scholar. The study on Borromini is one of the author’s most arduous attempts to venture into the area of structural analysis of artworks.
In the essays in this volume Sedlmayr attempts to apply methods of interpretation derived from theory of the Gestalt, physiognomy and psychoanalysis to the architecture of Borromini.
Already published by Electa in 1996, now in a second edition that cannot be overlooked by those interested in artistic historiography.