The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views

The contribution illustrates the paradox between the desire expressed in a generalized way to verare, that is to represent the city in reality, and the result of this reproduction which very often coincides with a view from above. For the times – the late-sixteenth century – such views were rare, if...

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Main Author: Maria Beatrice Bettazzi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Bologna 2021-12-01
Series:In_Bo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://in-bo.unibo.it/article/view/13934
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author Maria Beatrice Bettazzi
author_facet Maria Beatrice Bettazzi
author_sort Maria Beatrice Bettazzi
collection DOAJ
description The contribution illustrates the paradox between the desire expressed in a generalized way to verare, that is to represent the city in reality, and the result of this reproduction which very often coincides with a view from above. For the times – the late-sixteenth century – such views were rare, if not impossible. This essay investigates the anthropological implications of this conceptual device, which generally refers to the need of dominating the space. The numerous variations in which this occurs, however, pertain not only to the political or administrative sphere, but also to the wide field of knowledge and religious certainties, not by chance put more and more into question by the advance of the Protestant Reformation. It’s thus no coincidence that the bird’s-eye view, full of fascination because it procures vertigo and deludes us to see how God sees, becomes an expressive stratagem in a period of loss of certainties and refounding of knowledge such as the crucial decades of transition between the Renaissance and Baroque.
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spelling doaj.art-f62fa7ef62f040dc803c2ad68a19e0512022-12-21T19:45:19ZengUniversity of BolognaIn_Bo2036-16022021-12-011216336–341336–34110.6092/issn.2036-1602/1393412257The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-ViewsMaria Beatrice Bettazzi0Ricercatrice indipendenteThe contribution illustrates the paradox between the desire expressed in a generalized way to verare, that is to represent the city in reality, and the result of this reproduction which very often coincides with a view from above. For the times – the late-sixteenth century – such views were rare, if not impossible. This essay investigates the anthropological implications of this conceptual device, which generally refers to the need of dominating the space. The numerous variations in which this occurs, however, pertain not only to the political or administrative sphere, but also to the wide field of knowledge and religious certainties, not by chance put more and more into question by the advance of the Protestant Reformation. It’s thus no coincidence that the bird’s-eye view, full of fascination because it procures vertigo and deludes us to see how God sees, becomes an expressive stratagem in a period of loss of certainties and refounding of knowledge such as the crucial decades of transition between the Renaissance and Baroque.https://in-bo.unibo.it/article/view/13934bird's-eye viewrepresentationmentalitycityhistory
spellingShingle Maria Beatrice Bettazzi
The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
In_Bo
bird's-eye view
representation
mentality
city
history
title The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
title_full The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
title_fullStr The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
title_full_unstemmed The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
title_short The Paradox of the True Portrait: Power and Other Implications in Late-Renaissance City-Views
title_sort paradox of the true portrait power and other implications in late renaissance city views
topic bird's-eye view
representation
mentality
city
history
url https://in-bo.unibo.it/article/view/13934
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