The visual world of Robert Venturi's imagination. Complexity and contradiction in its architecture.

The research carried out and presented here belongs to the field of studies in which the analysis of images serves as a basis for understanding historical-artistic processes characterized by evolution, repetition, and contradiction. The central question that has critically and transversally guided this research has been: is it possible to conduct a study of architectural images based on the actual spatial and perceptual qualities of architecture itself? And if so, how do these images configure themselves as a point of contact between the reality and the idea, and vice versa? The drawing of architecture is inherently flexible and versatile tool, instrument capable of following the flow of thought and guiding its path to full expression. This is because it is able to capture and communicate complex concepts, both visually and tangibly. For these reasons, the study has focused on what role this medium play in active thinking, aiming at the generative effort of a corresponding theory. The book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, published in 1966 in the series Art Papers on Architecture by MoMA, was written by Robert Venturi as the result of a long human, artistic and professional journey that spanned two continents and cultures. To date, the book has been translated so far into 19 languages and, due to its undeniable fame, can be considered a milestone and a turning point both in the personal history of its author and in the history of global architectural theory. Robert Venturi and his "Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture" represent the ferryman of the fragile and suffering post-war cultural sentiment to the shores of new possibilities. Unbeknownst to him and through a series of coincidences, Venturi can thus be considered a figure of connection between two worlds that the advent of globalization will finally separate. In fact, this book can be considered the last important treatise on architecture created entirely with analog means before the disruptive entry into the digital era; and at the same time, it is the first one to also look to the future. The decision to adopt a research approach that combines ontological and philological analysis at the same time, aims to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the figure of the author within the historical and cultural context in which he operated. This approach makes it possible to study both the conceptual and philosophical aspects that characterize the author's work (ontological level) and the historical and linguistic details that influence its production (philological level). Uniting these two registers allows for a more complete and articulated view of the figure of the author, revealing not only his ideas and theories, but also the context in which they were born and developed. Moreover, this approach makes it possible to appreciate the author's active role in shaping and transforming the historical-cultural context in which he operated, highlighting his impact and relevance in the intellectual landscape of his own time. The research carried out has thus brought to light a significant and previously unpublished amount of graphic material produced by Venturi as an aid to the development and creation of his theoretical thought. Hundreds of Kodachrome Color Slides testify to the numerous educational trips Venturi made in Europe during and after his years as a fellow at the American Academy in Rome (1954-56), during which he personally experienced the meaning of organic space, a concept that deeply fascinated him. Similarly, the discovery of over 500 meticulously drawn and categorized Index Cards by Venturi himself has led to the revelation of the theoretical system on which the entire book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture is based. This latent structure, woven by the author to organize the writing of the book, is reconstructed and presented in the form of an ‘analogous book’ composed of all the drawings that Venturi created but chose not to include in the final publication. The Kodachrome Color Slides and Index Cards together serve as a means of reconstructing a "map of Venturi's architectural imagination," built up over years of experience and study, from which he then draws in the elaboration of his first book. Looking today at all the slides and drawings that Venturi never really shared with anyone, but which form the origin of his poetics, allows us to recognize those objects of affection on which the American architect would reflect repeatedly throughout his career.