One of Paul Crossley’s most cited articles is a brilliant account of the ‘limits’ of architectural iconography. In it, he described how art historians have interpreted the ‘meaning’ of architecture across the twentieth century in terms of religious symbolism, patronal intention and the immediate presence of the heavens. Since Paul wrote, his own focus on the variation of associative ‘vibrations’ that architecture could spark in the minds of contemporaries has proven apposite as scholars have continued to investigate their wealth, structure and effects.
This talk seeks to extend these approaches by describing iconography as an embodied practice, an activity done at particular moments and in particular places by particular subjects. Its focus is on the twelfth century, as monastic reformers took renewed interest in the discipline and organisation of the body and the control of the gaze. This would profoundly shape the practice of looking at and thinking about architecture and, this talk will argue, should inform academic approaches to the kind of vibrations that Paul described.
Dr Gabriel Byng is the Principal Investigator of an FWF Stand Alone Project at the University of Vienna concerning the work of the mystic Henry Suso. Previously he held a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship and a Research Fellowship at Cambridge. His first book was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017 and a collection he co-edited won ‘Best Multi-Author Book’ from the HBA in 2023. His research has won numerous awards, including a Dan David Prize scholarship from the University of Tel Aviv, a Faculty Grant at the University of Chicago and a fellowship at the Herzog August Bibliothek, Wolfenbüttel.
The Paul Crossley Memorial Lecture is given annually in memory of the much-loved teacher and architectural historian at The Courtauld. Organised by Dr Tom Nickson (The Courtauld) as part of the Medieval Work-in-Progress Series, it is generously supported by Sam Fogg.
