Viollet-le-Duc, the nineteenth-century and us

Abstract

The essay introduces the book Viollet-le-Duc and the nineteenth-century, which in part gathers together the results of the study-day on Viollet-le-Duc La Nostalgia delle origini. Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc e la percezione del Medioevo nell’Ottocento (University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, 7 May 2014). The essay also proposes some reflections on the significance of celebrations of the past – in this case, the bicentenary of Viollet-le-Duc’s birth – for the future. In the first part, starting with the analyses of the initiatives dedicated to Viollet on this occasion, the study investigates less known aspects of the complex personality of the French architect: his visionary attitude, which, in some cases, prevails on the rationalist approach to architecture. It also underlines the actuality of Viollet-le-Duc’s contribution in the definition of theoretical and practical aspects in architecture. Despite the improvement of studies dealing with his complex personality, he is still wrongly confined in the “narrow circle of restoration”. In the second part of the study, describing the contents of the book, the essay investigates the relationship between Viollet-le-Duc and 19th century culture, trying to highlight how our controversial relationship with that time, significantly influences our interpretation of Viollet-le-Duc’s theoretical and practical work.