Paper on Baroque Architecture

Jack Szmanda Architectural History, 3411 Professor Satkowski November 15, 2010 Contrast of Resources When researching for a specific reason or refined searches there are many places in which you can search to find results that can be more accurate or useful to the intended search. In the process of collecting information, one must review what kind of information is being displayed.

Just typing a key term into Google isn’t sufficient, but a deeper analysis is necessary.Articles, journals, books, and papers are all written with an intended focus and audience. With this, specific information is portrayed in order for the writer to adequately propose his findings or ideas to the readers. When researching information on the great building of Amphitheatrum Flavium, or more commonly known as the Colosseum, there were many sources, but the area of research that was being limited towards was the construction and looks of building rather than the architecture or city involvement.In searching, three beneficial sources were found; Rome, V,6: Colosseum (Grove Dictionary), The Colosseum (Wikipedia), and A Perfect Ruin (JSTOR), all of which portrayed different information and views surrounding the building and were intended for different reasons. The Grove Dictionary of Art is an encyclopedia that is available to the general population that relates its information to Art and Architecture. The article selected from Grove, Rome, V,6: Colosseum, was written by a women named Janet DeLaine.

DeLaine goes in great detail of the explanation of the visual and architectural aspects of the building. Her writings were mostly guided towards the explanation of how the building achieved its vast size and why the creators did so. DeLaine is guiding her writing towards a group trying to better their understanding of the Colosseum, such as Architecture Students. It is written in a way that suggests that she is sitting in the middle of the Colosseum while looking at a plan view of the building, trying to what she saw.The information being used is very up to date, even though it is almost a history lesson. She uses examples that are seen today, and renovations that have occurred recently in order for the preservation of the building, revealing that this is a valid source with legitimate and accurate information. The information given in Rome, V,6: Colosseum is very accurate an would more than likely be most helpful in the process of writing paper on the history of the building.

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The next source that was collected was from the infamous Wikipedia. The exert from the encyclopedia was entitled The Colosseum where the writer was not specified. This database showed an enormous amount of information regarding the Colosseum ranging from the history of the building to the appearance in the media today. Similar to the article taken from the Grove Dictionary of Art, this article has a vast historical basis, ranging from the original construction to the multiple reconstructions throughout the years.Unlike Grove, Wikipedia goes farther into the building than just its appearance and construction, but its use and image. Wikipedia explains areas in which focus on the community involvement surrounding the Colosseum. Whether it be for entertainment, to explaining the churches involvement later in the buildings life.

The article was written to educate the reader on the building as a whole, but not refined to the teachings of an Architect, but a general student. Anyone willing to learn would get a good understanding of the building and the surrounding community.The data within the article is viewed as being current and up to date not only because it shows recent images of the building but it talks about the activity today that still surrounds the Colosseum. This reference has a large variety of strong information regarding the Colosseum. This form of secondary information does have very strong references to associations like the BBC and Encyclopedia Britannica, but the major flaw about the database is that any person could go and alter information found on the cite, making it a less reliable form of reference.The article would be very useful in writing a paper or teaching a lesson on the building, image, and community involvement surrounding the Colosseum, where it would be less helpful for a design project or planning a trip. The next resource selected, being entitled A perfect Ruin from the Journal Arion.

This exert from the journal is much larger and depictive that the other to sources. Published by the Trustees of Boston University, uses a different approach I relaying the information to the reader.The document goes in great detail of the design and structure if the building, but displays it as if the author was looking at a photograph. The author believes that a photograph is key in the studying and analysis of art and he expresses that in his writings. “By examining the photographs of the Colosseum, along with contemporary documents, we shall able to discern some of the most significant elements of the genuine sensation of Rome (Perfect Ruin, 113). ” Even through this passage alone it is easily seen that the author exemplifies photography, as a basis of the great Colosseum.The authors dialog is almost as if they are trying to communicate with the reader, trying to draw them in.

The focus is to teach the pure essence of reading photography and how they bring out the brilliance of a building like the Colosseum. The writing could be intended for a group of students, but not those that are strictly searching for elements of the building like an Architectural History student, but one who wanted to see it through different eyes, through the eyes of a camera.It also could be used for tourists wanting to understand what would be seen if visiting the Colosseum. The information successfully gives great reference to the Colosseum, while still trying to keep the readers interests. This is important because it isn’t written like a history book, but it still projects large amounts of information as a history book would. This is a great source due to its vast amount of information and legitimacy, but also because it reveals information in a different more elegant way.When approaching research from different sources, it is always important to review the information at hand to ensure that the writings are that of what you intended, and to show type of writing it is.

In the exerts from The Grove Dictionary of Art, Wikipedia, and JSTOR, all are different forms of writing ranging from a deep historical timeline of creation and construction, or a list of construction, and explanation of the building and society, to a unique prospective through the lens of a camera.All the sources can be written about the same idea, but all can be written in a different way, and intended for a different audience.Work Cited Arion, Trustees of Boston University. http://www. jstor. org/action/showPublisher ? publisherCode=tbu. Third Series, Vol.

2, No. 1 (Winter, 1992), pp. 115-142 "Colosseum. " Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 4 June 2009. Web. 16 Nov.

2010. <http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Colosseum>. DeLaine Janet. 2010. Rome V, 6: Colosseum.

Oxford University Press. June 22, 2010. <www. oxfordartonline. com. >

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