Sebastian Andersson

Borsa di studio degli Amici dell’Istituto Svedese a Roma

The french philosopher Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) wrote five essays on what he calls the imagination of the classical elements fire, water, air and earth. In a series of elaborate attempts, Bachelard both performs and studies what could be understood as a psychoanalysis of the classical elements trying to understand the nature of their being and how they affect our human capacity to imagine, to fantasize and to dream.
In doing so Bachelard constructs what others have described as a phenomenological literary theory. During my stay at the Swedish Institute, I will attempt to use this theory to study the architecture of The Pantheon in Rome. The focus of my study is to examine if, and how, his theoretical framework can be transposed on to the field of art history to research the theory and practice of classical Roman architecture. Hopefully this can contribute to new ways of seeing and experiencing architecture and art.