Precision
Eloquence
Harmony
Expressiveness
Browsing through the pages of the old book written by Desgodetz, there is one specific concept which grabbed my attention. It is not a concept on how to construct a building regarding symmetry or geometry. It is more a fundamental concept which is essential to fulfill the other two mentioned concepts. Precision. In every way, precision is indispensable.
As I looked more carefully through the pages, this concept can be revealed with the help of two different tools. On the one side, there is text language. It means that the author is on a very sophisticated level of precise description. The text describes for example in detail how the construction procedure of the Pantheon passed off or how the façade is looking. For sure, it is an outdated French language. Nevertheless, the language is powerful. What I have found interesting is the manner how Desgodetz deals with the words. He describes the building with an antique freshness and easiness. Without looking at the images before, the reader would be capable of creating a precise image of the Pantheon even if he would not have seen the building before.
The second tool is image language. There are some images which show different column types. What is more is that one specific column has not only one corresponding image. Often there are illustrated a few images which picture exactly the described object from multiple perspectives. I became aware of the fact that sketches cannot be compared to the detailed pictures in the book. These are drawn almost too properly and perfectly. There seem to be no mistakes. The drawing style is accordingly elaborated. Every image has some shadings stressing the shape. As an effect, the reader can be surprised while he opens the book and discovers realistic columns and buildings. They seem to pop up from the pages. What surprised me too is that the pages have no work traces. Until now, I have not managed to find one single blurring or one extra line. I have wondered how many times a picture had to be drawn to reach this flawless result. It is impossible with the first attempt. Furthermore, the precision allows the reader to understand the Pantheon through the images without necessarily taking a glance at the text.
To sum up, Desgodetz could have published the book without the text or without the images. Because each tool is already expressive that the second seems to become obsolete. Nevertheless, they complement one another harmonically.