ABSTRACT
Given the absence of consensus about a singular, deep, and profound concept that structured the geometry of San Carlino, I explore the possibility of a ‘literally superficial’ geometry, of geometry on, and of surface. Such a hypothesis was provoked by numerous analyses involving perspectival projection, rule-based arithmetically derived geometry, and stereometric ensembles of parts fitting a whole, all of which revealed several ‘gaps’, ‘malfunctions’ and an ‘incompleteness’ in (universal) geometry. The geometry of San Carlino, I argue, must be considered at various scales, in particular, the nuanced scale of stucco relief. I examine three cases in the ‘geometry of surface’ of the church: the column-wall juncture, the pendentive-zone, and the dome. The implications and aftermath of the ‘literally superficial’ hypothesis entail reconsidering the very ordering and definitions of structure, space, relief and ornament. Surface, however, emerges only as a post-script, or as an after-effect: just as the stucco layer postdated, and was a response to the stereotomic construction, the analysis is a post-facto recognition of what were peculiar and un-categorized traits of drawing and building San Carlino. Surface is ultimately a spatio-temporal interface that involves Borromini, a viewer of his drawings, and a church visitor alike.
