Yale University, School of Architecture

The Imaginary Mountain: The Significance of Contour in Alvar Aalto's Sketches

Author(s): Mark A. Hewitt
Source: Perspecta, Vol. 25 (1989), pp. 162-177
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567142 .
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The Imaginary
Mountain
The Significance
ofContourinAlvarAalto'sSketches
MarkA. Hewitt
It is a paradoxofmodernarchitecture that,
in an age dominatedbyrationalist theory,
thesketchhas becomea legitimatemeansof
expressingcompletearchitectural concepts.
The conceptsketch,encapsulating many
of theformal,theoreticaland phenomeno-
logicalaspectsof a designin a singlestroke,
now occupiesan important place in the
canonof architectural representation. The
is
sketch fresher, more vivid,more personal
thanthemechanistically producedpresen-
tationdrawing.In a sense,thisseemingly
informaland irrationaldrawingtypecan be
proofof theclarityand objectivity ofmethod
whichhas been a hallmarkoftwentieth-
centurytheory.And,as important, thesketch
can expresstheromantic,avant-garde
gestureof creativeindividualism thatnearly
all contemporary artistscultivate.
Studysketcheswerenot alwaysseen in this
light.As WernerOechslinhas pointedout,
sketcheswerehistorically consideredto
be personal,subjectiveexplorations reserved
forthearchitectin theprivacyofhis studio,
not forpublicdissemination.2The earliest
use of thestudysketchdatesfromthe
whenadvancesin papermaking
quattrocento,
made trialand errorexplorationpossible
forbothpaintersand architects. It was not
untiltheeighteenthcenturythatarchitects
developedthesketchas a drawingtypein
itsownright.The baroquescenographic
cappriciowas one suchform,broughtto a
high artistic
levelbysuchdraftsmen as
FilippoJuvarra. Travelsketches,recording
themonumentsofthegrandtour,werethe
mostsignificant eighteenth-and nineteenth-
centuryinstruments of thesketcher'sart,
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sometimesshownin exhibitions. Great
draftsmen suchas Schinkel,NormanShaw
and C.R. Cockerellused thetravelsketchas
fodderforideas,butneverconfusedthe
freelyconceiveddrawingwitha fullyformed
architectural
concept,whichwas always
presentedin preciserenderings.
The firstimportant use ofthesketchas a
codifiedinstrument of designcame through
theFrenchBeauxArtssystem.The all
important an academicdrawing
esquisse,
moreakinto a roughdraftofthecomplete
building,presentedalwaysin plan,section
and elevationaccordingto a convention-
alized layout,was used in theconcours
process
as a meansofjudgingthequalityof a partior
completedesignconcept.Yetthisdrawing
was fundamentally differentfromthefree,
abstract"idea sketch"whichemergedin the
twentieth centuryas an icon of architectural
expression.'Withtheadventof abstract,
gestaltconceptualization fosteredbythe
Bauhaussystem,and theavant-garde linkage
betweenabstractartand architecture, the
idealizedfirstsketchtookon greater
significance- somehowcloserto thepure
idea behinda design.
Architects makeidea sketchesin orderto
facilitate
thinking.Especiallyin the earliest The freesketchwas onlyone of
stagesof design,whenmentalimagesand
vague intuitions
of a conceptare all that
inhabittheimagination, thesketchis the
litmustestand firstmanifestation of an idea.
A setof crude,incompleteand imperfectly
formeddrawingscan aid in thecrystallization
of a formalconcept.Because theinteractive
sequenceofsketchrepresentations records
1. Colin St.JohnWilson,"Alvar
Aaltoand the StateofModernism,"
InternationalArchitect
1, no. 2
(1979): p. 30.
2. WernerOechslin,"The Well-
TemperedSketch,"Daidalos5
(September1982): pp. 99-112.
3. This valuationof thesketchis
in partattributable
to theclose rela-
tionshipbetweenmodernartand
architecture
achievedin European
avant-garde circles.The fusionof
painting,sculpture,architectureand
appliedartsin the Bauhausvorkurs
helpedto legitimizethedesign
techniquesof thegraphicartistfor
in the 1920s,and freed
architects
themfromtherepresentational
constraints
ofacademicdrawing.
Paintersand architects
werekindred
spirits,as Ozenfant,L6ger and
Le Corbusierproved.Representa-
tionalbarriersand conventions
were
graduallybrokendownbysuchart
movementsas Constructivism,
Futurismand De Stijl,so thatthe
architectcould inventhis own
modesof designand expression.
thesenew forms.
163
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1951
Morocco,
Landwape,
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For thelanguageofhisarchitecture
followed thecontours
veryclosely ofthebuilding
programme

hewasfollowing
at thetime.Anditdidthisbecauseofoneverystriking
characteristic
in the

"structure"
(abstractly ofhiscreative
speaking) attack.Thiscanbeepitomised
bydrawingtwoforms

- an ideograph
oftwolines- onestraight,
theotherserpentine;
wecantransform
thelinesinto

planes,andwhether
weviewitas a plan ora section
itwillrecalltous thearchetypal
Aaltospace,

in whichthejuxtaposition
ofa strictly
flatplanewitha rhythmically
wavelike seemstocharge
surface

theair ofthespacelikethebeatingofa giantwing.Butthesetwoformscanalsobeimagined

- an imprint
as thelinesofan encephalogram ofthebrain'sprocesses,
in thesensethatthereseems

alwaystobein the"argument"
ofan Aaltobuilding
a complementareity
between
therigorous

and theturbulent
planeofanalysis wavelike
surgeoffantasy. Colin St.JohnWilson'

162

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 a mentalschemapeculiar to eachindividual Personal contact with Aaltorepeatedly shows
a
architect,studyof such drawingscanhelp howearnestly andwithwhatawareness ofhis
tounveilmodes conception formal
of and he
calling attemptsgrasp to all theproblems
It is ourpurposehereto
preoccupations. oflifeinourageandseeks tomakethem visible
studythe sketchesofonearchitect inthe insome form. He haslittle time forformal
of
hope making such a discovery. architectural theories; todiscover formliterally
andmetaphorically isthetaskofevery individ-
4. WernerM. Moser,"A Surveyof No modern is morecloselyasso-
architect ual,andtheories areofnohelphere;only life
theWorkofAlvarAalto,"inAlvar ciatedwiththefreely composed ideenskizze that islived and observed can furnish guidelines.
Aalto:Synopsis
(Basel: Birkhiuser thanAlvarAalto.A largepartofthemystique
Verlag,1970),p. 184. ofFinland'sgreatmaster is boundupwith Every project iselaborated byAaltoalone
hisintuitive, wavyline
expressionistic, withcountless sketches, ranging from purely con-
5. Malcolm Quantrill,AlvarAalto: It is
sketches. impossible to think of his built ceptual and to
drawings designsrecognizable
A CriticalStudy(London: 1983), without
projects imagining thoseinitial details.Thenthechief architect responsible
for
p. 243. quivering, exploratory
free-spirited, sketches. the execution of the project interprets the
The amorphous forms ofhislaterworks material. In close collaboration with Aalto,he
6. See, forinstance,Juhani areperfectly in his
reflected drawing style. then works the sketches and the pictorial
Pallasmaa,"Towardsa New Thisessaywillconsider thesignificance of explanations intoa presentable conceptualplan
Humanism:AspectsofAalto's thesedrawings toAalto'sdesignmethod, forthe client and for theconstruction engineers.7
and Thinking,"Space
Architecture withparticular attentiontothewaysinwhich
Design1 and 2 (January and theyareusedto define forminmassand Herewastestimony tothecrucialimportance
February 1977): pp. 10-12; and an
space.Through analysis of his unique of the sketch. In the post-war studiothe
Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti,"Alvar sketchingmethod, several ofhis key formal project architect and draftsmen stoodbyto
Aalto'sCreativeImagination,"in innovations andpreoccupations canbe better translate the master's murky doodles into
AlvarAalto1898-1976,catalogue understood, especiallyhisattitude tothe finished -
buildingsoftena rather challenging
fromtheFinnishMuseumof of in
contouring space plan and section. task. The architect thus abetted those inter-
(1978): pp. 129-33.
Architecture preters who saw him as a child ofnature,
AlvarAaltoclearly believedthattheactof jettisoning inhislaterworksthetrappings of
7. Karl Flieg,"The Architectin his sketchingwas fundamental to the creation of orthodox for a
theory compositional process
Workshop," in AlvarAalto 1963-70, architecturalform. Withthepublication baseduponspeculation, exploration and
vol. 2 (Zurich:1971),p. 9. ofvolumeoneofhisComplete Works in 1963, formal discovery through freehand drawing.
hisstartlingsoftpencil"firstsketches"
was
8. This apparentinterview appearedalongside formal presentation Aalto'swritings alsosupport thenotion
republishedby Goran Schildt drawings of a
andphotographs givenproject. that he was an intuitive designer whoencour-
in Finnish(Helsinki:
in Luonnoksia Hereinprintis thearchitect's official version agedthesubconscious tocomeforth while
Otava, 1972),and subsequently ofhiscreative process;the sketch is the drawing. His now famous remarks on archi-
translatedintoSwedishas Skisser keystarting pointof each design. Critics have tecture and abstract first
art, published in
(S6derstrdm& Co. FdrlagsAb.) beenmystified bytheseeming irrationality Domusin 1947,concerned thedesignofthe
Alvar
and intoEnglishas Sketches: ofthesedrawings. Werner Moser,writing in ViipuriLibrary, inwhich"primitive" or
Aalto,editedby Goran Schildt was
1970, spellbound, remarking that "childlike sketches" of"fantastic mountain
and translatedbyStuartWrede Aaltoemployedthesoftline deliberately, landscapes"and skieswith"manysuns"were
(Cambridge,Mass.: MIT Press, "as ifa moreabruptlyexplicitprocedure used as metaphoricalanalogiesforthe
1978) whereit has been titled"The mighthurtthebasicidea whichhe is experi- parti."He saw architectural
building's formin
Troutand theMountainStream." encingin his mind."4Malcolm Quantrill line,figure,mass, color and much
texture, as
The originalarticlein Domus likewisefoundAalto'sdesignproceduremore an abstractpainterdoes,and deliberately
(nos. 223-225 (October- December like"play";he wrote,"hissketchesare,in connectedhis architectural ideaswiththose
1947): pp. 3-15) bearstheItalian thetruesense,explorations: theymove in hissporadicoil paintings,firstextensively
title"Architetturae arteconcreta." towardssolutionsnot at all in theconven- in
published Synopsis. He spokeofsometimes
As mightbe expected,notonly tionalwaybutmorein thefreeconceptual forgetting "themaze ofproblems"in a
frommultiple
thetitlesuffers manneroftheBaroque spatialtradition.'' complexprogramand drawing"in a manner
and libertiestakenwith
translations Othercriticshavepointedto theemotional ratherlikethatofabstractart.Led onlyby
thetext. qualitiesofthesketchas crucialto Aalto's myinstincts I draw,notarchitectural syn-
viewof designas an extensionofthelife thesis,butsometimesevenchildishcomposi-
force.6As Karl Flieg wroteafterobserving tions,and via thisrouteI eventually arriveat
theatelierin 1968: an abstractbasisto themainconcept,a kind

164 Mountain
TheImaginary

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 ofuniversalsubstancewithwhosehelpthe
numerous sub-problems
quarreling canbe
into
brought harmony."' Viewed impression-
oras worksofart,Aalto'ssketches
istically,
reinforce ironclad
thisapparently testament
tothespontaneityofhisdesignprocess.

The myth ofAalto's"irrationality" has 9. Schildtand Wrede,Sketches, p. 97.

excusedsomecritics fromprobing hissophis-
ticatedthought processes.How, for instance, 10. My use ofthistermstems
doesoneexplainthefactthatheused froman earlieressayofmyown,
farmoreconventional representational tech- "Representational Formsand Modes
his and
niquesduring earlyyears, adopted of Conception: An Approachto the
a moreobjective drawing style for his Inter- History of ArchitecturalDrawing,"
nationalStylebuildings inthelatetwenties? JournalofArchitectural Education39,
Did hismodeofconception changefrom no. 2 (Winter1985): pp. 2-9.
onephaseofhiscareertothenext?0 Arehis
ideasketches merely freeexpressions of 11. Accordingto Goran Schildt,

thought without a method, system orcanon, paintingplayeda vitalrolein Aalto's

orcana pattern ofdesignbe distinguished attitudetowarddesignthroughout
whenconsidering hisdrawings overan his career.He gaveup thoughtsof
extended period? On thebasis ofpreliminarybecomingan artistearlyon, but
evidence fromthosedrawings whichhave used sculptureand paintingactively
beenreleasedbytheAaltoarchives, itseems as a meansofexploringarchitectural
thata systematic, rationalpattern is presentin ideas. "Aaltoexpresslystatedthat,
Aalto'sdesignsketches. Aalto'ssupposedfree unlikeLe Corbusier,he had no
to
approach space and mass is infactprecise independentambitionsas a painter."
andsophisticated, andverymuchinlinewith He paintedbecause"it allowed
hisearlytraining inbothsurveying and himto develophis architectural
academicarchitectural design.Foralthough sensibilityin thesamewayas wood
hewasperhaps uniquely awareofuncon- sculpturesprovidedhimwith
sciousfeelings forformal relationships, Aalto theexperienceofmaterial."Schildt,
wasalsorigorously governed bya thought AlvarAalto:TheEarlyYears
process that was architectural,notpainterly."(New York:Rizzoli,1984),p. 157.
Only via such a conceptual mode couldhe
the and
haveproduced complex ingeniously
heteromorphic buildingsofhislateryears.

Aalto'sapproach
The keystounderstanding
andtheycloselyfollow
to designarethree,
a methodology whichI haveoutlinedin an
earlieressayon architectural drawing.
First,thedesigner'shabitsofmindoveran
entirecareermustbe analyzed;in Aalto'scase
thisrequiresa comparisonof drawingtypes
duringthevariousphasesofhis career.
Second,thecharacteristics ofthearchitect's
drawings- media,typeand mode - mustbe
examined.While superficially different,
Aalto'sdrawingsdemonstrate an invariancein
severalimportant facets.Thirdly,Aalto's
attitudestowardthereciprocity ofplan,
sectionand massingmaybe studiedusingthe
idea sketchas a keyto thewaysin which
formswereconceivedand represented.

MarkA. Hewitt 165

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 Aalto'sacademictraining inarchitecture at perspective. He wasalsoattracted tosoft
theHelsinkiInstitute ofTechnology wasa media:charcoalandpencil.ElielSaarinen's
rigorous, Beaux-Arts-influenced curriculum softsketching pencilrenderings canhardly
inwhichdrawing wasemphasized.'2 Though have failed to influence the youngAalto."3
littleis knownoftheyearsAaltospentas Therearestriking similarities between the
an architectural student (1916-21),hisdesign pencillinedrawings ofthetwomasters,
habitswereformed aroundconventional though Aaltoneverbecameenamored of
techniques of academic representation: the pencilrenderings per se. The pencil or
esquisse/rendu method, washrendering, charcoalcouldsuggest thetextures of
andtheuseofsimultaneous plan/section/ materials, flora and the influence ofthehand
elevation modeson a singlesheet.In the moreevocatively thananyothermedium,
academicateliersystem, thestudent is taught andwaswellsuitedtotheromantic Artsand
to understand architectural formholistically, Crafts ideal.Thisfeeling fortexture and
a
byanalyzingbuilding along the cardinal lightcan be seen in Aalto's 1926 sketch for
axesanddrawing itorthogonally. Byplacing the church atMuurame. (2) In hisearliest
theplan,sectionandelevation on a single yearsas a student, Aaltowasdrilled inthe
sheetinboththeesquisse andtherendered methods ofan academicarchitect, whilealso
design,thestudent is forced toconceive not witnessing thehighpointofNational
onlythree-dimensionally, butpayparticular Romanticism. The lessonslearnedthencan-
attention totherelationships between plan not have dissipated as he developed his
andsection. Aaltoneverforgot thelessonsof working techniques as a mature designer.
theacademicclassicalmethod, though he
rejected itsideology inthe1920s. The pre-1925drawings ofAalto'sromantic
classicalbuildings whichhaverecently come
12. Schildt,TheEarlyYears, Another strong influence on Aalto's to lightbear thisout. His presentation
pp. 172-82. drawing technique wastherepresentational drawings (ininkorpencilline)andsketches
styleoftheNationalRomantic School,which dependon conventional orthogonal views
13. FrederickGutheim,AlvarAalto reacheditsapexduring hisschoolyears. whichconvey classicalfrontality. The only
(New York:George Braziller,1960),
Herehe learnedtheconventions andpre- suggestions ofAalto'slaterfreestyleoccurin
p. 10.
of
occupations picturesque composition in his use ofperspective modes,suchas in
theesquisse forthe1924PalaisdesNations
14. This has been demonstrated competition; heretheplansrundown
by StuartWrede in TheArchitecture
thecenter ofthesheetinBeauxArtsfashion,
ofGunnarAsplund(Cambridge,
whilepicturesque
views
ofthemassing
Mass.: MIT Press,1980),p. 94. arestudied
on thesidesofthepage.(3) It is
tonotethateveninhisearly
important
p. 221.
15. Wrede,GunnarAsplund, work
thearchitect
tendedtoresist
heavy
shadeandshadowrendering
in favor
ofline
drawings, inpencil.
primarily
Aalto'sotheracknowledgedearlyinfluence,
GunnarAsplund, intwoessen-
contributed
tialwaystotheyounger architect's
attitude
towarddesign.First,
Asplund'salmost
Freudian useoftheprimitive, and
childlike,
subconsciousrealminhisworkimparted
itselfto his prot6g6;thisis therootofAalto's
professedreliance
on theemotionalrealmin
hislaterworks,hisnaivefreedomofformal
tothe
Equallyimportant
speculation.,4
Asplundwas almostcom-
youngerarchitect,
jn hisdesignmethod,
speculative
pulsively
makingsketchaftersketch,revisionafter
revisionin each project,to arrivefinallyat a
complex
design.15
2

166 Mountain
TheImaginary

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MarkA.Hewitt 167

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Though Aaltoattributed his use of the
sketchto his childhoodexperiencesunderhis .....
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..
father's"whitetable,"he musthave assimi- ,

latedAsplund'ssketchingpenchantand used
it in conjunctionwithmoreformaldesign
methodslearnedin school.

Aalto'sdrawingsthemselvesgiveus ample
evidenceof a consistentapproachto design
throughmediumand mode of representation.
Duringtheyearsfollowingtheend ofWorld
War II, Aalto'satelierwas re-established
and his workingmethodand drawingstyle

(
coalescedto a pointat whichneither
RomanticClassicismnor theInternational
Styleexertedundueinfluence.Aalto'sdrafts-
men continuedto use precise,pencilline ImW
? 7i'
drawingsin theirpresentations, drawingsin ' .
"..
whicharchitectural elementsare accurately
delineatedwithoutoverlyabstracting or
forms.Textures and materials
-- '
conceptualizing ..
,..... .
.-.......

are indicatedwithoutextensiverendering.
In fact,whenshadowsare castin hatching,
theyare almostas schematicnotations,
not realisticsuggestionsofshade and shadow.
The modes ofrepresentation are conven-
tionalorthogonaldrawings:elevations,
sections,plans,siteplans,withan occasional
perspectiveor axonometric. Monochromatic
wood or papermodelsofpreliminary and
finaldesignscapped thepresentation process.
The architectclearlyvaluedprecisionin his
presentation drawings,a precisionwhichonly
line could impart.

Aalto'ssketchesfromthis
Paradoxically,
periodare amongtheearliestto displayhis
loose,quiveringlinestyle.
Although the
apparentspontaneity ofthe lineissuggestive
ofa purelyspeculativemethod, mostofthe
publishedsketches followa predictable
problem-solving systembaseduponacademic
Hisapparently
training. indecipherable
conceptsketch ofthechurch atLahtiisin
factextraordinarymultiplerepresentations
informedbytheesquisse technique: a tinyplan
orplansatthecenter surrounded byprojec-
tionsintosection,elevationorperspective.
(4)Theuseofa softpencil orcharcoal crayon
andimportant,
isdeliberate forAalto's
sensitivity
tolineweight andhisability to
buildupforms outofmany tracesallowhim
toexplore andcomplex
difficult formal
patternswitha precisionunavailable tolesser
draftsmen.

168 TheImaginary
Mountain

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 ......'
.-.
. ',: " "
. i,...!i}: -,." ...ROW. .. . . .'

His formalideas could be expressedwitha

subtledirectnessthroughtheemerginglines
themselves, tracingplan shapes,masses,and
contoursofland and buildingform.These /tiff
sketchesareverysmall,buthave a scalaraccu- WIN.
racywhichis almostuncanny.Aaltowas bythis
timean architectof twenty-five yearsexperi-
ence,and his eye-handperceptionwas superb.
....
kw.J..F...........
Miniatur-ization allowsa completedepiction
of all aspectsofthe designon a singlesheet,
rolledout continuously likea Chinesescroll.

Aalto'ssketchesalso demonstrate a willingness .....

to findtherepresentational mode suitableto
. ? 4
each problemafterthebasic ideas wereworked
out. The greatcurvedamphitheatrical formof
theOtaniemiTechnicalInstitutelecturehall, 7 -
studiedin multiplesketches,finallyfound
expressionin a bird's-eyeperspective.(5) At the
AalborgArtMuseum (6) and theunexecuted
museumforShiraz,Iran,an echelonedeleva-
tionsketchwas used to depictrelationships
betweenbuildingmassand landscape.One of
Aalto'smostevocative,naturalisticsketchesis
the 1959 interiorperspectiveof theundulating
balconyformof theEssen Opera House (7),

MarkA. Hewitt 169

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 influencedbyhis earlierprojectforthe etc.) and thecompositionof lineworkthat
1939 New YorkWorld'sFair Finnishexhi- clearlysetshimapartfromanyother
bition.The organicand geologicalmetaphors twentieth-century architect;it is also the
in hisworkare renderedtangiblein this wayAalto'spersonaldrawingtechniqueused
brilliantdrawing. line to definespace and mass.His was
fascinatedbylines- as expressionsof move-
The patternwhichemergesfroman exami- ment,as grids,as sinuouswaves,as manifes-
nationof a numberof thesketchesfromthe tationsof naturalforces,as laminationsin
post-waratelieris one ofa consistentcon- wood furniture, as growthringsin trees,as
ceptualprocess,througha predictableseries striationsof brick,tile,wood, eventhe
of modes ofrepresentation: plans,sections bundledflutesof columns.
and perspectiveviewsfollowedbydetailsand
tracingsof drafteddrawingsto refinethe Paintersand architectstrainedin theclassical
design.What is significant is thewayin which traditionrecognizetherole of contourin
Aalto'slineworkbuildsa figureout of the definingform.They are taughtto under-
page. Matureand self-confident draftsman- standfiguralrelationships firstthroughline
ship coupledwiththeuse of a softdrawing and thenthroughskiography or shade and
instrument allowshimto literallysearchfor shadow.Linearvaluesdepicttheprecise,
answersthroughline,to makean intuitive geometricarmatureand overallmassof any
searchguidedand proddedbytheinformed object;linesare used to defineplanes(in this
dispositionand superposition oflead upon waythemathematician and the artistuse
paper. It is not his
only extraordinary control thesameconceptual ForAalto,
schema). free
of thequality(thickness, gradation,opacity, formorgeometric
lineswerethedirect

)!~~i .
.;i . ,
-
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.... .o.
..... n-n.-t
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.. . ....... .

... .. ....
.....
-'m
.....
.... 'T... ..
51D
?'
?~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :
t::?..L?.;..,::...'.;':
? ?
. . . .o
:?; Jillo j. ;
.....
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...
;.,.....
,,~~~.~ .I.-..... JI .. bll.p
w.. .-....
..;?..
....

01r?? ~ i?
':- ~;??- 5L

TMIW-
.'37
SIM
-P~ 41;?

170 TheImaginary
Mountain

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 I wouldliketoremindthereaderofthe"white
table"underwhichhehadplayedas a littleboy,
.: .. . ..
r!
whilehisfatherand hisassistantssataround
thetable-top, busydrawingmaps.Tobeallowed
toclimbup ontosomeunoccupied chairand
"drawwiththeothers" in hisownwaywasjust
as greata markofdistinctionforthechildas
beingallowedtoaccompany fatheroutintothe
..: .... countrysidewasfortheteenagerThesurveyor's
.
attitudetonatureisflexibleand dialogicof
all thathedoeshastobeadaptedtothe
necessity;
terrain,thelandscapeandprevious building.16

...... ... ..

It is striking whenlookingat Aalto's

16. Schildt,TheEarlyYears,
pp. 200-201.
17. I shouldliketo thankone ofmy
students,ErnestMaldonado,who
pointedout this,amongotherthings,
in a finepaperon Aalto'sdrawings.
sketcheshow muchthemapmaker'scontour
line assertsitself,and how thearchitect
seemsto buildup formsas ifhe weremark-
ing thesteppingcontoursof a mountainor
hillsideat conventionalverticalintervals.7
At timeshe seemsto cut awaythebuilding
formas ifmovingearth,or to buildup
organicmassesout ofrock-likeplanes.Yet
he does so, not as a sculptormodelingclay,
but analytically,likea surveyordescribing
notationsof space-defining planes; the plan a complex land form. A powerfulexampleof
or sectionline of two dimensionson the thisis theconceptsketchforthetownhall
page is, in reality,a three-dimensional plane. at Kiruna(ca. 1958),in whichthecupped
Searchingfortherightformmeantexploring shape ofthebuildingplan seemsto grow
therelationship betweenthecontrolling organicallyout of thewavy,concentricrings
contoursof plan,sectionand elevationto of landformand treelines,eventuallyto
achievea visualand sculpturalbalance.Space appearat thebottomof thesheetin eleva-
and masswerein effect, interchangeable, in tion.(8) In thesiteplansof the Siynitsalo
oppositionyet also analogous. townhall and Imatrachurch(9), and the
almostarchetypalfigure/ground plan ofthe
The relationship betweeninteriorvolume Muuratsalo summer house, the counterpoint
and exteriormass,manifested in outlines,is betweentopographiccontourlinesand
the fundamental plan/sectiondichotomy plan outlinesachievesa poetrythatis at the
whichall beginningarchitects learnto con- heartofAalto'sattitudetowardbuilding
troland explorethroughdrawing.Aalto's and landscape.This almostimprovised
understanding of thisrelationship was partic- reflexivitycould onlyhavebeen acquiredby
ularlyacute, as the complex volumetric and a cartographer's son. The buildingsoften
massingconfigurations of his buildings appearquiteliterallyto be the"imaginary
confirm.The contourlineis the controlling mountains" whichAaltospokeofin his essay
forcebothin his buildingsand his drawing on theViipuriLibrary.
technique. But contour holds for Aalto
anothersignificance whichwas associated The mountainmetaphornot onlyforms
withneithergraphicartnor architecture. thedirectanalogyformanyofAalto's
building/landscape images,it also allowsus
As Goran Schildthas pointedout,Aaltowas to understandsomethingof his complex
profoundly influencedas a boybyhis father's handlingof thecriticalrelationshipbetween
surveying practice;he lovedmaps.The interiorand exterior. A section,likea plan,
cartographer's use of thecontourline to is formedbytworelated(innerand outer)
delineatebothland massesand topographical contours,whichconceptuallyslice the
featuresexpressesitselfforcefully in Aalto's buildingapartalong an axis,revealingplanes
buildingsand siteplans.As Schildtwrites: (floor,ceiling,roof)of different registers.

MarkA. Hewitt 171

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 Aalto,thelinearartistand thecartographer as a "composition"in thegestaltsensebutas
ofform,exploredspace and masswitha rare a unifiedarchitecturalfigure.
perspicacitythroughhis sketches,nearly
alwaysplayinggameswiththedichotomy thesethreeconcepts,let
In orderto illustrate
betweenplan and section.By drawingthe us examinethesketchesand finaldesignsfor
plan and thesectionof a projectin the threeseminalprojects:thechurchat Imatra,
earlieststagesof conception,in miniature theMaison Louis CarrenearBazoches,
"idea sketch"format, Aaltorepresented com- France,and theFinlandiaConcertHall. We
plexideas and spatialformsspeculatively. willfindthattheyare in factmanifestations
The contourline motifappearsin any oftheverysamething,a mentalschema
numberof formsand at variousscales;it is whichtreatedmassand space as reciprocal.
a powerfulmeansofrepresenting forms
thatdrawingalone possesses. The mostrenownedofAalto'sprojectsto
be guidedbythereflexive approachis the
In his maturebuildings,Aaltoexplored beautifulwhitechurchat Vuoksenniska,
threeprimary betweenplan,
juxtapositions Imatra(1956-59). Here Aaltobeganwitha
sectionand massingcontour.He worked strongidea ofa tripartitenave,modeled
somewhatin theveinofa composerusing spatiallyaround an undulatingplan,and a
theinterplay ofrhythm and melodicline,or reflexivesectionwhichemanatesfroma fixed
themultiple-part writingof counterpoint point,the altar.This idea was a development
itself.He composeda buildingat various oftheacousticallyinformedsectiondiagrams
levelsofinquirybeyondtheplan/section fortheViipuriLibrarylecturehall and the
dichotomybysettinginteriorspatialcon- HelsinkiKulttuuritalo, whereinteriorspace
toursagainstexteriormassing,massing and exteriormassingare sharplydifferen-
againstlandscapecontours,buildinggrids tiated.At Imatra,thedialoguebetween
againsturbangrids.His dependenceon line interiorand exterioris evenmoreintenseas
in sketchingallowedhimto conceivein this Aaltoopens thespace betweenthewallsto
way.It is appropriateto describehis three allowlightto refract within.
designstrategiesin termsthathavemusical
as well as visualanalogies: The extensivesketchesforthisbuilding
illustratethemanywaysin whichAaltoused
This
Reflexive: relationship between plan linesto givedefinition to the formaland
formand sectionformis thesimple,direct pragmaticaspectsof a problem,so thateach
translationofthecontoursofone to the wall,space and geometricconfiguration
other,withvariations.As in a complexland could be appreciatedbothforitsabstract
the
form, morphological contour of any qualitiesand itsresponsiveness to some
cutalongthehorizontalplane approximates requirement oftheprogram.An early
any cut along the verticalplane. esquisseshows thatthearchitectconceived
thesiteorganizationfromthestartas a
Contrapuntakl:Here, deliberately contrasting rectangular forecourt withthebell towerat
interplay between plan and section is its center,which would act as a foilfor
employed. Plan and section are given auton- the threerounded volumes of thenavefan-
omy.This is themostdifficult and dialectical ningoutwardfromit. (11) Aroundthesmall
strategy ofspatialand massingdesign,and planson thissheetare drawna schematic
was used onlysporadicallybyAaltoto sectionrevealingtheclose relationship to
brillianteffect.In topographicalterms,the theplanvolumes,and an elevationshowing
mathematical descriptionofhorizontally theslantingformoftheroof(eventually
cutcontoursand vertically cutcontours in theoppositedirection)juxtaposed
wouldbe fundamentally different: a straight withtheverticalbell tower.Again,we see
line againsta wave,forinstance. thearchitectemployinga tightly controlled,
esquisse-like
technique to establish thebasic
This
Figure/field: strategy up sets a bounded ideas. Later section sketches refine the
domain, often delineated by a common grid acoustic and lightingdesign of the interior,
or orthogonalgeometry, in whicha single and explorethespace betweentheinner
formor set of formsis positioned,notsimply and outerwalls.(10)

172 TheImaginary
Mountain

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 Z:-

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rM .
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ovi '
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MarkA.Hewitt 173

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174 Mountain
TheImaginary

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r
.?. I-
*41..
? .q.
15.Amp
_o .' ,-
? ,
In thesedrawingsthebasicwave-likeshapeof
theplan seemedto conjureup out ofitselfa
myriadofotherrelatedforms,as Aalto's
imaginationcaughtfirein thedesignprocess.
His sketchingtechniquefacilitateda freethe-
maticstudyof formalvariationswhich
seemedto lead himdirectlyfromone design
to thenextand fromone subjectto another
duringthisfertileperiodin his creativelife.
In theextraordinary 1956-58summerhouse
fortheartcollectorand dealerLouis CarrY,
Aalto adopteda moredialecticalapproach
in whichhe deliberatelycombinedconflicting
ordersand linesofforcein thesame compo-
sition.The plan readsas an interlocking
configurationof open and closed rectangles,
whichaddressesthedifferent viewsand
conditionsofthelandscapeand embraces
privateoutdoorspaces. (12) The southeleva-
tionappearsas a simple,singlepitchedroof
runningdownhill,dramatically reinforcing
the dominantcharacteristic ofthesite.(13)
The majornorth/south section,buried
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t
,
-
...
.
.| '
Tb
h.l
. "
withinthisrectangleand wedgemassing,
is hollowedout in a continuouswave,pro-
ducingthreesemi-distinct spacesakinto
thosein theImatrachurch.(14) When read
togethertheeffectis indeedcontrapuntal,
and thatis preciselythewayAalto'ssketches
representit,withall threeideas on thesame
sheet,as one unifiedarchitectural
idea. (15)
In thedevelopmentofthebuildingthese
conceptsare tenaciouslyadheredto, as ifto
deliberatelycreatedichotomiesand con-
trasts:theplan becomesmorefragmented
to open up to thelandscapeand admiteast/
westlight,withthediningroom,hall and
livingroomforminga continuousLshaped
figure;thewedge-shapedroofformis cut
awayto allow theplan to work,butneverso
as to compromiseitsbasic mass;and the
surprisingwave-likesectionthroughthehall
developsas an expansivesinglevolume
whichcreatessurpriseand grandeurupon
entryto thehouse. The apparentlack of
integration,whileseeminglyincongruousin
MarkA.Hewitt 175
 relationto theprecedingprojects,is really Aalto foundthenaturalistic, formalpoetry
an extension ofthespace/mass reciprocities of his "imaginary mountains" throughhis
whichhad been achievedat Vuoksenniska. uncannyabilityto drawspeculatively, yet
A unityof conceptis achievedwithout witha descriptive precision that only a
sacrificingformal diversity. superblyrationalarchitectcould muster.
By usingtheconventionsoftopographical
One ofAalto'slastgreatworks,theFinlandia contourfromcartography and classical
ConcertHall (designedin 1962,constructed figuraldrawingsimultaneously, Aaltocom-
in 1967-71)in Helsinkishowsthewayin binedscienceand tradition.He was thereby
whichhiscomplex sketching technique had able to mold complexspace and mass
evolvedtopromote a kindoffigure/field throughtherelativelysimpleconventions
relationship. The famous juxtaposition ofthe of drawingwithlines- linesthatarticulated
tworock-likeauditoriumfigureswithinthe theoutlinesof form.This freedhimto
wall-likeenvelopedefinedbyAalto'scivic createthealmostimpossiblyamorphousand
centerplan is almosta summationof his atti- "irrational"elementswhichincreasingly
tudesto buildingand landscape,to freeforms distinguished his post-warbuildings.He was
versusurbangrids,to the"imaginary moun- able to juxtaposefiguralcutlinesin several
tain"on thefixedhorizon.Aalto'sdesign directionssimultaneously, playingwith
sketchforthehall levelplan firstdefinesthe spatialregistrations in muchthesame waya
long line of movement up themultiple stair- composer sets one line againstanother.His
cases, then the outer boundaries, and then three primarystrategiesforthesejuxtaposi-
tentatively setsthefanformsof thetwoaudi- tions,reflexive, contrapuntal and figure/field,
toriain a dynamicrelationship withinthese formedthebasis foran inventivecanon of
as
boundaries, figures in a neutral field.(16) themes and variationsin severaldozen works
A secondsketchoftheentryleveland sweep- fromthe 1950s onward.
ing staircasebrilliantly depictsmovement
itself,thelinesgraduallydarkeningto findthe Aalto'sextraordinary synthesisof space/mass
proper forms. (17) The complex articulation composition in his post-war workadvanced
oftheplan eventually is projectedintothe theproductionof architectural formin ways
organic,acousticallyinformedsectionsof the which are only now bearing fruitin thework
twohalls.(20) It is important to note that of contemporary architects.The sketch,far
whilemovementand acousticsformeda func- frombeingan improvisational or speculative
tionalrationaleformanyofthegesturesfor notation,as it was forothermodem archi-
thisand otherAaltoworks,he perfectedthe tects,becamethemostpowerfuldesigntool
contoursof space and massthroughthetech- in Aalto'srepertoire, allowinghimto proceed
of
nique sketching, basing the finallines on into realms ofvolumetric, planimetric and
visualbalance,dynamismand beauty.(18, 19) massingcompositionwhichmostarchitects

. ..
....
.. . .
.. ....
....
............ -...
16 ....17
16
17++
;++'

176 Mountain
TheImaginary

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 . ........
.
.??i~ i .. ?
???
.-; . .....
7-1 ........

. . .
.....
. .. ....

...? . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
?; ;? ?" i;?: ?

18 .......
: .? .??
?.? ?!) ?7: : /?i: ?i?ii i i ??; ????
??? ?? ?? ( ?ii~
. .. . ?? ???ii ? ? ?? ?
19.. ....
..9
.?...

could not have conceived.His unique

conceptualschemaseemedto embracethe
poeticqualitiesof formin drawingwhile
simultaneously adheringto a precise,ana-
lyticalmethodology. Unlikemanyrationalist
designers, he refusedto separatethetwo,
as hiswritingsconfirm.'8 It is impossibleto
2 . ?...
ignoretheprimal,organicbeautybehindhis 0....
sketches,yettheromanticqualitiesof the 20
.
drawingsshouldnot obscurefortheobserver
?
??.
4,?:?i?* : . i ??? ? . .
thearchitectural claritybehindeach idea.
20
AlvarAalto'ssketchesrankamongthegreat
worksof twentieth-century draftsmanship,
and are rightlyconsideredworksof abstract
art.Yet theyare also preciseand descriptive
keysto Aalto'scomplexmode of conception,
offering a rareviewof an imaginationthat
somehowcombinedfantasy withrationality, 18. See, forinstance,AlvarAalto,
fusedmassand space intoa singleconcept, "Rationalismand Man" (1935) in
and unitedbuildingand landscapewitha editedbySchildtand
Sketches,
eye.
cartographer's Wrede,pp. 47-59.

MarkA. Hewitt 177

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