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Practical methods

How to read structure, detail and image

Three short checklists for keeping evidence, uncertainty and modern interpretation visible.

01

Read architectural detail

Move from structure to surface before using a historical label.

  1. Trace the platform, supports and horizontal layers as separate systems.
  2. Identify base, shaft, capital and entablature before naming an order.
  3. Use the record of the particular building for date, material and restoration.
  4. Treat a modern arch or impossible scale as a visible design choice.
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02

Read material surfaces

Describe what is visible before identifying a stone or technique.

  1. Record colour, pattern, direction and contrast in neutral language.
  2. Separate a museum record from an inference based on appearance.
  3. Ask whether lighting or editing changes the apparent surface.
  4. Name a quarry or process only when a reliable record supports it.
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03

Read a modern image

Find the boundary between a documented reference and visual invention.

  1. Describe what is visible before assigning a historical identity.
  2. Locate any specific monument, object or publication the creator cites.
  3. Distinguish revival architecture from an ancient original.
  4. Caption contemporary concept art as contemporary concept art.
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One useful habit

Write the caption before writing the interpretation.

If the caption cannot say who made the image, what kind of image it is and what it does not claim to reconstruct, the research trail is not finished.

Our research standard