Course detail

History of Architectural Drawing

FA-DAK-TAcad. year: 2025/2026

The lectures are accompanied by practical examples and thus provide a comprehensive view of the development of architectural drawing as a basic tool of forming architectural ideas. The course includes the oldest documents from the ancient times up to the first half of the 20th century. The course focuses on the differences between sketch, study, contractual sketch (possibly model) and the project documentation that was standardized in the era. The course presents the capabilities of linear drawing to catch the spatial form, especially representation of own and cast shadows, material qualities, use of perspective and axonometry, and the use of attributes (scale, dimensions, signature, and other identification data), and siting the building into the context (ways of representing the situation).
In the study programme “Architecture and Urban Design” the course is part of the theoretical courses.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

1

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

prof. PhDr. Pavel Šopák, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Theory (UT)

Entry knowledge

Not applicable.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Evaluation in the form of written test; success rate is 60 % of correct answers.
Students are obliged to attend 70 % of lectures.
In the case of a student's apology and with approval of the subject guarantor, personal attendance may be substituted with online attendance in the classes.

Aims

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge of the ways to employ drawing in architectural practice from the ancient times to the first half of the 20th century, and to teach the abilities to assess a particular drawing in the view of solving a given design assignment.
– Students will know the formal specifics of architectural drawing from the oldest examples until the first half of the 20th century.
– Students will familiarize themselves with the function of drawing in a specific historical and social context.
– Students will be able to identify the meaning in the process of preparation and realization of a particular structure.
– Students will attain the ability to understand architectural drawing as a specific source of information in learning about architecture of a specific historical era.
– Students will learn to understand architectural drawing as a document of architectural thinking of a particular author.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

BARTETZKY, Arnold (ed.) Die Baumeister der "Deutschen Renaissance" Ein Mythos der Kunstgeschichte? Leipzig: Sax-Verlag Beucha, 2004. ISBN 3-934544-52-5 (DE)
FREY, Dagobert. Architekturzeichnung. WIRTH, Karl-August (ed.). Reallexikon zur deutschen Kunstgeschichte 1. München: Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, 1983. Dostupné z: http:// http://www.rdklabor.de/wiki/Hauptseite (DE)
KADEŘÁVEK, František. Geometrie a umění v dobách minulých. Praha: Půdorys, 1993. ISBN 80-900791-5-6 (CS)
KADEŘÁVEK, Fratišek. Úvod do dějin rýsování a zobrazovacích nauk. Praha: Nakladatelství ČSAV, 1954. Bez ISBN (CS)
REINLE, Adolf. Italienische und deutsche Architekturzeichnungen 16. und 17. Jahrhundert. Basel: Wiese Verlag, 1994. ISBN 3-909164-25-0 (DE)
Zeichenunterricht. Von der Künstlerausbildung zur ästhetischen Erziehung seit 1500. Zürich: ETH - Petersberg: Michael Imhof Verlag, 2017. (DE)

Recommended reading

FORSTHUBER, Sabine. Moderne Raumkunst. Wiener Ausstellungsbauten von 1898 bis 1914. Wien: Picus Verlag, 1991. ISBN 3-85452-112-X (DE)
FROMMEL, Sabine. Sebastian Serlio architect. Milano: Electa, 2003. ISBN 1-904313-22-1 (EN)
KŘÍŽOVÁ, Květa. Šlechtický interiér 19. století na dobových zobrazeních ze zámeckých sbírek. Praha: Panorama, 1993. ISBN 80-7038-246-5 (CS)
SCHREIBER, Guido. Linien-Perspektive für Architekten, Techniker, Mechaniker und Bauhandwerker. Berlin: Ernst Toeche Verlag, 1882. Bez ISBN. (DE)
ŠKABRADA, Jiří, EBEL, Martin. Chalupy v Čechách na historických stavebních plánech 1. Praha: Argo, 2014. ISBN 978-80-257-1358-7 (CS)
ŠKABRADA, Jiří, EBEL, Martin. Chalupy v Čechách na historických stavebních plánech 2. Praha: Argo, 2016. ISBN 978-80-257-2002-8 (CS)
VOLAVKA, Vojtěch. Česká kresba 19. století. Praha: Družstevní práce, 1949. Bez ISBN. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme B_A+U Bachelor's 3 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme N_A+U Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    specialization --- (do 2022) , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional