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Abstract

Besides his architectural works, Indian architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi is also renowned for expressing his ideas through his paintings. Inspired by Indian-Mughal miniatures, these paintings present his architectural works by depicting an idea so prevalent in Indian culture as well as in his works: complexity. To investigate this notion in a quantitatively measurable manner, this paper investigates one of the architect’s most significant works, Sangath, depicted both in Doshi’s painting and in the form of conventional orthographic drawings, using a comparative fractal dimension analysis. The result proves that the fractal dimension of Doshi’s painting of Sangath is significantly higher than those of the orthographic drawings showing the building’s exterior: block plan, front elevation, and right elevation. The conclusion suggests that Doshi’s painting is capable of presenting an idea of complexity more prominently than conventional architectural drawings.


Keywords: Balkrishna Doshi; fractal analysis; fractal dimension; Indian-Mughal miniature paintings; visual complexity

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