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RENAISSANCE
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
The changes that we associate with the Renaissance first occurred in Florence and continued to be more pervasive there than anywhere else.
The city's economy and its writers, painters, architects, and philosophers all made Florence a model of Renaissance culture – it was the intellectual, financial and artistic centre.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
Considered that Gothic architecture evoked an uncivilised brutish period.
Set out to match the intellectual and artistic achievements of the ancients within a flourishing urban culture.
Perception of the artist as a scholar and philosopher in paint and stone.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
Desired a new architecture, one not based in the traditions of the church but expressing the mathematical clarity and rationality they perceived in the divine order of the universe.
Building types were varied – hospitals, churches, libraries, schools, palazzos, villa.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
The rediscovery of De architectura , the one surviving treatise by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius,
established a model for understanding principles of architecture in a way that was markedly different from the medieval past.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
Filippo Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Donato Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Andrea Palladio are just a few of
the most familiar architects whose buildings changed cityscapes and countryside throughout Italy in the 15th & 16th c, and continued to exert an influence on the architecture of Europe through the 20th c.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
An intellectual artistic movement – a period that resulted from a new way of thinking. A time of revival after spending hundreds of years in the Dark ages.
Created new artistic styles that referred back to the Classical antiquity, rather than Christianity.
15TH CENTURY in ITALY
Art, science and scholarship. Literacy increased; artists signed works rather than being anonymous.
Placed man in his own environment;
nature including human character and human form became the ideal pursued during the Renaissance.
Theory of HUMANISM
Importance of human values and achievement as different from religious dogma
Reconciled the Classical view of human potential with Christian belief.
Celebrated the dignity of the individual human being and the wonder of human achievement.
Believe in everything was possible for humankind – desire for excellence in human achievement
Re-reading of the works of the ancient scholars and philosophers
the Vitruvius Man
‘For if a man be placed on his back,with his hands and feet extended, anda pair of compasses centred at his navel,the fingers and toes of his two hands andfeet will touch the circumference of a circle.
A square figure may be found from it too.For if we measure the distance from thesoles of the feet to the top of the head,and then apply the measure to theoutstretched arms, the breadth will befound to be the same as the height, as in thecase of plane surfaces which are perfectlysquare’.
Plato in Philebus
Renaissance Principles
• PlanformThe centralised square and circle as the generating geometry.
• Proportion and symmetryIdeal systems and proportions can be found in human body. Shaped space using modular units.
• Clearly expressed numerical relationships and proportions.
• Boundaries of modules delineated.With the use of classical columns, arches and entablatures derived from Roman sources.
• Harmony in designReasoned harmony of all parts within a body. Equated a building to music, it should be a harmonious balance of parts.
‘All is numbers’
Renaissance artists firmly adhered to the Pythagorean concept ‘All is numbers’ …Architecture was regarded by them as a mathematical science which worked
with spatial units…
Thus they were made to believe that they could recreate the universally valid ratios and expose them pure and absolute, as close to theoretical geometry as
possible.
And they were convinced that universal harmony could not reveal itself entirely unless it was realised in space through architecture conceived in
the service of religion’
CIRCLE
In constructing churches, Renaissance architects no longer used the shape of a cross as a basis for their structures.
Instead, they based them on the circle, believing that ancient mathematicians
equated circles with geometric perfection,
architects used the circle to represent the perfection of God.
Classical Reminiscent
In constructing their homes, wealthy people of the Renaissance often adopted a Roman style,
building the four sides of their homes around a courtyard.
Classical Reminiscent
Simple, symmetrical decorations -
imitations of classical ones - were applied to the façades of
buildings, & some structures featured columns reminiscent of ancient temples.
Keys Figures of the Renaissance
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
First architect to employ mathematical perspective to redefine Gothic and Romanesque space and to establish new rules of proportioning and symmetry.
His involvement with the dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence marked his first foray as a practicing architect.
All of his works indicate that he possessed inventiveness as an engineer and an architect.
Mathematical Perspectives
Developed a rational mathematical scheme for accurately depicting on a painted 2-dimensional surface the arrangement of objects on real 3-dimensional space.
San Lorenzo
The vertical and horizontal load-bearing structures, the columns, pilasters and arches are distinguished both in colour and material from the complementary structures, walls and
windows.
The legibility of the architectural space, based on a. the alternation of grey and white, b. the mathematical and geometrical proportions between the
various portions of the building, andc. the diffused lighting which creates no areas of deep shadow.
San Lorenzo
square became the module for the room's proportional scheme
Volume organised into cubes of space.
Santo Spirito
Brunelleschi's last great project clearly shows the
influence of classical centrally-planned buildings.A building completely determined by mathematical proportions – spaces are controlled by a proportional progression of 1:2:3:4:5
4
12
3
5
Pazzi Chapel
The porch has six delicate pillars supporting an entablature above which an attic rests with coupled fluted pilasters above each column.
The horizontality is broken by the arch beyond which a small dome accentuates the front entrance.
The elegant front wall has long rounded windows, echoed by the blind windows in the interior, flanked by fluted pilasters.
The entry door is framed and carries a triangular pediment.
Pazzi Chapel
The plan is not centralised,
it is more linear but the dome gives the space a central focus.
Pazzi Chapel
One of Brunelleschi's most influential contributions to the evolution of Renaissance architectural style was this
expression of the geometric patterns formed by the dark gray serene stone, against the light
stucco walls.’
Palazzo Rucellai
Facade unifying assemblage of eight different properties
Rusticated walls
Articulated by 3 superimposed orders of pilasters
Santa Maria Novella
Facade by Alberti completed pre-existing church.
Temple front motif on the upper story and the volutes linking it to the wider lower story.
Volutes link the nave and aisle –departed from the basilica form in a search for greater visual harmony.
Santa Maria Novella
This is considered his greatest achievement since it allows the pre-existing and newly added parts of the building
to merge Into a clear statement of his new principles.
This work is based upon a module, represented by each of the dark squares below the round
window.
Sant‘ Andrea, Mantua
Alberti preferred centralised plans based on squares and circles – in Sant’ Andrea he had to design in the Latin tradition according to the wishes of the church clergy –
he used carefully proportioned and repeated modules
• Facade combining triumphal arch and temple front motifs
• More of a façade, only partly concealing the basilica behind
Leon Battista Alberti
The first theorist of Humanist art, never received a formal architectural education.
His architectural ideas were the product of his own studies and research.
Alberti's two main architectural writings are
De Pictura (1435), in which he emphatically declares the importance of painting as a base for architecture,
De Re Aedificatoria (1450), where he told architects how buildings should be built.
Leon Battista Alberti
Theory of proportion - equated beauty with geometry – buildings should be composed according to the same divine laws of harmony as the human body – the basic forms were to be double squares and double cubes, enhanced by ornament. As in music, buildings should be a balance of harmonious parts, nothing could be added or subtracted. Beauty is innate, it resides in proportion.
Donato Bramante
Italian Renaissance architect and painter whose buildings in Rome are considered the most characteristic examples of High Renaissance style
Use of trompe l'oeil and the rigorous monumentality of the figures in solemn spatial contexts
Bramante changed conventional architectural space by inserting illusionist features more typical of
painting and stage settings. In his Roman projects, particularly those for St. Peter's,
he achieved the ‘grand manner’ which indirectly led to Mannerism.
Tempietto
Harmony of proportions, the simplicity of volumes (cylinder, hemisphere) and the sobriety of the Doric Order.
The circular plan symbolizes divine perfection. Inspired by ancient temples, the Tempietto is both a homage to antiquity and a Christian memorial.
The planning represented the union of illusionistic painting and architecture he had spent his career perfecting. The building, too small on the inside to accommodate a congregation (only 15 feet in diameter), was conceived as a
'picture' to be looked at from outside, a 'marker', a symbol of Saint Peter's martyrdom.
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Most important architect at the papal court. Appointed to design and build a new St. Peter’s –
adopted a centralised plan (Greek cross) that was unacceptable to the Latin church officials.
Design was eventually modified by Michelangelo.
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Giuliano da Sangallo
A Florentine sculptor, architect, and military engineer active during the Italian Renaissance.
During the early part of his life Giuliano worked chiefly for Lorenzo de' Medici, known as 'the Magnificent‘;
Giuliano da Sangallo
Santa Maria della Carceri, Prato
Used the proportional ideal to construct a centralised church generated by a square and a cube at its centre.
PALAZZO FARNESE by Antonio da Sangalla the Younger
The most imposing Italian palace of the 16th c High Renaissance private palace. Considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, its design influenced numerous 16th-century buildings in RomeBrick with strong stone quoins with a heavily rusticated portal. Each story has different window frames placed in dense rows against the flat neutral wall surface, which enhances the sense of scale.
The crowning cornice was substantially enlarged by Michelangelo (who also designed the window over the portal)
PALAZZO FARNESE by Antonio da Sangalla the Younger
The individual pictures are painted with a smiling, serene sense of classical antiquity revisited and reinterpreted through the art of
Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian and Correggio.
PALAZZO FARNESE by Antonio da Sangalla the Younger
PALAZZO FARNESE by Antonio da Sangalla the Younger
Rooms were placed around the central courtyard, a common feature in the Renaissance palazzo.
Santa Maria di Loreto
Antonio da Sangallo’s most perfect existing work - a building remarkable for the great beauty of its proportions, and its noble effect produced with much
simplicity.
The lower order is square in plan, the next octagonal; and the whole is surmounted by a
fine dome and lofty lantern
Michelozzo di Bartolommeo
Skilled both as a sculptor and engineer, his fame chiefly rests on his architectural works,
which claim for him a position of very high honour even among the greatest names of the great 15th-century Florentines.
Palazzo Medici, Florence
A Renaissance palace for Cosimo de' Medici, of the great Medici family.
It was well known for its stone masonry that includes rustication and ashlars.
The tripartite elevation was used here as a revelation of the Renaissance spirit of rationality, order, and classicism of human scale.
Palazzo Medici, Florence
Procession of the Magi in the main room
Palazzo Medici, Florence
the Adoration of the Child in the chancel with the Angels Worshipping on the side walls.
Palazzo Medici, Florence
The ceiling is decorated by a diamond pointed ring in a halo with a loop that bears the motto of Piero de' Medici.
Andrea Palladio
Often described as the most influential, and most copied, architect in the Western world.
Drawing inspiration from classical architecture, he created carefully proportioned, pedimented buildings that became models for stately homes and government buildings in Europe and America.
Andrea Palladio
The Palladian style is named after him, a style which adhered to classical Roman principles, as opposed to the rich ornamentation of the Renaissance. Palladio designed many churches, villas, and palaces, especially in Venice and the surrounding area.
Andrea Palladio
Apprenticed as a stonecutter when he was 13, later became an assistant in the leading workshop of stonecutters and masons. In 1541
Palladio went to Rome to study the ancient monuments.
In 1570, he published his masterwork: I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura [The Four Books of Architecture]. This important book
outlined his architectural principles and provided practical advice for builders.
I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura
I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura
I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura
Andrea Palladio
The book was widely translated, and Palladio's ideas spread across Europe and into the New World. American statesman Thomas Jefferson borrowed
Palladian ideas when he designed Monticello, his home in Virginia. (Palladio, he said 'was the Bible -- you should get it and stick close to it)
His style became fashionable all over Europe. In Britain, Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren, embraced the Palladian style. Another admirer was the
architect Lord Burlington who designed Chiswick House.
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio – Villa Capra La Rotunda
Situated on the top of a hill and was modeled after the Roman Pantheon.
The villa is asymmetrically sited in the topography, and each loggia (arcade) relates to the landscape it faces differently through variations of wide steps, retaining walls and embankments.
The symmetrical architecture in asymmetrical relationship to the landscape intensifies the experience of the hilltop.
Incorporated a temple front in nearly all his villas.
End•Renaissance Architecture
