Renaissance Architecture Notes
Bramante and the High Renaissance
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Connects to the previous lecture on the early Renaissance, which began with Brunelleschi in Florence.
Focuses on the shift to Rome as a center for Renaissance architecture.
Shift to Rome
Renaissance architecture started in Florence, but power shifted to Rome later.
The popes wanted to revive the Church's power in Rome, especially Pope Julius II, who brought architects and artists to enhance the papacy.
Donato Bramante
Worked in Urbino and Milan before coming to Rome.
Studied ancient ruins in Rome.
In 1502, commissioned by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to build the Tempietto on the site where Peter was believed to have been crucified.
The Tempietto
Tempietto means "small temple" in Italian.
Considered to embody perfect Renaissance architecture.
Recognized even in its time as an emulation of antiquity.
Serlio's Treatise
Serlio wrote about ancient architecture and included contemporary masters like Bramante.
The Tempietto was specifically mentioned.
Design and Proportions
The Tempietto was intended to be in a courtyard.
Bramante emphasized perfect proportions and harmony, integrating ancient forms in a new Christian manner.
Measurements are meticulously planned.
The height from the base to the cornice is equal to the height from the cornice to the top of the dome.
The width of the temple is equal to its height.
A perfect circle can be inscribed within its elevation, meaning the width and height are equal, showcasing perfect proportions:
Function and Inspiration
The Tempietto's primary purpose was to mark the spot of Peter's crucifixion.
Functions as a martyrium (a place marking the death of a saint), often taking the form of a central-plan building reminiscent of mausoleums.
Inspired by ancient temples, particularly their round shape.
Features a central core (cella) surrounded by a colonnade, similar to ancient temples.
Inspiration from Ruins
Inspired by ruins in Rome, such as the Temple of Vesta and the Temple of Vespasian and Titus.
The Temple of Vespasian and Titus, located on the Roman Forum, was relatively intact in the 16th century.
Bramante adopted the idea of decorating metopes (the spaces between triglyphs in a Doric frieze).
Instead of using ancient sacrificial attributes, he incorporated Christian symbols related to the Mass.
Bramante and St. Peter's Basilica
Bramante was involved in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica.
Work had started in the mid-15th century under Pope Nicholas V and Pius II.
Nicholas V wanted to expand the basilica to assert his power and address the choir's inadequacy for the growing number of cardinals.
Initial Expansion
Bernardo Rossellino was tasked with expanding the choir, enlarging the transept and especially the apse.
Limited progress was made, with the new choir only reaching about 2 meters in height, but the foundations laid the groundwork for Bramante’s design.
Bramante's Design (1506)
Commissioned by Pope Julius II to revive Rome.
Bramante’s design incorporated a cloverleaf pattern with the tomb of St. Peter at the center.
The basilica was redesigned as a central-plan building, reflecting the tradition of honoring saints.
Central plan allowed harmony and symmetry with mirrored sections.
Greek Cross Plan
Bramante designed a Greek cross plan, where all arms are of equal length, unlike a Latin cross.
A large dome was planned for the center, with smaller domes in the corners of the Greek cross.
This design recalled Byzantine churches with multiple domes.
Inspiration from Ancient Baths (Thermae)
For the interiors, Bramante drew inspiration from ancient thermae (baths), which featured a large central space surrounded by secondary spaces.
This concept was reflected in Bramante’s plan with the Greek cross as the main space and smaller areas around it.
Mint and Initial Construction
A coin minted in 1505 depicted the dome and corner cupolas, indicating the design concept.
Julius II prioritized connecting his name with the construction, leading to work beginning without a fully defined plan.
Bramante himself considered both a central plan and a more functional, elongated basilica plan to accommodate more worshippers,
Construction and Death
Bramante started construction in 1506, focusing on pillars to support the central dome.
By the time of his death in 1514, progress was limited.
The choir's apse, featuring windows and smaller semi-circular windows above, was partially completed.
Raphael's Role
Raphael succeeded Bramante and continued with parts of Bramante's plan.
While maintaining the central area and pillars, he added a double ambulatorium (a covered walkway) around the apse.
Raphael favored a more elongated plan to accommodate more worshippers.
Rafael introduced pilasters without capitals, where the architrave forms the capital, a novel element that would be seen later.
Later Developments
After Raphael's death, Peruzzi continued the work briefly, but construction halted in 1527 due to the Sack of Rome.
Antonio da Sangallo resumed construction in 1536, proposing a different dome design.
Michelangelo ultimately completed much of St. Peter's, largely based on Bramante's original Greek cross plan. The simplified side spaces and reinforced pillars for the main dome were key modifications.
Michelangelo sought a middle ground between a central and longitudinal plan by adding an enlarged entrance portal, making the church slightly longer on one side.
He continued with the central dome but omitted Bramante's smaller cupolas.
The church's completion awaited the Baroque period.
Significance of St. Peter's Construction
The construction was a major architectural testing ground, fostering discussions about architectural form.
Architects and their students debated preserving or innovating elements.
The project fostered a spirit of architectural playfulness.
Mannerism
Post-1520, architects began experimenting with architectural norms after Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Bramante sought perfect harmony, moving away from simply replicating antiquity.
Architects started testing boundaries by playing with expected "right" and "wrong" elements, giving rise to mannerism.
Mannerism is not a style but a direction in Renaissance architecture where architects played with vocabulary, such as what defines a column or pilaster.
Examples of Mannerist Play
Bramante's architrave-as-capital is an example of questioning architectural boundaries.
Michelangelo was a key figure in this movement.
Earlier architects like Raphael and Peruzzi also engaged in form of play such as with Palazzo Dabrescia (1515-1519).
Palazzo Dabrescia
Generally attributed to Raphael, involves pilasters without capitals.
On the upper level, the capital is formed by the continuations of the architrave.
On the second floor, a slender pilaster is placed on a wider one.
Alternating triangular and semi-circular pediments over windows show deviation from strict early Renaissance forms.
The pediments are supported by consoles instead of the normal pillars.
Palazzo Alberini
Designed by Raphael during the same period shares the characteristics with the Palazzo Dabrescia.
Giulio Romano in Mantua: Palazzo del Te
Giulio Romano, from Rome, was commissioned by Marquis Federico II Gonzaga to work on the Palazzo del Te in Mantua.
Initially, he redesigned the facade of an existing wing, adapting to existing walls and windows, resulting in an asymmetrical facade.
The design is a deliberate intellectual joke to engage other architects and display his patron knowledge of classic rules and design.
Facade
The pilasters do not have a consistent distance due to placement being based on existing windows.
Creates inner courtyards surrounded by a new creation of the facade, where different architectural elements are employed.
Façade Rhythm
Creates a facade organized around travées in a rhythm of wide-narrow-wide-narrow rather than equal spacing.
Facing façades mirror each other, but not identically.
Architectural "Jokes"
Slit stone, instead of running flat stone; keystone that runs to the very top of the freeze.
Features consoles instead of pilasters supporting the pediment, and unusual combinations, like a keystone extending into the frieze, creating intellectual debate about architecture.
The design included elements like a triglyph that appears to be falling.
Interior of the Palazzo del Te
The interior features a hall painted by Giulio Romano to appear as if the architecture is collapsing also playing with the idea that architecture may topple.
Romano also incorporated eccentric designs in his own house in Mantua such as the horizontal lines running vertically to the triangular pediment over the door.
Michelangelo and Architectural Freedom
Michelangelo also played a part in using architecture as a joke, however in his period architecture was not fixed in rules yet, therefore, his jokes are a little different.
Michelangelo, also known as a sculptor, received commissions from Medici popes to create a new chapel in San Lorenzo, referencing Brunelleschi’s Old Sacristy but with new treatment.
Vasari noted that Michelangelo intentionally deviated from classical forms
Medici Chapel and San Lorenzo Library
Michelangelo expressed his methods more clearly in the library of San Lorenzo
The library was built 1524 onward, Michelangelo was commissioned, and the trap was built using his same ideals to challenge Alberti’s advice to keep traps small
Vestibule Trap Design
The vestibule made of multiple stairs leads to a best practice use to display how architects, sculptors and workers can move around easier.
The trap is 3 separate components, the middle trap has a balustrade, whereas the stairs on the side don’t.
Architectural Oddities
Consoles serve no supporting purpose but hang on the wall as décor
Pilars are located without a function, but purely as an aesthetic piece but the structure and architecture itself
The Edicular's are blind meaning, they’re purely for decoration while also having a load barring purpose.
The elements can then either, sink of come further toward into the piece, rather adding an aesthetic value.
Significance
Such architectural play became a feeding ground for the baroque architectural movement, which is further played by past architects and architectures.
Sack of Rome (1527) and Its Impact
Context: Pope Clement VII resisted submitting to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, leading to conflict and the rise of Protestantism.
Imperial troops, including many Protestants, captured and plundered Rome. Thousands died and the city suffered extensive damage.
Impact: The sack instilled fear, causing artists and architects to flee Rome. They spread their knowledge of ancient architecture and the St. Peter's project to other parts of Italy, including the Veneto.
The Veneto and Venice
The Veneto region, surrounding Venice, was under the Republic of Venice since 1401. Venice was a sovereign republic ruled by a doge (elected for life).
The Venetian society was oligarchic, with power concentrated among noble families
Venice lacked the strong antique tradition of Rome and Florence, maintaining links with Byzantine architecture.
Local elites preferred traditional architecture (Byzantian, Romanesque, Gothic style) reflected how little social mobility there was within the society. Innovation was generally resisted.
Architectural Conservatism
Venetian architecture remained conservative with limited influence from Renaissance styles.
Existing building needed to be preserved as the display of how powerful Venetians are, architecture was used to continuously confirm power and wealth.
This made local innovation in art very limited do to local traditions and style.
The Renaissance design was adjusted, mixed and mashed with elements of traditional Venetian style to conform to local standards.
Early Renaissance Influence
Pietro Lombardo's Santa Maria dei Miracoli (c. 1480) was an early Renaissance building in Venice, featuring pilasters, cornices, and geometric shapes.
The building includes arches and round windows, fitting to popular architecture.
Jacopo Sansovino in Venice
Jacopo Sansovino, a Florentine sculptor and architect, fled to Venice after the Sack of Rome.
He established fame with the work of helping stabilize the domes; also being appointed as head architect due to the influence he provided after work.
Known for combining Venitian and Rome architectural styles.
Procuratie Vecchie
The Procuratie Vecchie was a building for the 9 procurators of San Marco, and Sansovino had to blend the old structure with a new architecture, inheriting it from Bartolomeo Bobn.
Follows Venice’s traditional use of arches and does not try to be innovative.
Zecca (Venetian Mint)
For the creation of the Mint made the outside design very statis-tical and high-powered.
Introduced Rustica to Venice from the Florentine traditions, the result of the rusticas look is a more powerful and stable architectural structure to emphasis stability for the architectural structure within it.
Biblioteca Marciana (Library of Saint Mark)
It was used as a elite school for learning that was designed for creating a unique library in the land.
This design shows series of arches through two floors from the building.
Serliana and Venetian Windows
The Cerliana are where two columns are connected through a larger third pillar.
Here, San Savino does not make the same mistake as past design and adds another pillar to the structure.
Details and Decorations
As well following the style of Bramante, adds decorations to the structures, but it is often hidden behind extra detail.
Has pilars that circle around the outside. This design was carried over from Alberti.
The Library was built larger than past architecture around it but, it isn’t designed to be bigger, rather to be smaller. This helps follow tradition with architecture to conform into what it is supposed to do and be.
Overall these designs and rules help display the strength of building the foundations of Venice.
Overall Renaissance architecture was brought in, however it was customized to local art and style from Venetians.
Andrea Palladio
He was known for harmonizing and making the architecture clean in visual aspect by using temples for references.
The Four Books of Architecture
He became well known after writing Four Books of Architecture being published in 1570 as a way of saying his vision that came from antiquity art.
Basilica of Vicenza
The existing building now had walls along side it, to help make it a whole new piece like how apartments have been set in the past.
However, Basilica of Vicenza already had structures within it and it didn’t provide much space
Use of Serliana
The Serliana are where two columns connect into a singular column.
This has been used time and time where 2 columns connect together.
Palladio's Temples
Andria Palladio used several variations to make designs that were made for temples
San Giorgio Maggiore
The San Giorgio Maggiore is temples used by each other.
There temples that are interworked with each other, that are used for structural design, while using them on a individual state.
II Redentore
Was a church with 3 different functions that was rolled to have some of the same functions.
It had 3 different rooms each for different uses also. It had a front that made the temple inter-lock, however they still looked separate adding the similar effect to have the architectural structure in sync and together rather just being placed next to each other.
Andrias main focus to interlock design, this has never been designed, and he helps makes sure of the concept of interlocking. That has never been done before his influence to past artist and engineers.
Palazzo Chiericati
Built post-1551, and was used to accommodate the people around it to create more colonnades by engineers
This had been made as one of his greatest, because he often had trouble getting his commissions in past eras. He often used Rome as inspiration for the designs from the design with art. However, he customized it in his vision.
Villa Rotonda
Was made as a place to release stress and was often also used as parties also. The villa was used to make a point to display how powerful, rich, and wealthy people living in villas, often will meet and often will talk about important topics that will arise in the future.
The Villas have a design that has a single door, however it is customized that each door is able to connect. To which each design is able to make design for each door.
This will create similar concepts to what the temple may had show during the time to the public. As the religion and architectural point of view makes the structures more understandable for people, which leads the concept of building as way to express views and lifestyle into each person/character in life.
Furthermore as the church shows and takes many architectural designs as a way of religion is a way of life often buildings would be use temples and temples where a powerful tool during this time. Architectural builds gave ideas, but a church to come by that with an easy view, was often a big step to connect people to the designs to life.
Palladianism
His designs would often lead to a design to last throughout decades. Leading to designers Inigo Jones' the 17th where he would often uses his designs for inspiration.
His influence in America has given rise to architecture style and buildings that are still used today such as the White House.