MODULE 10

• The term derives from the French translation of Rinascimento, about the rebirth (rinascita, first mentioned by Giorgio Vasari) and progress of 15th-century European culture

• The Renaissance describes a cluster of developments between the 1400s and 1600s.

• It was spurred by the rise of Humanism that gradually pushed medieval ways of thinking aside.

• The Renaissance is best known for its contributions to developing the arts.

• It originated in Italy, particularly in Florence, during the 1500s.

• The Renaissance is known for consciously reviving and refining certain classical forms, designs, and materials.

• The Renaissance was not a period with definitive beginnings and endings and consistent content in between.

• It can be (and occasionally has been) seen as a movement of practices and ideas to which specific groups and identifiable persons variously responded in different times and places.

• Italian scholars Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio helped drive a revival of interest in the classics in Italy.

• The fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks also saw a great migration of Greek scholars and craftsmen to the West, bringing with them vast amounts of classical knowledge.

• Italian states such as Florence and Venice flourished, as well as other northern European cities.

• The republic of Florence, in particular, by the 15th century had an idyllically stable government and great wealth through its success in trade and banking, which created a kind of communal sense of optimism and power.

• This prosperity and a further desire for progress, fueled by the concepts of humanism, led to the curiosity of pre-medieval civilizations and a general desire to explore all aspects of nature and the world.

• Artists and thinkers became inspired by the ideas and forms of ancient Greece and Rome.

• Italian artists did not copy classical models but aspired to create a "modern" version of classical works, even aiming to surpass them.

• Humanism downplayed religious and secular dogma and instead attached the greatest importance to the dignity and worth of the individual.

• Renaissance art was driven by the new notion of "Humanism."

• The emergence of the individual figure in place of stereotyped or symbolic figures.

• Greater realism and consequent attention to detail, as reflected in the development of linear perspective and the increasing realism of human faces and bodies.

• An emphasis on and promotion of virtuous action.

• The term Quattrocento is used to describe the 15th century in Italy.

• The term Cinquecento is used to describe the 16th century in Italy.

• Mannerism (derived from the Italian word 'maniera' meaning style or stylishness) is a style of painting, sculpture, and architecture that emerged in Rome and Florence between 1510 and 1520.

• The Renaissance style of architecture was inspired and shaped by the rediscovery of classical architectural theories (inc. canons of proportion), such as by the 1st-century Roman architect Vitruvius

The characteristics of Italian Renaissance Architecture are:

• Classical elements such as symmetry, regularity, unity, proportion, and harmony.

• Buildings have square and symmetrical plans whose proportions are usually based on a module.

• Façades are symmetrical around their vertical axis.

• Arches are semi-circular or segmental.

• Vaults do not have ribs and are either semi-circular or segmental on a square plan.

• Structures feature planar classicism, such that Roman and Greek motifs intrude minimally on the two-dimensional appearance of the walls

• The dome is used as a large structural feature.

• Roofs are fitted with flat, beamed, or coffered ceilings.

• Doors usually have square lintels.

• Windows may be paired and set within a semicircular arch, called bifora windows.

• External walls are generally constructed of brick, rendered, or faced with stone in highly finished ashlar masonry.

• Courses, moldings, and all decorative details are carved with great precision.

• The Florentine Arch - semicircular intrados but extrados is not concentric.

• The Dome of the Duomo:

  • Designed by Brunelleschi.

  • Innovative double-layered construction.

  • Largest brick dome ever built.

• Ospedale degli Innocenti:

  • Designed by Brunelleschi.

  • Proportioned loggia with semicircular arches, round columns, and tabernacle windows.

  • Used serene stone.

• Palazzo Medici Riccardi:

  • Designed by Michelozzo for the Medici family.

  • Features: central door, rusticated stonework, precious marbles, noble coat-of-arms.

  • Grand rooms on the second level.

• Palazzo Rucellai:

  • Designed by Alberti.

  • Three stories with different classical orders (Tuscan, Ionic, and simplified Corinthian).

  • Ground floor for business, second for formal reception, third for private quarters.

• Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio:

  • Designed by Bramante.

  • Features Tuscan peristyle and a hemispheric dome.

  • Deep wall niches, a Doric frieze of papal emblems, and a balustrade.

• The Renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica:

  • Dome design by Bramante and others.

  • Double-shelled structure with an outer ovoid dome and inner hemispheric dome.

  • Supported by four large piers.

• Renovation of the Piazza del Campidoglio:

  • Renovated by Michelangelo.

  • Emphasized Rome's centrality and the Church's role.

  • Undertaken in anticipation of Emperor Charles V's visit.

• Mannerist Architecture:

  • Characterized by visual trickery and unconventional elements.

  • Challenged classical perfection.

• The Vestibule of the Laurentian Library:

  • Designed by Michelangelo.

  • Playful and unconventional architectural elements.

  • Unique, fantastical staircase.

• The Palazzo del Te, Mantua:

  • Designed by Giulio Romano.

  • Single-story villa with irregular and asymmetrical Renaissance classic design.

  • Deliberate "errors" and stylistic departures.

• Andrea Palladio, influential in Renaissance architecture, illustrated Vitruvius's De Architecture and wrote I Quattro Libri dell’ Architettura. He had a wide-ranging influence on European architects, especially in England and colonial America.

• Palladio is known for his villa designs, popular among wealthy merchants for countryside residences. His most famous villa, Villa Capra (La Rotonda), is inspired by the Roman Pantheon and features a central dome.

• Palladian arches - central, taller, and semicircular arch.

• Serlian windows, or Venetian windows - flanked by two shorter sidelights.

• Palladian Style: Symmetry, central block with wings, elevated podium, loggias, Palladian arches, Serlian windows, and Palladian windows with the "Palladian motif."

Influence of Medieval Peasantry and Evolution of Italian Renaissance Interior Design:

• Medieval peasantry had minimal influence on design.

• Design innovations were driven by the wealthy.

• Gunpowder rendered medieval fortresses obsolete.

• Italians shifted their focus towards building luxurious and comfortable dwellings.

• This marked the beginning of modern interior design.

Characteristics of Typical Renaissance Interiors:

• Older structures maintained Gothic features.

• Newer buildings integrated classical architectural elements.

• Unity in design with the use of classicism.

• Rooms often square or rectangular, inward-facing into a central courtyard.

• Main reception rooms in the piano nobile.

• Bright primary colors used in interior decoration.

• Wall panels, tapestries, frescoes, and paintings were common.

• Ceilings were treated with elaborate wood, plaster, or painted decorations.

• Various flooring materials and patterns were used.

• Fireplaces became decorative focal points.

Italian Renaissance Furniture and Furnishings:

• Furniture design became less architectural, emphasizing comfort.

• Chairs were introduced as alternatives to benches and stools.

• Furniture was often arranged against walls and integrated into wall decoration.

• Affluent homes featured casegoods and furniture types:

  • Cassone - small jewel box

  • Cassapanca - cassone with arms and back

  • Credenza - cabinet

  • letto - bed was a massive structure

  • Refectory tables - oval top

• Various chair types:

  • Sedia - square, straight armchair.

  • Sgabello - wooden dining chair

  • Savonarola - x-shaped chair

  • Dante - x-shaped chair that’s heavily ornamented arms and legs

• Mirrors remained small but elaborately framed.

• Lighting from candles in holders and torches.

• Clocks served as decorative objects.

• Fine musical instruments produced, often treated as furniture.

Introduction

• French Renaissance influenced by Italian and Flemish artists.

• Reigns of Francis I and Henry II marked the apex of French Renaissance.

Early French Renaissance Architecture

• Early Renaissance from 1450 to 1590 with Italian influence.

• Characteristics: Châteaux, Renaissance details on Gothic structures.

• France had picturesqueness and Gothic verticality.

• Notable structure: Château de Chambord with pilasters and Gothic expression.

• Plan featured symmetrical organization and a double spiral staircase.

Classical French Renaissance Architecture

• Reigns of Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV.

• Use of hierarchy of orders in exterior design (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian).

• Unified classical decorative approach in interior design.

Prominent Architects

• Giacomo Vignola, Sebastiano Serlio (Italian).

• Pierre Lescot and Philibert De l'Orme (French).

Notable Structures

• Fountain of the Innocents and Lescot wing of the Louvre in Paris.

• Rebuilding of the Louvre by Pierre Lescot.

French Renaissance Interior Design

• Mainly focused on royal residences.

• Transition from Gothic to Italian styles in the interiors.

• Large, dark rooms with stone or plaster walls.

• Beamed ceilings replaced by coffers; varied flooring materials.

• Bedrooms became central, beds as essential furniture.

French Renaissance Furniture

• Ornamented furniture scarce, with chests, beds, and some chairs.

• Furniture with Italian influence: inlays of marble, metal, or tortoiseshell.

• Throne-like chairs; stools, benches, and conversation chairs.

• Chests with heavy carvings, armoires for clothing storage.

Introduction:

• Spain influenced by Italian Renaissance in late 15th century.

• Accumulated wealth and power, fostering art patronage.

Spanish Renaissance Architecture:

• Borrowed Renaissance elements but added local variations.

• Styles include Plateresco, Purism, and Desornamentado.

• Plateresco style features plant motifs, classical orders.

• Purism emphasizes structural balance and harmony.

• Desornamentado known for geometric rigor, clean volumes.

• El Escorial is a notable architectural example.

Spanish Renaissance Interior Design:

• Plateresco interiors less decorated than exteriors.

• Plain walls, plaster figures, tapestries, and rugs.

• Often feels monotonous due to Philip II's directives.

Spanish Furniture:

• Furniture is simple, often crude, based on Italian Early Renaissance.

• Chairs, tables, and chests made of various woods, including mahogany.

• Heavy proportions, metal ornaments, and wrought iron used.

• Examples include Sillon de chadera, Vargueño, Armaria, and more.