AES305-Lecture Notes 4-RIVISED

ROME AND THE PAPAL STATES

  • As the papacy regained power in Italy, popes focused on beautifying the Vatican and surrounding city.

  • They aimed for Christian Rome to outshine pagan monuments and summoned artists from Florence in the 15th century.

  • Investment in ecclesiastical and domestic structures was seen as valuable by the papacy, mirroring the practices of other Italian courts.

  • The ancient Roman and medieval monuments inspired various Renaissance projects.

MANNERISM IN EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE

  • Mannerism: a late 16th-century transitional style in European architecture, especially prominent in Italy.

  • Characterized by unconventional use of classical elements.

  • Fine arts: distortion of perspective, elongated forms, strident color palette.

RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE IN ROME - EXAMPLES

  1. Tempietto of San Pietro - Donato Bramante

  2. Reshaping the Campidoglio - Michelangelo

  3. St. Peter's Basilica - Donato Bramante and Michelangelo

DONATO BRAMANTE (1444-1514)

  • Began as a fresco painter; gained skill in rendering architectural settings in perspective.

  • Influenced by Brunelleschi and Alberti in his architectural works.

  • Key works include:

  • Tempietto of San Pietro

  • St. Peter's Basilica

MICHELANGELO (1475-1564)

  • One of the most influential and imitated artists in history.

  • Worked across multiple mediums: sculptor, architect, painter, and poet.

  • Main focus on architecture during last 30 years of life in Rome.

  • Key works include:

  • Frescoes for the Sistine Chapel Ceiling

  • Reshaping the Campidoglio

  • St. Peter's Basilica

TEMPIETTO OF SAN PIETRO

  • Commissioned around 1500 to mark the site of St. Peter's crucifixion.

  • Known as the 'little temple' due to its powerful evocation of Roman circular temples.

  • Serves as a martyrium, a special chapel associated with a martyr.

ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS OF THE TEMPIETTO

  • Intended to have a circular colonnaded courtyard, though incomplete.

  • Design includes Doric columns and a domed cylindrical volume over a colonnade.

  • Façade reflects Roman temple architecture with a three-step platform and use of the Tuscan Doric order.

  • Ratio of column spacing follows Vitruvian principles: column distance to diameter ratio and distance from the wall.

RESHAPING THE CAMPIDOGLIO - MICHELANGELO

  • Commissioned to reshape Rome's Capitoline Hill into a piazza, preserving historical buildings while enhancing their presentation.

  • The piazza is trapezoidal due to site constraints; buildings positioned at 80 degrees.

  • Architectural ensemble includes the Senators Palace and Conservators Palace designed to work spatially and visually together.

  • Colossal order of pilasters supports a heavy cornice; emphasizes the Senators Palace's massiveness with its aesthetic proportioning.

ST. PETER'S BASILICA

  • A significant work of architecture initiated to replace an older basilica and envisioned to surpass Roman monuments in splendor.

  • Original plan by Bramante featured a Greek cross design with a large dome akin to the Pantheon.

  • Michelangelo later took over the design, simplifying the original structure and creating a more compact and unified appearance.

  • The dome showcases a double-shell with Gothic influences, aiming for an artistic blend of stability and grandeur.

THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S

  • The project extended beyond Bramante’s initial vision due to iterative changes made by successive architects following his death.

  • Carlo Maderno, a pivotal architect, completed and expanded on Michelangelo's design with additions like the nave and façade, strictly defining the baroque character of the structure.

  • Maderno's designs were essential in achieving a basilica plan with dramatic façade entrances, showcasing monumental architecture influenced by previous Renaissance principles.