Download W/sheet 11 THE RENAISSANCE (page 195) 1. What is The

W/sheet 11
THE RENAISSANCE (page 195)
1. What is The Renaissance?
Renaissance – in Italian Rinascimento – means “re-birth” (rinascita).
It was a time of creativity and change in Europe which marked a new beginning (rebirth) in art, literature and science after the stagnation of the Middle Ages (and the
Gothic Period).
2. Where did the Renaissance develop first? How long did the Renaissance last?
The Renaissance began in Italy (in Florence) during the 1400s (early 15th century) and
spread (si diffuse) all over Europe during the 1400s and the 1500s (16th century).
3. Can you name some of the most important Italian artists of the time?
Italian artists of the time created some of the best works in the world. Leonardo Da
Vinci (1452-1519) was the true Renaissance man, interested in painting, sculpturing,
engineering, inventing. Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), a Florentine architect, is
mostly famous for the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, also
called The Duomo. He built the dome after studying the Pantheon in Rome, where he
lived and studied for many years Roman architecture. Leon Battista Alberti (14041472) was another influential architect who wrote ten books on architecture and created
the facade of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. This facade is a great example of
proportions and sense of measure. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was a
sculptor, painter, poet engineer and architect. His most famous work is the mural on the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), active in the
Republic of Venice was one of the most influential architects of all times.
4. What was The Renaissance in architecture?
Renaissance architects marked arebirth of classical culture, using many ancient Roman
forms like columns, the round arch, the tunnel vault and the dome. They read the
work of Vitruvius and examined ancient ruins of Roman and Greek architecture in Italy,
France and Spain./ There was a return to ancient Roman and Greek buildings.
They wanted to achieve (ottenere) beauty through proportions, symmetry and
regularity as Roman and Greek architecture did before them, so differentiating their
style from the Gothic which had preceded them.
PALLADIO (1508-1580)
Palladio was one of the most influential architects of all times. His distinctive, classical
style was developed in 16th century Italy, but it influenced architects all over Europe
and in America for more than 200 years. All of his buildings are located in what was the
Venetian Republic, but his teachings, summarised in the architectural treatise, The Four
Books of Architecture, gained him wide recognition. The proportions, symmetry and
grand entrance porticoes of Palladian buildings still evoke an atmosphere of
classical authority. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Renaissance architects such as
Alberti, Michelangelo, Bramante had a huge influence in Italy and beyond. Palladio came
to have a still broader influence (un’influenza ancora piu’ vasta).
He was born in Padua during the Republic of Venice. He first worked as a stonemason in
Vicenza. Here he met the architect Giangiorgio Trissino, who educated him and took him
to Rome to study the buildings of the ancient Romans. Back in Vicenza he started
designing palaces and country houses for the North Italian nobility. Like his
predecessors Alberti and Bramante, Palladio was a classical architect heavily
influenced by the ideas of Vitruvius and the buildings of ancient Rome. His plans
were meticulously symmetrical, his proportions were based on the principles of
musical harmony and since no Roman houses survived, he created his own special form
of house, the villa, with facades based on Roman temples. He designed many buildings
in Vicenza, from palaces to the famous Teatro Olimpico, a theatre with a built-in stage
set (designed by Palladio’s follower Scamozzi) based on a perspective view of an ideal
Renaissance city. He also built churches in Venice. His villas were widely copied all over
the world.
5. What are the characteristics of English Renaissance? (based page 195)
The Renaissance was late in coming to England. It only started in the middle of the 16th
century and was a very original combination of the Tudor - Gothic and classical
styles. Although it is not considered to be a “true Renaissance style”, Renaissance
buildings in England were based on symmetry, geometry and regularity and show
columns and domes as typical Renaissance features.
6. Can you provide some examples of Renaissance architecture in England?
Inigo Jones (1573-1652) was the architect who brought the Italian Renaissance to Britain
through the work of Andrea Palladio which he saw in his journey to Italy. Back in England he
was determined to bring classical architecture to a London still full of timber-framed houses. In
the Queen’s House at Greenwich (1614-1635), Jones clearly followed the Italian Villa pattern
developed by Palladio. It is the first example in Britain of a pure, classical structure. It must
have appeared revolutionary to English eyes in its day. Another Palladian building designed by
Jones is The Banqueting House (1619-1626) in London. Both buildings have simple exteriors,
show perfect symmetry and have a compact structure. After his works, English architecture
was never the same and classicism remained a powerful force in England until the 20th century.
The most famous and beautiful example of Late Renaissance in Britain is St Paul’s Cathedral
(1675-1710), with its impressive dome which reminds you of St Peter’s Dome in Rome. It is
located in London, exactly where the previous Gothic cathedral was before the Great Fire of 1666
(which destroyed a great part of London). This magnificent building was designed and built
Christopher Wren (1632-1723) and together with the great dome (the second biggest dome in
the world after St Paul’s in Rome) it has two distinctive Baroque towers above a double portico
facade. Most of the cathedral is made of stone. The building is also an example of Baroque
architecture, with its curved lines and its flamboyant (vistoso, ostentato) decorations.
A great example of English Renaissance is Hampton Court Palace, along the river Thames near
London. It was originally built in 1515 and was developed following the Renaissance style by
Christopher Wren (1632-1723) in 1696. It was based on Versailles castle in France. Not to
forget the importance that gardens have in Renaissance architecture: the garden becomes an
essential part of the house. Hampton Court Palace has got a great example of this feature, with
its beautiful French style gardens and maze.
NEOCLASSICISM (page 197)
1. Can you explain what Neoclassicism mean?
This style flourished in Europe and North America in the second part of the 18th
century. It was strongly influenced (once again!) by the architecture of Rome and
Greece. Neoclassical buildings echoed the features of famous classical buildings like the
Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome.
2. What are the main features of Neoclassicism?
Its main characteristics are geometrical forms, straight lines and Greek columns.
Neoclassical architects adapted the architectural style of ancient Greece and Rome to
new constructions. One of the main types of neoclassical buildings is the “Temple Style”
building, which is based on an ancient temple design. The most notable examples of this
style are in London. The British Museum (1753); Mansion House (1753, the official home
of the Lord Mayor) and Covent Garden Theatre (Royal Opera House). Robert Adam was
the most representative Neoclassical British architect. Another great example of
Neoclassical temple style public building is in the Virginia State Capital in Richmond
(1785), based on Jefferson’s design.
3. What is Palladianism in Britain? Why is this style an example of Neoclassicism?
Palladio was firstly introduced in England by the Renaissance architect Inigo Jones in
the first half of the 17th century (between 1600 and 1660). However, the ideas of Palladio
had even more impact in Britain in the 18th century. In England, Palladianism
covered 4 decades (1720-1760), when the designs of Palladio were considered the only
“correct” classical style. The outstanding (eccezionale) contribution of the Palladian
school was in country-house buildings, like Chiswick House in London, a Palladian
Villa modelled on the Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza. Many other symmetrically planned,
classical, portico-fronted houses appeared, consolidating Palladio’s influence in Britain
in the first half of the 18th century.
4. Can we also speak about Palladianism in the USA?
Palladianism also spread in America, thanks to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), architect
and president of the newly formed USA. Today many government buildings are built in
the Palladian style across the USA. The most famous of all is the White House in
Washington DC: although this building evolved in style over time, it has always kept a
Palladian influence because of its proportion, composition and projecting portico.
Once again, the design was based on Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza, one of Palladio’s most
copied works. Another great example is Jefferson’s private home Monticello, built in
1768. From small beginnings in the north of Italy, Palladio’s influence became global.