Download Renaissance and Classicism_Presentazione

RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
The Renaissance architecture begins in England in the middle
of 16th century. It consisted in a very original synthesis of the
previous Tudor Gothic and classical styles.
Tudor Gothic
Renaissance
Classical styles
The main characteristics of this style are large windows,
steeply pitched roofs, and tall chimneys. Also brick and stone
begin to be used more than wood.
steeply pitched roofs (tetti spioventi)
The most common building type for private buildings are
mansions (case signorili), manor houses (case padronali) and
town houses.
Mansion
Manor house
In this period the sponsors themselves helped some
non-professional constructors to be trained in the
theory of design and building, so that most of the
buildings was carried out by masons or carpenter
designers.
Masons
TWO MASTERPIECES
The two masterpieces of Renaissance in Great Britain are
Hampton Court palace and St.Paul's cathedral.
Hampton Court palace
St.Paul's cathedral
HAMPTON COURT
Hampton Court is a grand palace beside the river Thames. It
was built by cardinal Wolsey in 1515 and it was made even
bigger by King William III in 1689.
The building is now open to the public and it is famous for its
gardens and maze.
ST.PAUL'S
St.Paul's is the cathedral of London. It is a splendid
Renaissance edifice with two Baroque towers above the
double portico facade. The lower inner drum of the great
dome, its perystile, the upper drum and the lantern are all
of stone.
The interior strikes visitors by its dimensions
and great deal of decorations and patterns.
GEORGIAN TOWNHOUSES
Georgian townhouses, dating back to the XVII
and XVIII centuries, are simple but quite
terraces houses. They are typical of many
british towns and cities.
This house are built on more floors, at the ground level are
situated cellars and storage, at the first floor are situated formal
area and in other floors are situated dressing room and in a top
floor are situated children’s lodgins ( bedroom,playroom…)
The tall narrow front configuration of georgian townhouses
garanted a large number of living accomodations, which raised
the building value.
The erection of some terraces around a free area created the so
called “garden square”, an enclosed space used by resident for
social purposes and recreation.
THE GOTHIC REVIVAL
The Gothic revival was the return to the previous
Gothic style in British architecture that occurred
between the middle of the 18th century and the middle
of 19th century.
The rebuilding of the country house Strawberry
Hill was one of the frist examples of this
revived style.
This style was also used for buildings such as
hotels, railway stations and government
buildings, including the Houses of Parliament,
the Law Courts and Tower Bridge.
August Pugin was the
English architect and
designer and he was the
leading figure of British
Gothic revival. He
designed several catholic
churches and cathedrals.
His best work was one
decoration inside the
Houses of Parliament.
THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
It is the group of buildings beside the river Thames in
central London where the HOUSE OF COMMONS and the
HOUSE OF LORDS meet.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
HOUSE OF LORDS
In 1834 the palace was demaged by fire , but after it was
put up by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin.
During the second world war’s battles the House of
Commons was destroyed by bombs, but it was built again in
the revived style.
Big Beng is the famous clock tower of the House of
Parliament. It sound is well known because it is used to
introduce news broadcast.
TOWER BRIDGE
It was built between 1886 and 1894.
Its towers are in neo-Gothic style and the part of the
bridge with the road on it can be raised to allow ships to
pass through.
NEOCLASSICISM
Neoclassicism was a style of art, architecture and design that is strongly influenced by
the styles of ancient Greece and Rome. In 18th century this styles became famous in
Europe and in Nord-America, when the buildings were designed with geometrical
forms, straight lines and Greek columns. The principal characteristic of neoclassicism
architecture was the use of antique forms in a new context. Robert Adam was the
Scottish architect and he started new neoclassical style in British buildings and
furniture design. He arrived in London after he has seen the Romans ruins and
Renaissance palaces. He created a completely new combination of styles based on a
range of contrasting room patterns and he created a new global geometric plan.
Some of the most famous neoclassical buildings in
London are:
The British Museum
The Mansion House
Convent Garden Theatre
The British Museum: found in 1753 in Bloomsbury,
includes the famous reading room, a large round room
that was the British library.
The Mansion House: the official house of the Lord Mayor
of London completed in 1753 and contains the Egyptian
Hall where are held official dinners and other events.
Convent Garden theatre: or Royal Opera House. The
original flower market building, called the Floral Hall, is
now part of the Opera House.