Architecture: A Review

Gothic versus Romanesque Architecture The earliest churches were based on Greek temples and Roman basilicas (secular government buildings); essentially there was a substitution of a church plan for a temple plan: colonnades were shifted from the interior to the exterior; an arch was placed directly on a pier instead of placing a lintel directly on a pier (column) The classic temple is a system of sturdy walls and colonnades all helping to sustain a solid roof. A Romanesque church follows essentially the same principles, except that an arch is placed over the colonnades. All the parts of a Romanesque building contribute their share to the stability of the whole. The structure stands through virtue of inertia. Gothic In a Gothic church the highly organized framework of piers, arches, and buttresses are organized so that the spaces of the wall and roof between them serve merely as an enclosure. A Gothic church is a skillfully balanced systems of thrusts and counterthrusts that are concentrated on special points of support. All the different levels of the church interior are brought into homogenous composition: great vaulting shafts that articulate the massive piers rise from the floor; at the clerestory level these shafts become more decorative than supportive and spring from corbels in order to trace the vaulting that articulates each bay. Flying buttresses allowed the walls to be dissolved.

Roman barrel vault The force lines converge at the point where the barrel vault springs from the wall. In order to support a heavy roof—one that is very wide--the walls of the nave would have to be very, very thick. Flying Buttress The lines of force created by the weight of the roof and the arches is redirected (or distributed) by the flying buttresses past the walls of the church to external piers (outside the child walls). As a result, windows can larger and the nave can be taller.

floor plan Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy Conques, France 1125-1135 floor plan Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France 1220-1288

Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy Conques, France 1125-1135

Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy Conques, France 1125-1135

transept looking into the crossing Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France 1220-1288

standing on the steps of the choir looking into the apse Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France 1220-1288

looking down the nave toward the apse Amiens Cathedral Amiens, France 1220-1288

Gothic Architecture

Please explain: a. in which direction are you looking b Please explain: a. in which direction are you looking b. through what part of the cathedral you are looking c. what prominent architectural feature the master builder has used to unify this space Rheims Cathedral begun in 1211; almost “complete” by 1285

What is the space delineated by E called What is the space delineated by E called? What is the space delineated by F called? What is the structural element labeled C called? What is the structural element labeled D called?

This section of the nave is called. This section of the nave is called This section of the nave is called? This section of the nave is called? This section of the nave is called? Amiens Cathedral begun in 1220; almost “complete” by 1375

Please describe what you are looking at Please describe what you are looking at. Try to use as many specific technical terms as you can. Rheims Cathedral begun in 1211; almost “complete” by 1285

Please describe what you are looking at Please describe what you are looking at. Make sure that you explain the structural purpose of this architectural feature.

What is the name of this architectural feature What is the name of this architectural feature? How are these different from the one shown in the previous slide? Notre Dame, Paris

You are looking at the exterior of the nave You are looking at the exterior of the nave. What language would you use to describe how the surface of the windows and the window frames has been highly decorated? Amiens Cathedral begun in 1220; almost “complete” by 1375

You are looking at the west façade You are looking at the west façade. Why do you know that this façade is definitely “Gothic” and not “Romanesque?” Amiens Cathedral begun in 1220; almost “complete” by 1375

Why do you know that this west façade is definitely Romanesque Why do you know that this west façade is definitely Romanesque? St Peter's Cathedral Angoulême, Charente, France

This is a floor plan of a cathedral. Is this a Gothic cathedral This is a floor plan of a cathedral. Is this a Gothic cathedral? How can you tell? Cathédrale Saint-Lazare d’ Autun

How can you tell that this plan represents a pilgrimage church How can you tell that this plan represents a pilgrimage church? Plan of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

How can you tell that this plan represents a Gothic cathedral How can you tell that this plan represents a Gothic cathedral? Which one?

Florence Duomo begun in 1296 redesigned in 1357 and 1366 drum and dome by Brunelleschi, 1420-1436 a tall nave arcade; short clerestory with a single oculus in each bay, and no triforium there are no flying buttresses—the wall began to crack in 1366—unsightly iron tie bars were installed

Florence Duomo begun in 1296 redesigned in 1357 and 1366 drum and dome by Brunelleschi, 1420-1436

Filippo Brunelleschi Dome of Florence Cathedral 1417-36

Pisa Baptistry, Pisa Cathedral, Pisa Campanile

Thinking About Renaissance Ideas

What distinguishes Brunelleschi as an architect What distinguishes Brunelleschi as an architect? What is the most marked characteristic of his artistic/architectural style?

The Spedale degli Innocenti was a foundling children’s orphanage established in 1419 and designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. This Foundling Hospital is regarded as a prime example of early Italian Renissance architecture. Why? What do you see?

Each bay of the arcade encloses a cube of space defined by the 10-braccia (20 foot) height of the columns and the diameter of the arches. Hemispherical pendentive domes half as high as the columns cover the cubes

Each bay of the arcade encloses a cube of space defined by the 10-braccia (20 foot) height of the columns and the diameter of the arches. Hemispherical pendentive domes half as high as the columns cover the cubes

The Guild of the Silk Manufacturers and Goldsmiths in Florence established this orphanage. Why does this building have a portico?

What type of capital is on this column? What craftsman made the medallion? Out of what medium? 1487 Andrea dell Robia

The nocentini, or “little innocents”, were left at the doors of the hospital in the hopes that they would be able to sustain a better life in a time of severe economic destitution and social hardships. A unique rotating wheel system allowed parents to leave their children at the doors of the hospital without being seen. Parents could depend on this hospital to care for their newborns on either a permanent or a temporary basis.

Many parents, though reluctant to give over their child, knew that they would be properly cared for at the hospital and hoped that one day they would be reunited. This anticipation of reunion can be seen in the many different types of jewelry that were broken in half, one piece left with the mother and the other given to her child, in the hopes that the two separated pieces would one day be whole again.

What distinguishes Brunelleschi as an architect What distinguishes Brunelleschi as an architect? What is the most marked characteristic of his artistic/architectural style? Rationality Mathematical Resolution Proportion Extreme Formalism and Balance--in other words: Classical Form

Dome of Florence Cathedral Filippo Brunelleschi Dome of Florence Cathedral 1417-36

Leon Battista Alberti Sant’Andrea, Mantua

façade and interior of Church of Sant’Andrea Leon Battista Alberti use of Roman Imperial art: the Basilica of Maxentius and Basilica of Constatine in the Roman Forum façade and interior of Church of Sant’Andrea Leon Battista Alberti

façade of Church of Sant’Andrea Leon Battista Alberti fuses a classical temple front and a triumphal arch façade of Church of Sant’Andrea Leon Battista Alberti

Interior of Sant’Andrea Reconstruction of the Basilica of Maxentius Interior of Sant’Andrea

Donato Bramante  Tempietto 1502-1510

Bernini Baldacchino 1624-1633

Temple of Vesta at Tivoli early 1st century BCE

St. Paul’s Cathedral Christopher Wren 1675-1710 London English Baroque

Palladio and Jefferson and Boyle

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice 1565-80 Palladio created the illusion of two temples fronts of different heights and widths—one set inside the other Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice 1565-80

Palladio Villa Rotunda Palladio Villa Rotunda 1550 See pages 737-738 in Stokstad Palladio Villa Rotunda

Andrea Palladio He pursued mathematical clarity in both plan and elevation, stemming from the Renaissance belief that beauty could be attained through the use of geometry and measurement. His buildings were largely intended as reconstructions of antique architecture, based on his reading of Vitruvius’ De Architectura. His villas, the most influential part of his work, use the temple front, because Palladio believed that this was also a feature of antique domestic architecture. Palladio conceived of architecture as something rational, which obeyed rules: if a work is created according to rules, it can be imitated and taught, assuming that the same basic precepts are imparted. Expect geometrical symmetry

Palladio Villa Rotunda elevation 1550

Palladio Villa Rotunda 1550 See pages 737-738 in Stokstad

Designed by James Hoban; it was built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late Georgian style. In the mainstream of Georgian style were both Palladian architecture— and its whimsical alternatives, Gothic and Chinoiserie, which were the English-speaking world's equivalent of European Rococo. From the mid-1760s a range of Neoclassical modes were fashionable, associated with the British architects Robert Adam, James Gibbs, Sir William Chambers, James Wyatt, Henry Holland and Sir John Soane. Greek Revival was added to the design repertory, after Georgian architecture is characterized by its proportion and balance; simple mathematical ratios were used to determine the height of a window in relation to its width or the shape of a room as a double cube. "Regular" was a term of approval, implying symmetry and adherence to classical rules: the lack of symmetry, where Georgian additions were added to earlier structures, was deeply felt as a flaw. The White House

The Jefferson Memorial Built from 1939 to 1943; the neoclassical building was designed by John Russell Pope. The Jefferson Memorial

University of Virginia Architect: Thomas Jefferson, ca. 1826. University of Virginia

Architect: Thomas Jefferson, ca. 1772. Monticello

Chiswick House 1724-1729 Richard Boyle, the third earl of Burlington East London, England geometrical symmetry Chiswick House 1724-1729 Richard Boyle, the third earl of Burlington East London, England

Chiswick House 1724-1729 Richard Boyle, the third earl of Burlington East London, England

The Pantheon Jacques-Germain Soufflot 1755-1792

The Pantheon Jacques-Germain Soufflot 1755-1792 the portico is modeled directly on Roman temples the dome is inspired by Wren’s dome in London (St. Paul’s) the central-plan Greek cross was inspired by Chiswick House