Renaissance & Baroque Architecture

Task?

Awkward space to build in. Borromini must create a church that fits perfectly into the already existing, and odd, area.

Renaissance & Baroque Architecture

1. Pazzi Chapel

(Located in the Basilica di Santa Croce) Florence, Italy.

Filippo Brunelleschi (architect). c. 1429–1461 C.E.

2. Palazzo Rucellai (Commissioned by Giovanni Rucellai - Wool Merchant)

Florence, Italy.

Leon Battista Alberti (architect).
c. 1450C.E. Stone, masonry.

Note the distinct move away from the Gothic style in this building.

Cornice

Brunelleschi

Commissioned by Andrea de' Pazzi in 1429

Brunelleschi was influenced by the Pantheon.

Emphasis on the dome? Centrally planned!

Not symmetrical. Never finished.

Corinthian Pilasters

Died in 1446, did not see the building completed.

Entablature w. Ruccelai Symbols

Emphasis on geometry and perfect proportions = rebirth of Greek and Roman ideals

Rounded Arches

Ionic(ish) Pilasters

"Loggia"

Entablature w. Medici Symbols

Six Corinthian Columns

"Loggia"

Tuscan Pilasters

Pilasters

Function?

Emphasis on perfect & harmonious space

Served as a Chapter House for Franciscan Monks

What building is Alberti influence by?

Matthew

Mark

Symmetry & Proportion

Wrote "On the Art of Building in 10 Books"

Influence of Pantheon?

Palazzo Medici

Palazzo Rucellai

Luke

John

3

String Courses

Context?

2

String Courses decrease in size as they progress

Return to classical elements in architecture (rational, harmonious proportions & mathematics).

Upsurge of palace building in the 1430s and 1440s. Due to the wealth and stability in Florence.

Corinthian Pilasters + 12 Disciples in roundels

1

1st Renaissance architect to understand the teachings of Greece and Rome?

Leon Battista Alberti

Pietra Serena Stone

Dome resting on pendentives + Four Evangelists

Alberti visited Rome in the 1430s. Where do we see Roman influence here?

4. Triumph of the Name of Jesus ceiling fresco (Vault in Il Gesù).

Rome, Italy.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli. 1676–1679 C.E. Brick, marble, fresco, & stucco.

3. Il Gesù (Jesus or the Church of Jesus)

Rome, Italy.

Giacomo da Vignola (Plan) Giacomo della Porta (architect and facade).

Church: 16th century C.E. Facade: 1568–1584 C.E.

Side Aisles = Separate & Individual Chapels

Commissioned by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese

Emotional, dynamic, energetic, theatrical (Baroque art appeals to the emotions of a human!)

Side Chapels

Focus on the Nave

Cruciform Plan is hidden

Short Transept

Farnese Crest

"The wide, open nave at Il Gesu indicates how the church sought to heighten the dramatic impact of worshippers' religious experience by drawing attention to the high altar and the ritual events enacted in that space. This proved highly influential on other Baroque-era churches, especially those constructed in the Spanish Colonies."

Santa Maria Novella

Jesus not personified

Jesuits were the ones fighting both spiritually and physically for the church

Cruciform plan church hidden in a basilican plan

Paired Pilasters

Salvation can be found in God through Catholicism!

Jesuits founded in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola

Recognized by Pope in 1540, involved in spreading Christianity during exploration.

Scrolling Buttresses

Iesus Hominum Salvator

(Jesus Savior of Men)

St. Ignatius Loyola

St. Francis Xavier

Co-Founder of Jesuit Order

Sinners covered in shadows

Still the Counter-Reformation, but it's bloodier now.

Classical traits are everywhere. But that ceiling!

"Mother Church" of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Counter-Reformation, Baroque Architecture

Church of St. Charles of the Four Fountains

5. San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

Rome, Italy.

Francesco Borromini (architect). 1638–1646 C.E. Stone and stucco.

Greek Cross and Oval

Use of stucco

+

Took Baroque architecture to a new height

Complex use of geometry

Using a triangle to connect with the Trinitarian beliefs

Francesco Borromini

66ft wide x 39ft long

Main Altar

Predominant Color?

Interior is undulating as is the exterior

Geometric coffers

I wish I had Mr. Lugo as a teacher. Mama Mia.

Natural light entering behind the dove and near the bottom of the dome

Cherubs/Putti

Roundels with relief sculpture

Classical elements and...

Where does the ceiling end and the fresco begin?

an undulating facade (convex and concave)

Dominance of the color white and how light plays on it

Constructed for the Trinitarians