1.1 - Artworks of architecture Flashcards
Dome of Florence Cathedral.
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
*Greatest architect of the Early Renaissance. His triumph is the dome of Florence Cathedral. Largest dome since the Pantheon built in 125 c.e. Although its influenced by antique architecture, the dome does not look like the dome of the ancient Rome Pantheon. Using the basic structural principles perfected in the pointed arches of Gothic cathedrals, he produced a dome with less outward thrust than a hemispherical one. Because his predessor (Arnolfo di Cambio) had designed the base of the dome to be extraordinarily wide, he flanked his octagonal dome with 3 half domes to buttress it.
At the bottom he used stone, for the upper portion he used brick. The heavier material at the bottom produced a self-buttressing system, an idea seen in the Pantheon.
He wanted to build a double dome with an inner and outer shell, a dome within a dome that was much lighter than the solid concrete dome of the Pantheon. The octagonal dome is reinforced by 8 major ribs visible on the exterior, plus 3 minor ribs between every 2 major ribs. Finally, Michelozzo added an open structure to crown the roof (lantern) . The metal lanterns weight stabilized the whole, its downward pressure keeping the ribs from spreading apart at the top.*
Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472)
Both an architect and author. First to detail the principles of linear perspective in his treatise ´De Pictura´ written in 1434-35. His 10 books on architecture, De re aedificatoria (completed 1450) were inspired by the Roman writer Vitruvius.
Alberti worked to create beauty in architecture that derived from harmony among all parts, using mathemathics to determine the proportions of his buildings. For example the church of Sant´ Andrea in Mantua, designed in 1470 and completed after his death.
Because of an older building on the site he had to adapt his design for the church to the preexisting surroundings. His solution exemplifies Renaissance theory.
For the facade he combined the triangular pediment of a classical temple with the arches characteristic of ancient Roman triumphal arches, one large central arch flanked by 2 smaller arches. The facade balances horizontals and verticals with the height of the facade equaling the width. Four colossal corinthian pilasters paired with small pilasters usually unite the stories of the facade. Large and small pilasters of the same dimensions appear in the nave, linking the exterior and interior in a harmonious whole.
- Michelozzo di Bartolommeo (1396-1472)*
- In the 15th Century Florence, wealthy families hired architects to build palaces, emblematic of their power. The Palazzo Medici-Riccardi was designed by Michelozzo and begun in 1445, completed in 1452. Although it was built for Cosimo de Medici, the Riccardi family acquired the Palazzo in the 17th century. Located on the inner of the Via Larga (widest street in Florence) its a residence that heralded its resident, literally and metaphorically at the center of the city´s cultural and political life.*
Michelozzo created an 3-story stone building. The stonework beginning with a ground level of rusticated stone becomes increasingly smoother from bottom story to top. He further differentiated the levels usually by diminishing the height of each, although they all remain over 20 feet high. Typical of the Renaissance, the division of the stories is neat and clear, and the divisions are formed by classical moldings.
The Renaissance orderliness is also seen in the even spacing of the windows. The form of windows used (2 arched openings within an overriding arch) was already popular in the Middle Ages. At the top of the Palazzo a heavy projecting cornice fulfills both aesthetic and architectural roles. The cornice serves usually to frame and conclude the architectural composition; it also sent rainwater wide of the wall. The medici coat of arms with its 7 bulls appears on the cornets of the second story. what are now it´s ground level windows were originally arches that opened onto the street creating a loggia (covered gallery). The first story provided officed and storage rooms for the Medici business. Their living quarters were on the second level.
The rooms are arranged around a central colonnaded courtyard, a typical Florentine system in which the palace is turned in on itself, for protection but also for privacy and quiet. Whereas the plain exterior reflected the original owner´s punlic posture as a careful, conservative man, the inside (especially 2nd floor) or ´piano nobile´ displayed grandeur.
