Renaissance Architecture

The Renaissance was a term originally from a French word that means “rebirth”. This rebirth occurred mostly in the art of the time. “About 1450, European scholars became more interested in studying the world around them. Their art became more true to life”(Source) This change was in their paintings and architecture. The artists were very important to this change and improvement of the art. The Renaissance is a time period between the 12^th and 17^th centuries; it had no clear cut beginning our ending. Specifically, the Renaissance Architecture period is a very important transitional time period between two great styles. (Source) (Source)

The renaissance period is greatly based on the influence of the Roman and Greek emphasis. Just before this transition, the style that was the dominate, was the Gothic style. It transitioned the architects of the time from the medieval time to the Renaissance. This brought back the Romanesque style to buildings. (Source)

The greatest and most recognizable characteristic of Gothic architecture is the magnificent pointed arch, which is also more formally called, ogival arch. This arch is not only appealing to the eye but also structurally sound. It allows the weight to be dispersed to the columns reaching toward the ground, allowing architects to further the height of the structure. The pointed arch also gave architects a greater flexibility in creating shapes. This arch really started the new revelation to bring back the Roman emphasis more so. This caused the Renaissance style to really come alive. (Source)

The Renaissance style focused on symmetry, proportion, geometry, and the classical aspects of ancient Roman architecture. The use of pillars and domes, in many different styles returned during this time; instead of the complex and asymmetrical figures of the Gothic style. The man who first brought back the original style of the Romans and Greeks is Filippo Brunelleschi. From his inspiration in northern Italy the Renaissance style spread to France, Germany, England, and Russia. (Source) (Source)

Filippo lived from the year 1377-1446. He was first trained as a goldsmith and later became a builder. When becoming an architect, Brunelleschi studied much of the Gothic style, but was more interested in the style of the Roman ruins. He first created the Ospedale degli Innocenti it was the first building in Florence to make a clear reference to the classical style of the Romans. His work only became greater from there including, the Cathedral of Florence, the Sarestia Vecchia, and the Santa Maria del Fiore. (Source) (source)

Brunelleschi was just the start of the Renaissance beauty. Artists such as Giacomo da Vignola, Andrea Palladio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti took the fundamentals to a whole new level. Alberti demonstrated the first work to include the idea of Façades in the St. Andrea. Although Brunelleschi tried to include this detail into his work, the outcome did not show it. A Façade is symmetrical around the vertical axis. “Church façades are generally surmounted by a pediment and organized by a system of pilasters, arches and entablatures. The columns and windows show a progression towards the center.” (source) The Façades greatly expressed a part of the Renaissance architecture style. (Source)

Another aspect of the architecture utilized during this time, are the columns, entablatures, and pilasters. This fundamental feature of Renaissance architecture can be used as five different looks, such as the: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. Certain styles of these columns are used for support and others are purely decorative. Tuscan is relatively the most simple, it is very plain with a plain shaft, a capital base, and a plain frieze. The Doric order is the next simplest with some patterns along the frieze, a 20 side shaft, no base, and a square capital. The ionic pillars were taller and more extravagant, they consisted of flutes at both the top and bottom, the frieze was plain, and entasis was along the shaft, to make it look like the column was straight. In the middle between the Corinthian style and the Doric order is the Composite order; it is one of the more decorative. The Corinthian order however, is the most decorative, it has flowers and/or leaves along the capital, the shaft has flutes and also uses the entasis to make it appear straight, and the roofs however are the only flat roofs, out of all the others. Each of these pillars are used in specific areas to highlight the building. These were first brought back by Brunelleschi and used in the Renaissance era. (Source) (Source)

In addition to these characteristics of Renaissance architecture the ancient Romans also introduced the arches and vaults. These are semi-circular sections of the building that are not only decorative, but also to structurally support the building. Often times there would be pillars supporting and leading to the arch itself. The vault is just the same as a arch, but instead of being rather rectangular in the Gothic style, the vaulted ceilings were square-shaped. These vaults can extend so far in length, they become what they call a barrel vault. An example of this is the St. Andrea. (Source)

When viewing buildings externally built in the Renaissance period a greatly noticeable detail is the dome. It can be both a large and small feature on a building. Originally in this period domes were rarely used, but when Bruneslleschi successfully used the dome in Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and Bramante created St. Peter’s Basilica with a dome, it became a crucial element in Renaissance architecture. (Source)

Even the details of buildings are greatly influenced. Moldings and courses were carved with great experience to add amazing details. Also artist added to the great architecture by painting on the walls and ceilings. The Sistine Chapel is a great example of this. The roofs were decorated and often times painted to accentuate the beauty. The doors and windows were set in and elaborated the arches. Every detail of the whole building was planned out and even though it was hard extremely hard to create these details. To me, when I look a Renaissance building, the details are more extravagant than anything anyone creates today. The time and passion the artists and architects put into their work is measurably seen in the outcome of the building. However, these details did not appear overnight, it took 500 years to fully cover this period and that does not include the influences it left. (Source) (Source)