Renaissance Period PDF

EDGES OF MEDIEVALISM Fall of the Western Roman Empire  RENAISSANCE Meaning “rebirth,” the term describes the revival of classical learning and art. Rediscovery of classical Greek knowledge Centered at first in Florence, it marked the end of the Middle...

EDGES OF MEDIEVALISM Fall of the Western Roman Empire  RENAISSANCE Meaning “rebirth,” the term describes the revival of classical learning and art. Rediscovery of classical Greek knowledge Centered at first in Florence, it marked the end of the Middle Ages and was the outstanding creative period in western art and architecture. Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper (1495-98) Perspective in Pompeii Fresco (c. 1st Century BC)  THE SCOPE OF THE RENAISSANCE a historical period : 14th – 16th century Europe a philosophical power-shift : from organized religion (the church) to the human world an intellectual movement: an awareness of history a new social and economic order: from the land (village) to the city Republic of Florence Florance Loggias The narrow streets of Italian cities consisted of hard materials, stone and brick, and because many of these cities were confined by city walls, open spaces were at a premium. Parks and gardens did not exist. Loggias were served both functional and symbolic purposes. Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, ITALY, 1299-1314  Commercial Revolution The new Bourgeois order compelled cities and their economic structure to change..  Intellectual Revolution Renaissance Humanism Rediscovery of philosophical texts of classical antiquity Studia Humanitatis (today’s humanities): Grammer, Rhetoric, History, Poetry and Philosophy The foundation of Universities Ambrogio Lorenzetti, The Allegory of Good and Bad Government, 1338-39, Siena Independent libraries (out of monastries) "the great art of painting as we know it today, introducing the technique of drawing accurately from life, which had been neglected for more than two hundred years. " Giorgio Vassari, 1550 Giotto, Legend of St Francis: 5. Renunciation of Wordly Goods, 1299, Assisi, Italy Giotto, “Pentecost,” c.1306-12  Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy,1320 Establishment of local language and literature Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, ITALY (baptistry, bell tower, cathedral with dome) Filippo Brunelleschi, (sculptor, painter, architect) 1377-1446 Changing role of architect: From crafts to planning From manual to intellectual labor From a high level advisor to builders to one responsible for the form, decoration, structure and organization of the work. Baptistry of St. John, Florence, ITALY Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, ITALY (baptistry and its door)  "Man is the measure of all things.” Protagoras (5th century BC) The above phrase from Plato’s 4th-century B.C. dialogue Protagoras can be recognized as the motto of the Renaissance architecture. Our perspective determines how we see the world 🡪 one point perspective Albertian perspective. In contrast to the medieval scholastic mode, which focused on resolving contradictions between different interpretations holy books, humanists would study ancient texts in the original, and appraise them through a combination of reasoning and empirical evidence.  Our measure of the world has been anthropic – the way we record our surroundings is rooted in human terms. A good example of Plato’s statement is very pragmatic and the first unit of actual physical measurement was not a ruler, but our own bodies. Francesco di Giorgio (painter, sculptor, architect), “Treatise on Architecture,” 1482 ideal architectural proportions based on the human body  The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is accompanied by notes based on the work of the architect Vitruvius. The drawing and text are sometimes called the Canon of Proportions or, less often, Proportions of Man. Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as a cosmografia del minor mondo (cosmography of the microcosm). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe. Leonardo da Vinci, The Vitruvian Man, 1487 Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter, Sistine Chapel, 1481–83, fresco, 10 feet 10 inches x 18 feet (Vatican, Rome) Albrecht Dürer,“Man Drawing a Lute,” 1525 Albrecht Dürer,“Man Drawing a Lute,” 1525 Albrecht Dürer, “Man Drawing Reclining Woman,” 1538 Masaccio, “Holy Trinity with Virgin,” 1428 Masaccio, “Holy Trinity with Virgin,” 1428 Masaccio, “Holy Trinity with Virgin,” 1428 Jan van Eyck, “Madonna van der Paele,” 1436 Jan van Eyck, “Madonna van der Paele,” 1436 Fra Angelico, “The Annunciation,” 1440-50 Alessandro Botticelli, “The Birth of Venus,” 1482 “The School of Athens” – Raphael, 1509-1511, Vatican City  Michalengelo, “David,” 1504 Pencil Sketch of “David” ARCHITECTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE RENAISSANCE 1. The Renaissance style 2. A new theoretical perspective 3. New building types for the rising bourgeoisie 4. Urban forms for the new social order 5. The architect as the member of a new social stratum 6. New patrons for architecture