The Renaissance

architecture
The Renaissance is a historical period in Europe defined by the evolution of
painting, architecture, sculpture and allied arts.
This period corresponds to the revival of the classical forms originally
developed by ancient Greeks and Romans, but also to a growing interest in
humanism. Renaissance architecture has its origins in Florence, in the early 15th
century.
An interesting fact is that in this period, artists used a proportion named
golden mean which was important in construction of buildings, as it is taught
that it was an harmonious way to create any structure.
Renaissance architecture could be divided in 3 periods:
1. Early Renaissance (1400 - 1500)
2. High Renaissance (1500 - 1525)
3. Late Renaissance (1525 - 1600)
Early Renaissance
The most important architects from the Early Renaissance were Filippo
Brunelleschi and Leon Battista Alberti.
Filippo Brunelleschi was a designer of churches and his most important work is the
dome of Florence Basilica. At that time, it was one of the biggest structures and
some historians consider the start of the Renaissance to be 1419, the year when he
started the construction of the dome. He used mathematical and geometrical

calculations in his designs and was one of the first architects to do so. Also, the
emergence of Renaissance architecture could be seen in maybe the most famous
building from this period Basilica of San Lorenzo from Florence. The interior
structure is generally composed by plain surfaces.
Leon Battista Alberti was a prolific writer and he wrote the Ten books on
Architecture inspired by Vitruvius, which contained instructions with the
adaptations of ancient classical forms to modern buildings and became a bible of
Renaissance architecture.
Masaccio was the first painter that used new techniques of painting and even
if he died at the age of 27 he had a big influence on the course of the art because
painting was in a close connection and dependence with the other arts, so the
impact was felt even in architecture.

High Renaissance
Donato Bramante is one of the most important architects from the
Renaissance, being considered a member of the High Renaissance trio, along the
sculptor Michelangelo and Raphael, the foremost painter. His greatest work is
considered to be the Tempietto , considered the icing on the cake of the
architecture from this period. Also, Bramante realized the plan design for the
Saints Peter Basilica, but because of his death, he could not finish his work and
the architects who took the project completely transformed the original design.
Palazzo Farnese could be considered the greatest Renaissance palace. This
building was designed principally by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, which was
a student of Bramante and follows the typical Renaissance palazzo layout: a threestory rectangular building with a central courtyard. The sheer simplicity of the
facade emphasizes variations in wall colours, window shapes, and pediment
shapes. A decorative treatment of the palazzo was rustication, in which a masonry
wall is textured rather than smooth. This can entail leaving grooves in the joints
between smooth blocks, using roughly dressed blocks, or using blocks that have
been deliberately textured.
The High Renaissance was defined by a classical simplicity and harmony in
Renaissance art and architecture. The central plan layout found in many Roman

temples, most notably the Pantheon, was popular during this period. Central plan
denotes rotational symmetry, such that if the plan is rotated around its central point,
it looks the same at multiple points of rotation. Common shapes for central plan
buildings are the circle, square, and octagon.

Late Renaissance
Mannerism became part of the later Renaissance style. Michelangelo was
using the Mannerist style and he invented a giant order: a large pilaster that
stretches from the bottom to the top of a facade. Mannerism is also described a
style in which harmony gave way to freer and more imaginative rhythms.
Architects also experimented with using architectural forms to emphasize solid and
spatial relation in a bizzare way. In mannerist architecture, classical forms are
exaggerated, and misplaced, and classical balance and harmony are sometimes
distorted. By upsetting conventions and exploring new artistic possibilities,
mannerism became an influential force, even for artists who chose to retain a more
purely classical style.
Andrea Palladio is the exponential architect who maintained a firmly
classical aesthetic. Palladio, known primarily for villa design, is the foremost
architect of the Late Renaissance. Palladio's most striking innovation was to graft
the classical temple front onto secular architecture. A true temple front is a portico
(covered porch with columns), while a cosmetic temple front can be produced with
a simple pediment. In either case the entrance can be recessed, which allows for a
covered entrance even without a portico. Firstly, the most recognizable feature of
Palladios villas is the overall plan, which is a central block flanked with identical
wings, which ensures perfect symmetry; the central block is faced with a temple
front. Secondly, the interior plan is also symmetrical, with a great hall at the centre.
Since humanity started building edifices and great structures, mathematics
and architecture . Obviously, improvements in surveying and applied mathematics
helped engineers to build greater and bigger monuments, using mathematical
techniques. The pyramids, the Parthenon and the Pantheon are great examples,
using angles and numbers, as well as an understanding of centers of gravity and
weight distribution to ensure that they endured for many years. In some

circumstances, ancient architects used mathematics and astronomy to align

buildings with astronomical phenomens or the cardinal points as the Egyptians
showed with pyramids. However, mathematics had another effect on architecture,
influencing the abstract ideals of proportion and beauty, with certain mathematical
ratios believed to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
The Renaissance greatly influenced Transylvanian architecture.
Characteristic Renaissance style chapel can be found at the cathedral St. Michael in
Alba Iulia. In the same style were transformed 16 castle. They were built on a
rectangular plan, with patio: Vinu de Jos, Cri, Snmiclu castles , the latter
having two overlapping loggia made up of semicircular arches. Bourgeois houses
in cities have adopted new forms especially in decoration doors and windows
(Gllner house in Sibiu, Halphard house in Cluj).
Renaissance architecture had specific features that were fairly common to
major construction as the facades were symmetrical and the ceilings were generally
flat, another specific feature being the regularity of parts to the whole as they are
demonstrated in the architecture of classical Rome, the columns were arranged in a
specific order and the semi-circular arches replaced the complex proportional
systems of medieval buildings.
In my opinion the architecture of the Renaissance Period is the most
beautiful and breathtaking, even greater than the marvelous Gothic cathedrals.

Bibliography

http://www.ducksters.com/history/renaissance_a
rchitecture.php
https://explorable.com/renaissance-architecture
http://autocww.colorado.edu/~flc/E64ContentFil
es/PeriodsAndStyles/Renaissance.html

Btiosu Rzvan
ETC Engleza
Grupa 1.1