Early Renaissance Architecture

Renaissance
-started 14th to 17th century in Italy and later spread to the
rest of Europe
“Early Modern” - it falls between the medieval period and the
industrial revolution
Florence – birthplace of Renaissance
 Early Renaissance
-Growing importance of the upper
bourgeoisie (especially merchants,
bankers)
-Expansion of industry and world
trade; voyages of exploration begin
-Commercial and financial
dominance of Flanders and Italy
-Increased patronage of the arts
by wealthy individuals
 Culture
-revival of learning based on
classical sources, the
development of perspective
in painting, and
advancements in science
-wide-ranging consequences
in all pursuits but is best
known for its artistic aspects
 Technology
Printing press
-most important
technological innovation
of the time
-led to a higher literacy
rate
"Man is the measure of all things.“ - Protagoras
 Characteristics
- Plans were square,
symmetrical appearance in
which proportions are
usually based on a module
which is often the width of
an aisle

(Basilica of Sant'Andrea, Mantua by Alberti)

- Arches are often used
in arcades, supported on
piers or columns with
capitals

(Basilica of Sant'Andrea, Mantua by Alberti)

-The Roman orders of
columns are used:- Tuscan,
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and
Composite which can be
structural or decorative
-architects aimed to use
columns, pilasters,
and entablatures as an
integrated system
Old Sacristy, Brunelleschi
 - Vaults do not have
ribs. They are semi-
circular or segmental
and on a square plan,
unlike the Gothic vault
which is frequently
rectangular
(Basilica of Sant'Andrea, Alberti)
Characteristics
- Dome is a very large
structural feature that is
visible from the exterior,
and also as a means of
roofing smaller spaces
where they are only
visible internally
Florence Cathedral’s Dome, Brunelleschi
-Façades are symmetrical
around their vertical axis
-Church façades are generally
surmounted by a pediment and
organized by a system of
pilasters, arches and entablatures

Cathedral of Pienza, Rossellino

-Domestic buildings are often
surmounted by a cornice
-There is a regular repetition
of openings on each floor, and
the centrally placed door is
marked by a feature such as a
balcony, or rusticated
surround
Palazzo Rucellai, Alberti
materials
-Italian Renaissance
construction used
materials like stone,
marble, terracotta tile and
stucco (a mortar mixture)
-Watermills to saw timber
and convert trees to planks
Filippo Brunelleschi
-More interested in
construction rather than the
visual appearance of Roman
buildings
-one of the founding fathers
of Renaissance
-best known for his work on
the Cathedral of Santa Maria
del Fiore (the Duomo) in
Florence
Science of Florence Cathedral's Dome
-Building up the dome in a succession of
horizontal courses as in the concrete
dome of the Pantheon
-Giving it a double shell so as to reduce
the weight, a device borrowed from the
baptistery of Pisa
-Echoing Gothic rib construction by
stretching the outer skin of the de over a
frame of 24 ribs
-Giving the dome a pointed profile
because it exerts less side thrust
Foundling Hospital (1419) 1st
in Europe to have its elegantly Pazzi Chapel
arcaded loggia
Church of Santo Lorenzo Church of Santo Spirito
 Leon Battista Alberti
- provided the first theory of what
we now call linear perspective in
his book, Della Pittura
-His book De Re Aedificatoria was
the first architectural book
published in moveable type (1485)
and was instrumental in reviving
the Classical style of architecture
-architecture was not merely a
means of constructing buildings; it
was a way to create meaning
LINEAR PERSPECTIVE
Church of Sant’Andrea Palazzo Rucellai, Florence
 Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
-architect under patronage of
the Medici family
-He was one of the first
architects to work in the
Renaissance style outside
Italy, building a palace
at Dubrovnik
-has respected the Florentine
liking for rusticated stone
Dubrovnik Palace
Donato Bramante
-if a building's design is perfect,
nothing could be either added to
or subtracted from it without
ruining the design
-first great Renaissance
architect in Rome, working on
St. Peter's, the Vatican and the
Tempietto in S. Pietro in
Montorio, Rome
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Tempietto - San Pietro in
Montorio