Renaissance and Baroque Architecture

1. Renaissance and Baroque Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp

2. Topics • The Renaissance in France • The Renaissance in England • The Early Baroque

3. The Renaissance in France • The Italian Renaissance made its way to France partly through French military interventions in Italy • The artistic influence of the Italian Renaissance made its way back to France • The French transported Italian art back to France and hired Italian architects for commissions • French also sent students to study the arts in Italy

4. The Renaissance in France • The cultural center of France during the sixteenth century was in the valley of the Loire • Not Paris • A popular leisure and vacation spot by the rulers and nobility of France • Key structures • Chateau of Blois • Chateau of Chambord

5. The Renaissance in France • Chateau of Blois • Illustrates the transition from Medieval to Renaissance style through a series of expansions over the centuries • Begun in the thirteenth century • Between 1498 and 1504, Louis XII added an east wing that would ultimately include a courtyard • Between 1515 and 1524, Frances I added a north wing and an extravagant spiraling staircase

6. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

7. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

8. The Renaissance in France • Chateau of Chambord • Built in the countryside in the style of a fortified castle • The “keep” of the structure has a suite of rooms in each corner • Features a double staircase • Persons ascending one side are unable to see people ascending the otherside

9. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

10. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

11. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

12. The Renaissance in France • After 1526, the French capitol became fixed in Paris • Many building improvements were undertaken on existing structures • Key structures • Louvre Palace • Place Royale

13. The Renaissance in France • Louvre Palace • Underwent many structural expansions in the Renaissance style • A series of courtyards were added • The façade was redesigned • Corinthian and Composite half columns and pilasters • Elongated windows and pavilions at the extremities and the center • Sculpture was added by Jean Goujon • A famous French sculptor of the time

14. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

15. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

16. The Renaissance in France • The Place Royale • Now known as the Place des Vosges • Laid out from 1605 to 1612 • Used for residential purposes • Each house was four bays wide and three stories high • The royal pavilions featured more elaborate décor and higher rooflines • Although the shared the same arcades with the other “commoner” pavilions

17. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

18. The Renaissance in France http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

19. The Renaissance in England • The earliest expression of the Renaissance in England appeared in sculpture and the decorative arts • The Gothic style continued to survive in England throughout the Renaissance although there were a few structures of the Renaissance style • Wollaton Hall, Nottingham • Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire

20. The Renaissance in England • Wollaton Hall, Nottingham • An example of some of the great houses built during the Elizabethan period in England • Designed by Robert Smythson for the Sheriff of Nottingham • Symmetrical square plan • Corner pavilions • Long gallery for lodging

21. The Renaissance in England http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

22. The Renaissance in England http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

23. The Renaissance in England • Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire • Shares many of Wollaton’s characteristics in plan and elevation • Features contiguous exterior colonnades that reflect contemporary Italian design http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

24. The Renaissance in England http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

25. The Renaissance in England http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

26. Early Baroque Architecture • Unlike the Renaissance, which was brought on by rich merchants and traders, the Baroque was brought on by the Catholic Church in Rome • Commissioned many works that would become the Baroque style during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

27. Early Baroque Architecture • Basilica of St. Peter • the most important Christian monument in Rome • 25 years after the death of Michelangelo reconstruction on the dome began • Was at last brought to completion during the Baroque period • Finished in 1612 and consecrated by the Pope in 1626

28. Early Baroque Architecture http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

29. Early Baroque Architecture http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

30. Early Baroque Architecture http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

31. Early Baroque Architecture http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html

32. References • Sullivan, Mary; http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ • http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/wld/wdpt1.html • Trachtenburg/Hyman; Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity • Wodehouse/Moffett; A History of Western Architecture

33. Renaissance and Baroque Architecture Architectural History ACT 322 Doris Kemp