Louis Le Vau was a practicing architect during the early to mid-seventeenth century in France who contributed to the French classical style while working for King Louis XIV of France. Le Vau was born and passed away in Paris, on October 11th, 1670 while spending majority of his life in France. He was an originating founder of the French Classical style, working as the forefront for academic architecture of the seventeenth century. Beginning his career as the son of a master mason of the same name, Louis Le Vau quickly developed his design skills to become a successful architect around 1639. With his interest revolving around development of Ile Saint-Louis as a residential area, Le Vau set forth in designing and developing town homes for many …show more content…
We do however possess a handful of engravings in scholarly books that describe his earlier inspirations and career successes. Although Le Vau never visited Italy, he was increasingly affected throughout his mid-career by the contemporary Italian trends. Le Vau, “collected and carefully studied through prints, books, and drawings the works of classical Roman and Renaissance Italian architects and builders, such as Vitruvius, Andrea Palladio, and Sebastiano Serlio” (Byme, 2005). Through the mixture of these classic roman and renaissance Italian architect styles, Le Vau developed a repertoire of design elements that he would utilize in the structure and ornamentation for his own works. In his earlier collection of work, Le Vau designed grand structures, retaining the French tradition of assembling various building units opposed to establishing a single uniform, unified whole. The classical elements surrounding the building’s interior and façade, such as the pilasters, columns, and pediments, appeared out of place, sporadic even, forcing the whole effect of the building to be more provincial than monumental. This effect that Le Vau crafted was not that of traditional classical French architecture, rather the beginning of the Italian influence seeping into his design
Filippo Brunelleschi gained much of his architectural signature from his studies in Rome. He was already making a name for himself in Florence before he started working on a design for the Baptistery doors. “After Lorenzo Ghiberti had won the competition (1401) for the Baptistery doors, the runners-up, Donatello and Brunelleschi, both left for Rome to study sculpture and architecture respectively” (Meek np). It was actually a blessing in disguise that Brunelleschi lost the bid for the doors because it led him to move to Rome for a period of time. This exposed him first hand to the ancient Roman buildings and the specific architecture in their designs. According to PBS, “Brunelleschi spent the next 10-years living rough in Rome with his good friend, the sculptor Donatello, studying the ruins of the great city” (“Filippo Brunelleschi” np). A decade is a long time to absorb a narrow field of architecture. It is inevitable that he picked up on the design elements and incorporated them into his own. Through independent study, Brunelleschi could truly focus on what interested him and thus making it a passion of his. After his time spent in Rome, Brunelleschi moved back to Florence where he was “responsible for initiating the rediscovery of ancient Roman architecture” because he “understood its inherent principles and he employed them in an original manner” (Meek np). As a result it is indisputable that Brunelleschi’s ...
Andrea Palladio was born in 1508A.D. in Italy. At a very young age he became a stone mason, however his journey into architecture began when he met Gian Giorgio Trissino who immediately saw ability in him and decided to mentor Palladio. Trissino combined a study of classical architecture with architecture of the time, all the while allowing Palladio room to develop a style of his own. In time Palladio was constructing villas through out the country side of Italy, in all he constructed 30 villas, 18 of which are still standing today. Perhaps Palladio’s most famous work was the Villa Rotondra or La Rotondra which was started around 1565 and took approximately 4 years to build and was greatly inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. It is interesting to note that la Rotondra is different from Palladio’s other villas in a number of ways, and it is evident that these differences help distinguish it from the rest. The main differences between Palladio’s Rotondra and his other work are, The Rotonda is set on a hilltop, it is located near a...
Strayer, Robert W. French State Building and Louis XIV. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 657-58. Print.
In this great time known as the Renaissance, many pieces of art that reflect humanism were created, but only one stands out like a sore thumb, Brunelleschi's Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore! Since the Duomo is based off Roman architecture, many innovative ideas were used to create it, and because it was built to be enjoyed, not worshipped like the past pieces of religious art, the Duomo is, by far, the best creation to represent the
Giorgio Vasari’s book The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects was written as a second edition in 1568. It is a collection of written accounts that Vasari thought were the best and most esteemed artists in the Renaissance, which specifically focuses on North Italian cities such as Florence and Milan. This primary source is a tool that gives the reader an understanding of the ways in which Italian Renaissance artists lived their lives. The Lives is also important because it is considered the first book to focus on art history. Barolsky states that Vasari’s Lives is “a foundational text in the history of art history” (Barolsky 33). Vasari, in many ways paved the way as an art historian for others in the future by writing
time researching emerging architect. In the early Eighties, President in France wanted to reconstruct the Louvre,. The goverment collected designs and most of the candidates are famous architect from France. Mr,Pei said that Parisians scolded him a year and half and they even described his design like a fake diamond) thecer-werkinety percent of Parisians don't like his idea. Mr. Pei spent four months there to see how they, allocated the collections and learn the history, then he figured out after enter; the gate there is no directions and if you want to see Mona lisa you should pass a long dark path to reach
Q: Use St. Peter’s Basilica and Donato Bramante’s Tempietto in Rome, in opposition to John Balthasar Neumann’s Pilgrimage Church of Vier(7) in Bamburg, Germany, to argue that a rational engagement with architecture is a more effective means to comprehend and understand architectural form. During the period of Renaissance, human’s thought and intelligence has reached its highest and its effect on the architectural form, it became clear and its engagement of rational aspect on the building. Mainly geometrical forms are the characteristics which can be identified. Not so long after the Renaissance period of Baroque architecture was introduced, rather than logic and reasoning they wanted to capture the emotional atmosphere by using the architectural elements such as light, height, crafted art, costly materials and so on as mentioned by(Scotti 2007, 5-10).
He was known for his responsibilities from interior decoration to being an architect for the design of buildings, which is why Germain thought greatly of him and wanted to work with him on the tomb of Henry II, and the three graces. Those two together were unstoppable, Francisco would a lot of the design, while Germain would do most of the sculpting and would have a beautiful resolution. During Germain’s early years of sculpting, he learned a lot from Francisco since he was open for knowledge. However, Germain developed his style by combining Fontainebleau with Clements, the Gothic tradition, and Michelangelo, and by using marble, bronze, wood and terra
Louis' cultural goals were a large success. He changed French trends and etiquette, and was a major patron of the arts, meaning, he supported the art movements and artists, encouraging them and financing them. Because of Louis, France led Europe in the arts. He loved music and theatre. Louis was a great patron of the arts; he exceeded Augustus of Rome in his art aiding. He created the city of Versailles by turning his father's hunting cabin into a magnificent palace in the village of Versailles. Construction began in 1668, and wasn't done until 1710, but Louis moved in on May 6, 1682--showing his impatience.
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally
Additionally, the styles changed; from Rococo, which was meant to represent the aristocratic power and the “style that (…) and ignored the lower classes” (Cullen), to Neoclassicism, which had a special emphasis on the Roman civilization’s virtues, and also to Romanticism, which performs a celebration of the individual and of freedom. Obviously, also the subject matter that inspired the paintings has changed as wel...
In the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy, there is a cathedral church whose octagonal dome, built without the aid of scaffolding, was considered the greatest engineering feat of the early Renaissance. Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, Our Lady of the Flower, it is also known as the Duomo, after the Italian word for cathedral. Created by many great Early Modern artists, this piece of architecture is a perfect example the Renaissance style. We can come to a better understanding of why this is so by exploring what the characteristics of the Renaissance “style”. To understand the properties of the Florence Cathedral that fit the Early Modern style, I will begin with a description and its history. The cathedral's architectural style, although greatly influenced by French Gothic elements remained distinctively Florentine, especially the geometric patterns of red, green, and white marble on the building's exterior. Construction of the cathedral began in 1294 on the site of a Christian church founded in the 6th or 7th century and continued until 1436. Several celebrated Italian architects were involved in the project, including Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, Andrea Orcagna, and, most notably, Filippo Brunelleschi, who was responsible for designing and building the dome. The cathedral's exterior is ornamented with sculpture and mosaics by Italian artists Donatello, Nanni di Banco, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, among others. The building's stained-glass windows are the work of the Italian architect and artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the interior is decorated with sculpture and fresco paintings by several Renaissance masters. Construction of the campanile (bell tower), situated to the right of the entrance to the Duomo, was begun by Giotto and completed according to his plans in 1359, after his death. Nearly 278 ft high, the campanile is embellished with red, green, and white marble panels of relief sculpture by Italian artists Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia, and niches with sculpted figures by Donatello and other masters. Facing the cathedral and campanile is a smaller, octagonal structure, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, noted for its gilt-bronze doors, elaborately worked in high relief by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti. With that background information about the cathedral, one question comes to mind: what is it that makes the Renaissance style distinct? Renaissa...
Andrea di Pietro, an architect of the Mannerist Age, employed the elements of Classical design in his works to achieve simplicity and harmony. “The preeminent architect of the Mannerist style was Andrea di Pietro, known as Palladio”(Matthews And Platt 340). The work that Palladio is most synonymous with is the Villa Capra, also known as the Villa Rotunda. The Villa Rotunda, based on the Classical design of a Roman farmhouse, was built for a wealthy Venetian (Matthews and Platt 340,341). The Villa highlights Classical principles of architecture in a number of ways. Palladio employed the use of colonnaded porticoes in the Villa, a covered porch supported by columns, which is typically located at the front of...
In the case of Le Corbusier, the goal was to create a very visual and public architecture. He recognized that not everybody would be able to go and personally see his buildings, thus he decided to bring his buildings to them. Obviously Corbusier believed very strongly in the representational value of his buildings, “I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies.” In this quotation Corbusier describes just how important the role of the visual is to him. Experience is not necessary, and neither is discussion, just visualization. In the case of Villa Savoye (Poissy, France 1928-1929) Corbusier created a building based upon his principles of architecture, and the idea of the house as a machine for living. These programmatic elements yielded a simple building that followed his five points of architecture (peloti, ribbon windows, a roof garden, free façade, and free plan). The way in which he composes these elements and ultimately how he represents the building are what make this a truly interesting piece of architecture, instead of a place for storing hay (as the building was once used).
...s considered modern at that time, it still contained references to Classicism and neo-Renaissance. This resulted in his modern architecture arguments not to be completely distinct and leave the traditional architecture of the past. John Ruskin decried the type of restorations employed by Viollet-le-Duc stating that it is “a destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered, a destruction accompanied with false description of the thing destroyed” (Viollet-le-Duc 35). Because Viollet-le-Duc refuted the challenge of his own ideas, he continued to design buildings in eclectic styles. Both Wagner and Viollet-le-Duc did not succeed to completely avoid using traditional architecture as reference to modern architecture. The preservation movement widely rejected Viollet’s methods because it threatened the autonomy of the observed historical past.