Influence of Palladio’s villas on the architecture of 18th Century England
16th Century Architect Andrea Palladio (1508-80), from Vicenza, Italy, was an architect during the Renaissance, he was inspired by the ancient buildings of Rome. Palladio's works are all in the Veneto area, Venice, Padua, Mantua and Vicenza. His work consisted of symmetry taken from the formal classical temple architecture of ancient Greeks and Romans whose principles and reasons were the driving force for him as well as the extant writings by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Vitruvius wrote about beauty in architecture. Architects during this time would have studied the Colosseum and Pantheon. Renaissance buildings were all about columns, pilasters, pediments, entablatures, arches and domes as well as classical orders. Architects would emulate the classical harmonious form, following the mathematical proportion and using the human scale measure. Palladio single handedly popularised his style taken from ancient architecture to be known as Palladianism which was to be so widely used in public and private buildings for centuries right up to the 21st century. His work falls into distinct typologies, Rural Villas, Urban Palaces etc and Public Buildings and Churches. The political and economical situation at this time helped Palladianism to expand. This was recreated in the 18th century in England when similar political and economical situation arose and neo-Palladianism was once again on the rise. Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) was a very influential architectural theorist of the Early Renaissance. Palladio studied Alberti's treatise and works. Alberti was also a follower of the Roman architect Vitruvius. He aspired to recreate the glory of ancient times through architecture. He designed Roman temple fronts for the facades of his Tempio Malatestiano (Rimini, 1450) and the Church of Santa Maria Novella (Florence, 1470). Columns were used as load bearing supports rather than decorative during the classical period and Alberti applied this to his Church of Sant'Andrea (Mantua, 1470). The Renaissance period gave way to Mannerism and Baroque styles. Renaissance flow of harmony was challenged by freer and imaginative rhythms of mannerism, emphasising solid and spatial relationships. Michelangelo (1475-1564) designed the Campidoglio in Rome with a large pilaster (giant order), covering the height of the facade. These giant orders were a major feature of Mannerist architecture during the late 16th century. The dynamic sculptural use of classical forms and motifs defined Mannerism rather than the correct Roman use. The Baroque was the result of political and religious uprising. It started In the early 17th century in Italy. Protestant Reformation led to the Catholic Counter Reformation whose aim was to re-inspire those who were veering towards Protestantism. With Baroque everything was accentuated, light, colour, texture and perspective. Increased fluid, plastic and emotional intense human figures, sculptural form and architectural elements were characteristics that spread widely throughout Europe. It was over elaborate completely opposite to the classical principles. Baroque architecture was designed to dazzle and be ostentatious. Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598- 1680) was the greatest Baroque architect who during 1656-67 designed the St Peters Square outside St Peters Basilica in Rome. Rural Villas Palladio was highly recognised for his skills in designing villas and his clients were rich and powerful people with high social standing. The villas needed to reflect the tastes of such clients with high vaults, loggia facade, stone piers and rusticated Doric pilasters. The house-temple with its magnificent staircase crowned by a pediment supported by columns of the loggias was designed for these new land owners. They were city dwellers with a second property in the countryside. The villas were all commissioned in the Veneto region which saw a surge of wealth due to a massive investment in agriculture by government in order to free Venice and the Veneto area from dependence of imported grains as well as land reclamation. Estate owners wanted to move from the town to the countryside where they could manage the production activities, as well as impress their neighbours and tenants and entertain important guests. The villas were a new type of country residence and were on a smaller scale to the owners city palaces. Palladio easily applied his principles to both rural and urban buildings. Symmetrical centralised layout with extended wings, a rusticated lower basement for kitchens etc, main floor above this (Piano Noble), staircase to the entrance of this level, large dome over the central space along with loggias and porticos providing panoramic views were his general formula that was used. These private rural villa complexes for leisure and production was a tradition from the Roman Times and was later to be applied to 18th century England to be used as a model for similar estates. The villas being much smaller comprised of one main living floor. The space under the roof would be used to store the grain which would then provide insulation to the living rooms below. Kitchens, store rooms, laundry and cellars were on a lower ground floor. Porches were designed so that owners of the production activities could keep watch of the surrounding countryside. Palladio designed central circular halls surmounted by domes with porticos on all four sides for his Villa Rotonda (Villas Capra). These working villas were elegant and form blended with function, they contained agricultural buildings, cultivated fields, vineyards, stalls, storage areas, and spaces for workers. The idea of a classical temple front to the villas facades was to give dignity suitable for an entrance. Because of the use of symmetrical design for the villas, the living floor would be on the central axis with rooms (studies/ offices) to its left and right. Palladio's open barn designed by a large circular colonnade in front of the villas was taken from the Roman Forum idea. The constant typological experiment of classical architecture patterns used by Palladio resulted in numerous variations of the villa patterns. (UNESCO 2016). Palladio justifies rustication " the columns are Ionic and made of unpolished stone, as seems appropriate here, since farms seem to require things which are rather plain and simple instead of refined." (WILLIAMS 2003) This style of Palladio's after the popularity of the Renaissance was later to be known as Palladianism in the 17th century. Urban Palaces One of Palladio's greatest work was the reconstruction of the 15th century gothic town hall of Vicenza. He began the build in 1549 and having spent most of his life on this project he did not live to complete it. Having named the building Basilica he covered the facade with marble columns and porticos with the principles of classical architecture. Palladio used arched opening supported on columns, flanked by two narrow square headed openings same height as the columns for his bay design. It was this design of rows of open arches that was to be known as the Palladian window also referred as Palladian arch or Palladian motif. Off all of Palladio's works, the Teatro Olympico, Vicenza, was the climax to his artistic creativity. He took his inspiration from Vitruvius's description of Roman theatres, but unfortunately like his Basilica did not live to complete it. Public Buildings The San Giorgio Maggiore built in Venice has a centralised plan and symbolic cross form. It has all the traditional style of Ancient Rome and Greece. With marble arches, columns and white walls to give a sense of balance and harmony using the mathematical formulas, Palladio managed to combine the Christian need of that time of having functional churches with bigger naves to cater for larger congregation. But from the front the Christian basilica can be mistaken for a Classical Greek Temple with its four majestic columns mounted on pedestals and topped with a high pediment, framing the central door. A wider pediment is supported by flat pilasters giving the impression of a taller temple sitting on a lower temple. II Redentore was another church built in Venice in thanksgiving after the outbreak of the plague had subsided. This votive church was designed by Palladio with a single nave and three chapels on either sides. Taking inspiration from the Pantheon of Rome he placed the facade on a wide plinth. As people would be coming with devotional religious thanksgiving Palladio placed the church entrance on fifteen steps emulating the Temple of Jerusalem. Palladio's influence on 18th century architecture of England Inigo Jones (1573-1652) brought Palladio's ideas of proportion, symmetry, Palladian window and temple fronts to England after his trip to Italy (1613-14). Up till then England had not seen true Renaissance buildings. Political conflicts led to the English Civil War (1641-1649) where wealthy landowners wanted shared power between Monarch and Parliament. During the Republic, The Commonwealth was created and the Baroque style arrived in England. But the republican politics saw the land owning, parliamentary governed class of rural capitalists wanting a style of architecture to reflect their political and economical power and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 realised this. This was a very similar situation to the Veneto area of new landowners where they wanted the architecture to reflect their high standing and result of Palladianism. Landowning, rising capitalist economy , agricultural revolution that increased yields and profits and the Grand Tour which gave them contact to Italian architecture and arts of the 16th and 17th century. This new landscape allowed the English gentry to portray themselves as the descendants of Republican Rome. Temple fronts with columns or pilasters supporting a pediment along with Palladian window known as the Venetian window soon became hallmarks for Palladian design. But Jones also took ideas from other Renaissance architects as well as contemporary French practise, this led to the style that became known as Anglo-Palladianism. A revolutionary discipline and decorum to English architecture emerged as a result of Jones style. The Queens house, Greenwich (completed 1635), and the Banqueting House at Whitehall (1619-22), were amongst some of Jones early work. Jones London creation was the result from his studies of Palladio's writings and from his visit to Italy where he was able to study the ancient as well as Renaissance architecture. Jones style was in use during the 17th century and consisted mostly of square or rectangular symmetry but without the classical features. After a slow start Palladianism gained popularity during the mid 18th century, through Richard Boyle, (Lord Burlington), (1694-1753) and Colen Campbell (1676-1729) who set about promoting Palladianism by publishing about this popular architecture. The early part of the 18th century saw the texts and treatises on the Palladian style, published in the UK. Campbell took inspiration from Palladio's Villa Capra when designing the square symmetrical block of Mereworth Castle in Kent. Chiswick House (1726-1729) was built in the neo-Palladian design by Lord Burlington in Hounslow, London as a homage to Palladio. It has a classical temple design and the concept of the coffered dome in the Upper Tribune was taken from the ancient Basilica of Maxentius. Because Palladianism took birth in the sunny climate of Italy where buildings shone majestically in the bright sun, the same could not be replicated in England, land of the damp, cold weather along with its grey skies. As well as giving a cold impression, the buildings were physically cold too. Bibliography LOTZ,W (1995) Architecture in Italy, 1500-1600, (e-book) ch. 12 BURCKHARDT, J. & MURRAY, P. 1985, The architecture of the Italian Renaissance, Secker & Warburg, London. WATKIN, D (2001) English Architecture: A concise History, Thames & Husdon, London WILLIAMS, K (2003) The Villas of Palladio, Giovanni Giaconi, New York, page 124 The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2016) Architecture in Renaissance Italy [ONLINE] Available at: https:// www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm. [Accessed 06 April 2016]. UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2016) City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto [ONLINE] Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/712. [Accessed 06 April 2016]. The Perfect House: The Life and..., (2008) Television Programme, BBC FOUR [ONLINE] Available at: http:// bobnational.net/record/269068 Cowell, M. History of Pre-Modern Architecture, ARC4013 (2016) Palladianism and the English Baroque, Moodle @Birmingham City University [Accessed 23 March 2016] FIG 1: Riminidamare (2015), Leon Battista Alberti’s Tempio Malatestiano [ONLINE]. Available at :http:// www.riminidamare.it/it/blog/il-tempio-malatestiano-a-rimini/ [Accessed 07 April 16]. FIG 2: Architectuul (2011), Villa Rotonda [ONLINE]. Available at: http://architectuul.com/architecture/villa-capra-rotonda [Accessed 07 April 16]. FIG 3: Hidden London (2016), Chiswick House [ONLINE]. Available at http://hidden-london.com/nuggets/chiswick-house/ [Accessed 07 April 16]. |
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