11 CHARACTERISTICS of the ARCHITECTURE of the Renaissance most important

The Renaissance is an artistic movement that extends between the 15th and 16th centuries, approximately from the invention of the printing press until the middle of the 16th century. A movement that return to classical sources of ancient Greece and Rome, promoting the dissemination of classical and Renaissance works thanks to the Guttenberg press (1440).

In the case of architecture, the interest in classical architecture came hand in hand with the popularization of the work of the Roman architect Vitruvius, something that led the artists to break with the notions medieval. In this lesson from unPROFESOR.com we offer you an approach to the main characteristics of Renaissance Architecture.

The Renaissance It is an era of rebirth, the awakening of medieval and Gothic, asymmetrical and ornate, to a style inspired by the symmetrical and proportionate buildings of the Greece and classical Rome.

Between the main characteristics of Renaissance architecture stand out:

1. Renaissance architecture had its origin in the city of Florence, a town in which there was hardly any Gothic presence.
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2. Another characteristic of Renaissance architecture is that the architects leave the union character and anonymous that they had had throughout the Middle Ages, they will go on to enjoy agran protagonism, writing treatises on architecture and being popular and known for his works.
3. His character It was more profane than the Gothic, deeply religious.
4. I know look for a new urban order, aiming to achieve an "ideal city" away from the most anarchic cities of the Middle Ages.
5. Renaissance architecture was inspired by the classical architecture and I take as inspiration the Tuscan order, also creating new forms such as balustraded columns and new orders of capitals, although always inspired by antiquity.
6. Other characteristics of the architecture of the Renaissance is that the architects adopted elements such as square lintels, triangular pediments, arches, sculpture niches and domes.
7. The Windows and doors they arrange symmetrically.
8. Are used modular proportions, in addition to the superposition of typical orders of Roman architecture.
9. The dome also becomes one of the monumental elements in buildings, especially religious ones. One of the most iconic Renaissance domes is that of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the work of Filippo Brunelleschi,
10. Other elements that are characteristic of Renaissance architecture are: the barrel vault, the flat roof with caissons, the hemispherical dome, abandoning typical Gothic elements such as the pointed arch, the ribbed vaults or the stepped naves. Renaissance architecture seeks simplicity, symmetry and clarity, adapting the human body as a module.
11. As decorative elements, Renaissance architecture adopts the pediments, the pilasters, the scrolls, the pillows, the medallions, the grotesques, the garlands and the candelabra. A whole series of elements of eclectic origin, but that were evolving from the austerity of the first Renaissance to the decorative richness of Mannerism, the last phase of the Renaissance.

With regard to the stages in which the evolution of Renaissance architecture can be divided, two great moments can be distinguished:

The Quatrocento

It is the moment that has like centers the area of ​​the Tuscany and Florence. A phase characterized by clarity and structural and decorative simplicity, styling classic models and full of luminosity. L

he architecture of the Quatrocento also stands out for its detailed and small decoration such as the garlands of flowers or fruits, the putti, the grotesques, as well as the domes with ribs, with Gothic influence such as the aforementioned dome of the Cathedral of Santa María del Fiore in Florence, by Filippo Brunelleschi or the symmetrical facades of superimposed floors of the Medici Palace, by Michelozzo, or the Rucellai Palace decorated with ashlars padded.

Between the leading architects Brunelles-chi, Leon Battista Alberti, Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, Mario Codussi and Francesco Laurana stand out from this period. An explosion of innovation and talent that had in the painter and architect Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) one of his main figures. An architect who rediscovered the principles of linear perspective. Alberti (1404-1472), writer, architect, philosopher and poet, was a true Renaissance Man, his design of the Palazzo Rucellai (c. 1450) the essence of Renaissance architecture.

The Cinquecento

He has to the city of Rome as its center with Bramante as one of its protagonists. Thus, his project of the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican it became an architectural landmark throughout the sixteenth century.

The architecture of this time becomes more grandiose and monumental with projects that break the desire to create an architecture tailored to man. The palaces are decorated with highly worked bas-reliefs or free-standing sculptures.

As the 16th century progresses, Mannerism brought greater sumptuousness, more decoration, originality and a certain extravagance. Among the main figures stand out Bramante, Miguel Ángel, Antonio da Sangallo el Viejo, or Jacopo Sansovino. As for Mannerism, its main authors are Andrea Palla-dio, Giorgio Vasari, Giulio Romano, Jacopo Vignola and Vincenzo Scamozzi.