History of architecture

Module 1: Baroque Architecture

Baroque ?
 Baroque ?
elaborate", with
word baroque means something "

many details
Originated at……. . .
 Originated at……. . .

Rome, Italy
 Originated at……. . .

Rome, Italy
On ?
 Originated at……. . .

Rome, Italy
On ?

1600
What may be the reason for the
beginning of Baroque style?
The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by
the Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent, in
arts should
response to the Protestant Reformation, that the

communicate religious themes in direct and

emotional involvement.
political developments throughout Europe had an urge towards nation-building and
centralized authority, produced a new range of powerful royal patrons who
harnessed architecture
and urban planning as a means of
demonstrating the supremacy of the state.
Baroque Art and Architecture
Baroque architecture flourished between the late 16th and mid-18th century.

The fundamental characteristic of Baroque art is

1. dynamism (a sense of motion).
2. Strong curves
3. rich decoration and
4. general complexity

A co pariso of Michela gelo’s David ith Ber i i’s David demonstrates the differences
between the High Renaissance period and the Baroque period of art.
Baroque Architecture
Baroque architecture is distinguished primarily
by richly sculpted surfaces.

Baroque architects freely moulded surfaces to

achieve three-dimensional sculpted classicism

A Baroque facade, on the other hand, often

features an attention grabbing concentration of
rich elements such as
1. curved walls
2. Columns
3. blind arches
4. Statues and
5. relief sculpture
Phases of Baroque age

phase of the Baroque age leading region

Early Baroque (ca. 1600-25)

Italy
High Baroque (ca. 1625-75)

Late Baroque (ca. 1675-1725)

France
Rococo (ca. 1725-1800)
Carlo Maderno introduced a vigorous, sculptural
approach to architectural design in the first decade of
seventeenth century.

Palazzo Mattei, Rome designed by Carlo Maderno

The two foremost names in Baroque architecture are Bernini and Borromini,
both of whom worked primarily in Rome.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1598 – 1689
He was a painter (mostly small canvases in oil) and a man of the theater: he
wrote, directed and acted in plays (mostly Carnival satires), also
designing stage sets and theatrical machinery, as well as a wide
variety of decorative art objects including lamps, tables and mirrors.

As an architect and city planner, he designed secular buildings,

churches as well as massive works combining both architecture and
sculpture
BERNINI'S DESIGN THEORY

a An structure is first made and moulded by the world around it and subsequently it
will itself begin to act on its surroundings. Action and Reaction place buildings
through their immediate environment into a creative relationship with the city as a
whole.

b The magnitude and range of the influence exerted by any one building will depend
on a number of factors e.g. its size will certainly determine its area of influence.
Adapted the classical grandeur of Renaissance sculpture and the dynamic energy of the
Mannerist period

Bernini copied a new, distinctly Baroque conception for religious and historical
sculpture, powerfully infilled with dramatic realism, stirring emotion and dynamic,
theatrical compositions.

The result of such an approach is to invest the sculptures with greater psychological
energy. The viewer finds it easier to gauge the state of mind of the characters and
therefore understands the larger story at work

Bernini's design of the Piazza San Pietro in front of the Basilica is one of his most
innovative and successful architectural designs.
The Ecstasy of St. Theresa- Bernini

Light shines down from an opening in the

cupola positioned above the sculpture, so
that the golden beams suggest an
outpouring of divine grace.
Piazza San Pietro
Piazza San Pietro, is a massive plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in
the Vatican City. The Space is defined by curving colonnades. Elliptical plan with central
obelisk

According to Bernini, the semi-circular colonnades which symbolize the stretched arms
of the church embracing the world.
The colonnades were built in 1660 and consist of four rows of columns with in
total 284 Doric columns and 88 pilasters.
It is a grand approach to the church.
The Colonnade becomes simultaneously a dramatic frame for the church, a nurturing
enclosure for the crowds of faithful, and a stage for the processions and
other sacred spectacles.
The palazza is designed such that the greatest number of people could see
the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the fa•cade of the church or
from a window in the Vatican Palace.
Scala Regia-Bernini
Connecting St Peter's basilica to the
Apostolic Palace lies an impressive
staircase designed by Bernini, called the
Scala Regia, or the 'Stairs of the Queen.'
Bernini's staircase shrinks to a vanishing
point, making the staircase seem longer
and higher than it really is.
Rococo Style
The Rococo style of art emerged in France in the early 18th
century as a continuation of the Baroque style.
Rococo Style
Rococo comes from the French words for rocks (rocaille) and shells
(coquilles)

The Rococo style embodies light and beauty and is inspired by nature,
people, curved lines and light colours.
Rococo Style

period of artistic style that

used exaggerated motion
and clear, easily interpreted
detail to produce drama,
tension, liveliness.

Manifested in sculpture,
painting, architecture,
literature, dance, and
music.

The Swing 1766 by Jean-Honore

Rococo Style

In contrast to the heavier themes and darker colors

of the Baroque, the Rococo style was characterized
by an richness, grace, playfulness, and lightness.

Rococo motifs focused on the aristocratic life and

on light hearted romance rather than heroic battles
or religious figures; they also re ol e hea ily arou d
nature and exterior settings.
Architecture is characterized by fanciful curved asymmetrical forms of naturalistic designs and
elaborate ornamentation with many flowers, foliage, ribbon etc.

The contrast between the two façades illustrates the shift from the classical to the
expressionistic - between the beginning of the Baroque and the end of the Rococo
 Hotel de Soubise In Paris

Rococo rooms were designed as total works of art

Each room was covered with elegant and ornate
furniture, small sculptures, ornamental mirrors,
reliefs, wall paintings and textile all complementing
architecture.

The furniture has floral like motifs caved into them.

Furniture remained covered with gold and luxuriously
upholstered.
Basilica at Ottobeuren
Germany 1711-1725
Basilica at Ottobeuren Germany 1711-1725

Designed by Johann Michael Fischer

vast Rococo structure centred on three successive cupolas

decorated with sculpture, stuccowork, and paint.

Intricate patterns
Delicate details
Complex, asymmetrical shapes
Nave of Ottobeuren Basilica is 89 m long and 36 m high. Each tower is 82 m tall.

Altar of basilica is in the south and not in the east, as it is common in churches.
Interior has light colors, it is lavishly adorned with frescoes and other embellishments.

The frescoes were painted by Austrian painters Johann Jakob Zeiller and Franz Anton
Zeiller . Sculptures were created by Johann Joseph Christian.

Abbey has rich musical traditions. It has a set of two old organs and one newer. In which
one of it is the only such instrument remaining in world.
 Palladian style
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from and
inspired by the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio(1508–1580).
Palladian style
Palladio's work was strongly based on the symmetry, perspective and values of the
formal classical temple architecture of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

From the 17th century Palladio's interpretation of this classical architecture was
adapted as the style known as Palladianism.

Palladio sometimes used a loggia as an alternative to the portico. This can most simply
be described as a recessed portico, or an internal single storey room, with pierced walls
that are open to the elements.
Palladian style
Palladio would often model his
villa elevations on Roman temple
facades. The temple influence,
often in a cruciform design, later
became a trademark of his work.

Palladian villas are usually built

with three floors: a rusticated
basement or ground floor,
containing the service and minor
rooms.
Palladian style
The proportions of each room within the villa were calculated on simple
mathematical ratios like 3:4 and 4:5, and the different rooms within the house
were interrelated by these ratios.

These symmetrical temple like houses often have equally symmetrical, but low
wings sweeping away from them accommodates horses, farm animals, and
agricultural stores.
Palladian window
A Palladian window is a specific design, a large, three-section window where the
center section is arched and larger than the two side sections.

Modeled after classical Greek and Roman forms, such as the arched windows of
the Baths of Diocletian, Palladio's buildings often featured arched openings.
The Rotunda (University of Virginia)
The Rotunda is a building located on The Lawn in the original grounds of the University of
Virginia.

It was designed by Thomas Jefferson to represent the "authority of nature and power of
reason" and was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.
The Rotunda (University of Virginia)
Jeffersonís belief that government should provide sophisticated models of architecture
to inspire the public into his design for the University of Virginia
Jefferson built the Pantheon, at two-thirds of the scale, at the head of a rising mall
flanked by interlinked columnar pavilions.

Each pavilion demonstrated the correct use of a different Roman order or some
variant of it, the campus thus keeping before the students' eyes the full spectrum
of Classical design.
This Rotunda housed the library, while in the pavilions, representing individual disciplines,
professors lived and held their classes.
 Baroque-Rococo Architecture
Common Characteristics of Baroque Architecture
• Twisted columns, sometimes simply decorative instead of supportive
• More curves instead of straight lines
• Highly decorative details and ornaments
• Appearance of movement
• Towers or domes
• Blending of paintings and architecture
Features of Rococo Architecture include:
• Elaborate curves and scrolls; softer, more graceful
• Ornaments shaped like shells and plants
• Intricate patterns
• Delicate details
• Complex, asymmetrical shapes
• Light, pastel colors
Thank You
 History of architecture
Module 1: Gothic architecture
Drawbacks of Romanesque Architecture

Bulkier Construction (big fat walls )

few windows (Small in size)

Dark interiors
What is the cause for this ?
Limitation of structural system
 Abbot Suger, political and religious advisor of the
kings of France, Louis VI and Louis VII

Striving towards
Heaven and
flooded with
miraculous light

Abbot Suger, (1081-1151)

In 1137, Abbott Suger began a renovation of St. Denis Abbey which

was the beginning of what we now call Gothic architecture.
Gothic
12th to 16th century
architecture

Replaced the dim and narrow Romanesque

naves with brighter, more spacious interiors
filled with light that poured through the huge
Gothic windows.
Introduction
Gothic architecture was originally known as “French Style”.

Gothic architecture spreads over the countries of Western, Central

and, in part, Eastern Europe from the mid12th to the 16th centuries.

Gothic buildings are characterized by their arches, ribbed vaulting,

flying buttresses, elaborate sculptures (like gargoyles) and stained
glass windows
Social & political context
By the eleventh century feudalism had become general. The
political power remained in the hands of local barons

Independent city states and kingdoms

All of Europe moved on the basis of Christian morals

The power of the church, centered in Rome, grew, establishing

uniformity of doctrine and giving impetus to the development
of a common religious, philosophical and moral system
throughout Europe.
Society and Architecture
•The verticality suggesting an aspiration to Heaven.
•change from independent special units to a unification of the space
•greater continuity and interdependence of the various parts of the
cathedral
 Gothic
Architecture

structural innovations
The two main structural innovations of
Gothic architecture were pointed
arches, ogival or ribbed vaulting
and flying buttress.
Features of Gothic architecture
Pointed arch
builders discovered that pointed arches would give structures
amazing strength and stability.
Exerts less thrust than semicircular arch of the same span
Solves geometric difficulty inherent in ribbed vaults

features of Gothic architecture

Rib Vault
Earlier Romanesque churches relied on
barrel vaulting.

While barrel vaulting carried weight on

continuous solid walls, ribbed vaulting used
columns to support the weight

The ribs also delineated the vaults and gave

a sense of unity to the structure.
Carcassonne, Église Saint-Nazaire
Flying Buttress
In order to prevent the outward collapse of the arches, Gothic architects began using a
revolutionary "flying buttress" system.

Freestanding brick or stone supports were attached to the exterior walls by an arch or a
half-arch.
Stained Glass Window
Since the walls themselves were no longer the
primary supports, the wall turned to non load
bearing structures

It stimulated the increase in the size of windows,

and the suppression of the walls, and contributed
greatly to the development of tracery.

Illustrated the incidents of the Bible, not in words

but in light.
Gargoyles
In addition to religious figures, many
Gothic cathedrals are heavily
ornamented with strange, leering
creatures.

These gargoyles are not merely

decorative.

Originally, the sculptures were

waterspouts to protect the foundation
from rain.
pinnacles form the cap or crown of
a buttress

pinnacles, helped to deflect downward the

thrust of the vaults,

It was a weight to counteract the thrust of

the vaults, particularly where there were flying
buttresses

but later it is used as decorative element.

The pinnacle looks like a small spire.

Gothic Plans
Most Gothic churches, unless they
are entitled chapels, are of the
Latin cross (or "cruciform") plan,
with

• A long nave making the body of

the church,

• A transverse arm called the

transept

• The nave is generally flanked on

either side by aisles , usually singly,
but sometimes double.

• The nave is generally taller than the aisles, having clerestory windows which light the central
space.
Typical section of a gothic Church
Coutances Cathedral of France, the
spectacular Gothic interior, looking toward
the crossing and chancel
regional variations on this plan.

Britain In English cathedrals transepts tend to project boldly and there may
be two of them. Eg. Salisbury Cathedral

France Eastern end is often polygonal and surrounded by a walkway called

an ambulatory and sometimes a ring of chapels called a "chevet".

Germany German churches are often similar to those of France

Italy The eastern projection beyond the transept is usually just a shallow
apsidal chapel containing the sanctuary. Eg.Florence Cathedral.
Notre Dame Paris
Context
Paris was experiencing a period of great demographic
expansion and economic dynamism and was affirming its
status in the kingdom of France.

The political capital of the Capetian kings, Philip I in

particular (1060-1108), Louis VI the Fat (1108-1137) and
Louis VII the Young (1137-1180)

An economic centre, as a crafts e ’s a d ercha t’s village

developed on the right bank of the Seine around the
Marché des Halles;

A major intellectual and teaching centre: international

influence of the cathedral school.
The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French,

It is the actual cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris.

The cathedral was begun by Bishop Maurice in 1163

The entire cathedral took approximately 200 years to complete.

Introduction
Architecture
Floor plan is based on the formation of theLatin Cross.

The tranceps as so often in the Paris region did not project beyond the aisle wall

The ceiling of the Notr Dame Cathedral was extreamely high.

The high vault is sexpartite

48m

130m
Two massive early Gothic towers (1210–50)
crown the western facade, which is divided
into three stories and has its doors adorned
with fine early Gothic carvings and
surmounted by a row of figures of Old
Testament kings.

The two towers are 223 feet (68 metres)

high; the spires with which they were to be
crowned were never added.

At the cathedral’s east e d, the apse has

large clerestory windows (added 1235–70) and
is supported by single-arch flying buttresses
The interior of the cathedral is 427 by 157 feet (130 by 48 metres) in plan, and the roof is
115 feet (35 metres) high.
The interior elevation was originally of four levels, with
1. An arcade of columnar piers
2. A tribune (covered with transverse barrel vaults)
3. Round windows
4. Small clerestory windows
The Nave and Aisle of the Cathedral
 Rose Window

Diameter of the north and south rose windows

13.10 metres

Diameter of the west rose window 9.70 metres

Both the sculptures and the stained glass windows of Gothic cathedrals were
considered as a life-size picture book for the mainly illiterate population with stories
from both the Old and the New Testament