Baroque Architecture and the Transition from the Renaissance

Overview

Renaissance focused on humanism and classical forms
Baroque emerged as more dramatic and expressive, with emphasis on light and movement
Key cultural context: European courts became affluent, leading to extravagant displays in architecture and arts

Sculptural Approach: Introduction of 3D forms, unlike the planer forms of the Renaissance
Curvalinear Shapes: Lots of details, fake painting effects (trompe l'oeil) and pastel colors
Light and Dark Play: Emphasis on dramatic contrasts
Identifying features: Strong projections, overhangs, deep recesses, feeling of movement, curved facades

Surge in wealth due to colonization and trading
Emergence of an upper middle class and wealthy courts, patrons of the arts
Notable figures: Painters like Rembrandt, Rubens, and musicians like Bach, Beethoven, Handel, and Vivaldi

Church of the Gesù: A Jesuit church, one of the first Baroque gestures
- Smaller upper part, curved facades, projections, and recesses
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane: Designed by Francesco Borromini
- Facade curves to meet the street corner, interiors curved into unique spaces
St. Peter's Colonnade: The church is Renaissance, but the colonnade is Baroque
- Colonnade extends into the city, creating axes in the city
Versailles: Built for Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette
- Not just a palace but an extensive complex, control over nature shown through gardens and fountains

Urban Baroque: Cities designed for public enjoyment, early form of tourism
- Focus on beautiful public squares and fountains
Interior Design: Pastel colors, plaster and gilded details, combination of different materials
- Staircases as focal points

Takes Baroque to an extreme
- Found mostly in Eastern Europe (e.g., St. Petersburg)
- Lighter colors, excessively detailed interiors

French Revolution led to a move towards democracy and scientific thought
- New buildings: universities, booksellers, coffee houses, salons
- Reaffirmation of classical architecture
Discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum spurred archaeological interest
Neoclassicism: Adopted by newly independent United States
- Examples: Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, U.S. Capitol, The White House

Introduction of machine-made products, water power, railways, iron, standardized building materials
- Creates smoke-filled cities with improved but also polluted sanitation
Emergence of new building types: factories, worker houses, meeting houses, railway architecture
Key innovations: Crystal Palace in London (use of plate glass and iron)

Various styles: Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Beaux-Arts, Château-style railway
Gothic Revival: Canadian Parliament
Romanesque Revival: Red-brick buildings, often schools
Second Empire: Mansard roofs, seen in Paris
Château Railway: Unique to Canada, part of the railway expansion

Influenced by World War I and World War II, technological advances, and cultural shifts
Bauhaus: High ceilings, open spaces, function over decoration (e.g., Bauhaus school in Germany)
Frank Lloyd Wright: Prairie School, embracing nature (e.g., Fallingwater)
Mies van der Rohe: Pioneer of modernism (e.g., Farnsworth House, Seagram Building)
Le Corbusier: Open-plan apartments, separation of zones, issues with large urban developments
Emergence of suburbs as a response to housing crises

Art Nouveau: Nature and female form, curvilinear designs, public transit (e.g., Hector Guimard's Metro entrances)
Antoni Gaudí: Sagrada Família
Art Deco: Geometric shapes, technology focus (e.g., Chrysler Building)