Bramante Architecture
A fact of history is that Renaissance marked a new emerging base towards the already established architecture of antiquity that was rooted in thorough recovery of the past and new inventiveness, but it was because of this that the great cities of Europe gathered much of their form that is admired by the world today. The word renaissance has entered the minds of people with dominant positive connotations of pure genius and renewal. (Campbell, 2004)
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the early 15th to 17th centuries in different areas of Europe which demonstrated a revival of elements of the ancient Greek and Roman thought and culture. First established in Florence by Filippo Brunelleschi, the renaissance spread like wild fire to other parts of Italy as well and from there the style was carried to France, England, Russia, Germany and other parts of Europe. (Gromort)
During the Renaissance, artists were no longer considered as mere artisans like they had been in the past. They were now considered to be personalities who were independent and comparable to writers and poets. It was a period of devoted exploration and it was during that time developments in humanism took place. (Kleiner, 1969)
The Renaissance is divided into three phases- Quattrocentro (also known as the early renaissance), high renaissance and mannerism. During the quattrocentro period, architectural orders were explored and rules were formed. Space was organised proportionally with the help of geometry rather than being utilized and created by intuition as had been done earlier. The important architect of this time was Filippo Brunelleschi who designed the Basilica di San Lorenzo.The phase that followed the quattrocentro was the high renaissance period...
This period is said to have been initiated by Leonardo Da Vinci. In this period artists reduced their subjects to bare essentials making sure that viewers of the art would focus on the essence of the theme. The third phase, mannerism, also known as late renaissance dealt with architects experimenting with architectural forms to highlight the relationship between solids and space. The best known architecture of this phase was Michelangelo. (Campbell, 2004)
In the 16th century, Italian Renaissance reached unparalleled heights and the turbulent climate of Italy was ideal for the spread of high renaissance. The greatest architect of the high renaissance period was Donato Bramnte who was born in Monte Asdruald (Fermignano) in 1444. From a very early age he studied painting with Mantegna and Piero della Francesca. His artistic history is divided into two phases, one which he spent in Milan and the other which he spent in Rome. The work he carried out in Milan was branded by distinct picturesque and decorative style while that done in Rome was more fit with the High Renaissance. These works were free from all external decoration and were impressive due to their clear cut proportions and old fashioned majestic ways. (Hersey &, 1993)
Bramante was hired by Pope Julius II in 1503 to create a new Saint Peter's which was to replace the old Constantinian basilica. It had a domed structure with a massive size, central plan and noble severity. This was not his only contribution to high renaissance architecture but it was the one he was most famous for. Bramante is known to have revived architecture which had been buried deep into the ground and because of his gift he was able to earn a place in history with artists like Leonardo Da…
