BERNINI AND BORROMINI’S AESTHETIC
TECHNIQUES
A
PAPER ON BAROQUE PERIOD
IN
PARTIAL
FULLFILLLMENT OF THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS
IN
ARCHITECTURAL
HISTORY 3
HISTORY
OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
SUBMITTED
BY:
VICENTE
CAÑETE JR.
SUBMITTED
TO:
ARCH’T.
EA PUERTO
12
MAY 2003
SUMMER
The
two pioneers of baroque architecture was GIANLORENZO BERNINI (1598-1680) and
FRANCESCO BORROMINI (1599-1667). Both of them
were considered to be the masters of the baroque era but their ideas were truly
different from each other.
Bernini’s
architecture was described to be dynamic and dramatic. He mostly designs his
spaces in the symbolic manner to his patrons, while Borromini bases his
architecture from nature, Michelangelo and the antique; Michelangelo because of
his strange architecture and antique because he adopts the ideas of the
previous eras to his own kind of architecture.
Like
in St. Peter’s piazza, Bernini used the existing structures in the area to his
design, like the ancient obelisk and the fountain by Maderna. He then created a
central axis along them, then designed the oval with the colonnades and the
diverging wings that connect to the façade. This enclosure produced by the
colonnades symbolizes the welcome of the Catholic Church to his subjects and
the wings connecting the façade with the oval symbolizes the pilgrimage of the
Catholics to heaven. He designed this trapezoidal space to counteract the
perspective illusion and tend to diminish the great width of the façade and
also tend to bring it closer to the observer.
In
St. Peter’s baldachino, he designed it as a very dynamic and grand element of
the church, symbolizing the ascendancy of Christianity over paganism and
Judaism.
As
for Borromini, his concept from nature is seen in the plan of Sant’ Ivo alla
Sapienza in Rome where it resembles the shape of a bee, also in his facades, it
was considered to be organic due to the convex and concave curves he used which
was a diversion to the usual flat facades of the time.
These
two architects also differ in the use of color in their interiors, where
Bernini used color to emphasize the richness and grandeur of his interiors
while Borromini refused color in his interiors; monochromy was one of his
aesthetic characteristics.
As for their differences, their were some
aspects that they were similar, both of them borrowed ideas from Michelangelo,
Bernini used his idea on counter illusion from the Capitoline Hill then applied
it to St. Peter’s diverging wings, while Borromini used Michelangelo’s ideas in
the conception of designs.
Both
of them also used light to their interiors but differently used them, Bernini
used light as an emphasizing agent to the parts of the interiors, like the
ceremonial staircase leading from the colonnade to the papal apartments of
Scala Regia, he placed a bright light source on top of the stairs to make the
top as a safe haven, then illuminated the intermediate landing as a temporary
goal; in Cathedra Petri of St. Peter, he used different kinds of light to
emphasize the glory of the sculpture, while Borromini used light to make domes
seem lighter and floating like in San Carlo alle Fontane.
Due
to their works, the predeceasing architects used most of their ideas like the
use of light to emphasize elements in the interiors and to make the ceilings
seem to float or lighter, the use of concave or convex curves in some parts of
the building, like the façade or the plan, the adaptation of the central
structure to its environment and the use of a central axis as the basis of
design of the whole complex. These characteristics that they used were carried
out into the whole baroque period.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Watkin (hand-out)
Spiro Kostof, History of Western
Architecture
Gardner, History of Western Architecture
ANTONIO GAUDI AND HIS WORKS
A PAPER ON CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
IN
PARTIAL
FULLFILLLMENT OF THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS
IN
ARCHITECTURAL
HISTORY 3
HISTORY
OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
SUBMITTED
BY:
VICENTE
CAÑETE JR.
SUBMITTED
TO:
ARCH’T. EA PUERTO
26
MAY 2003
SUMMER
One of the greatest builders of the 1900’s was Antonio Gaudi, a Spanish architect who is well known for his indescribable and unique kind of architecture. He is also well recognized for his figure in the Catalan architecture, this is because of his capacity of achieving marvelous designs and technical solutions to his buildings.
His real name is Antoni Gaudi I
Cornet and was born on June 25,1852 in Reus (Baix Camp), Catalonia, Spain. He
was the son of a Coppersmith, Francesc Gaudi I Serra and of
Antonia Cornet I Bertran. He was Christened as Antonio Placido Guillermo Gaudi
i Cornet. He studied at the Escola Superior d’ Arquitectura in Barcelona, Institut d'Ensenyament Mitja and
in the Sciences Faculty of Barcelona University. He graduated as architect in
1878 in Barcelona; this city became the center of his entire profession and
personal development.
Due to the economic situation that he lived, Spain at that time was a strong city, a time of serious urban and economic prosperity, the patronage of a powerful middle class with the aim to be close to the European tendencies of this period, the development during his life of the "Renaixença" (new impulse of the Catalan culture between XIX and XX century), are the base of his incredible and fantastic works.
His greatest influence was Violet-Le-Duc and Ruskin and
the "Modernisme" movement, the
Catalan movement that corresponds to art nouveau. It was obvious that he had no
intention to copy the gothic styles but he studied its technical aspects,
particularly the interplay between thrust and counter-thrust, and he felt that
modern materials (iron) and forms could take the place of the flying buttress.
One example for this in articulating the forces involved in supporting a
structure can be seen in his unfinished work, Church of the Güell Estate. Its
columns was designed at an angle, seem to strain against the immense weight of
the vaulted ceiling.
In
dealing with his aesthetic techniques, he was the only one who detoured from
the use of the linear flowing forms, instead he used the curves and
three-dimensional shapes that made his expressive architecture. He also used
the old forms of architecture found in his country, like gothic, Moorish and
baroque. His major concept was nature, he then uses its forms and changes them
into his organic forms; like in his vaulted ceilings, the delicate segmentation
of leaves can be seen, chimneys as tree groves then columns that look like our
DNA structures, one house from the forms of the sea, its storm-tossed waves,
and then another house which is derived from a still water lake.
What Gaudí achieved is much richer and more complex
than imitating or copying nature through photography or casting techniques. His
analytical process distills the structural beauty of nature, which endowed his
work with a timeless quality.
His first work was the Casa Vicens (1883-188), this is a residence of a ceramic dealer, Manuel Vicens i Montaner at No. 22 Carrer de les Carolines found in Barcelona, Spain. This building is obvious as his early work because the building's structure is still dominated by straight lines. The decoration however is regarded as his bizarre work due to the intricate details.
His greatest patrons were the Guell’s, an industrialist family who commissioned him several projects that made him earn his name. One of this as the pavellons Guell, also known as Finca Güell and Pabellones Güell, consist of the stables and porter's lodge (1884-1887) ; The Palau Güell (Güell Palace), an urban residence built between 1886 and 1888 for the family of Eusebi Güell Bacigalupi ; Bodegas Guell ; the crypt of Colonia Guell (1898-1908) ; Park Guell (1901-1914).
Gaudi’s greatest work is the Sagrada Familia church, the finest example of his visionary genius, and the now known symbol of Barcelona. This was started in 1883 on the site of a previous neo-Gothic project begun in 1882 by F. del Villar. Gaudi then decided to finish this temple then dedicated his life on it, in his last 14 years of his life, he didn’t accept projects anymore to carry out this ambitious undertaking that was left unfinished due to his death were he was hit by a street car on his way to work on June 7, 1926 while crossing the Gran Vía at Gerona. Three days after not having regained consciousness, He died at the age of 74.
In this project, he wanted to create a "20th century cathedral", the result of his architectural knowledge and the manifestation of his great religiosity. The facades represent the birth, death and the resurrection of Christ, has eighteen towers, twelve for the apostles, four for the evangelists, two for the Mother and Child. It stands at an enormous height of 170 meters. Then the church was based on a gothic plan of a basilica, which has five naves, a transept, an apse, and an ambulatory.
Antonio
Gaudi was renown as the constructor of the 1900, the master builder of stone,
iron or brick.
He
was less of an architect but more as a sculptor, truly a master of perfection.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Winnand
Klassen, History of Western Architecture, p. 229
http://www.op.net/~jmeltzer/gaudi.html
http://www.gaudiallgaudi.com/AA002.htm#ANTONI
GAUDÍ
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Antonio_Gaudi.html
http://www.architectureweek.com/2003/0122/news_1-1.html
