Tags
1400s, 15th Century, Alberti, Architects, architecture, Classical, Florence, Gothic, Italy, Leon Battista Alberti, Religious, Renaissance
One week until Christmas!!! Starting to get rather excited now……
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Name: Leon Battista Alberti
Work: Architect
Born: 1404
Died: 1472
Hometown: Genoa, Florence and Rome, Italy
Period: Renaissance
Influences: Ancient Roman and Greek Architecture, Vitruvius
What I have learnt about his work in general:
Alberti was a patron of all the arts, but is most famous for his architecture. He was a humanist, and was greatly inspired by the Ancients, putting great emphasis on beauty in art – he came up with new principals about how buildings should be designed and built based on classical architecture. He believed beauty came from logical and mathematical proportion in design and “the harmony of all parts in relation to one another” (i.e. nothing should be superfluous). His designs incorporated many elements of Classical architecture and the Classical Orders:
Façade of Santa Maria Novella, Leon Battista Alberti
~1448-70
Florence
What I have learnt about this building:
Alberti designed this facade for the existing Medieval church in Florence following the principals and theories he wrote architecture. The facade has a central line of symmetry, and the geometry is calculated from the ratio of 1:2. The marble panels and are laid out using mathematical proportions and symmetry and give the sense of a beautiful, rhythmic mosaic. Alberti’s focus on classical architecture is seen in his use of columns, pilasters (half columns), frieze and pediment, and he also uses Romanesque rounded arches. Elements of the original Gothic design, however, are also evident, such as the strong sense of verticality and pointed arches at the base of the facade, but I feel Alberti managed to incorporate these seamlessly into his design.