Classic versus Dynamic Baroque in Rome
- Bernini considered very conservative—particularly in architectural projects
- Perception of Baroque architecture is often misconstrued because of restorations during the time
Pietro Berrettini da Cortona (1596-1669)
- 2 years older than Bernini—he too had a long career
- Like Bernini: extremely versatile: architect, painter, sculpture designer, decorator
- received much less representation than Bernini or Borromini
Villa Pigneto (1629, destroyed), for Marcello Sachetti
- Marcello Sacchetti
- painted by Pietro ad Cortona
- elegantly and simply expresses the status of the patron as well as showing his interest in antique architecture
- known by the Patron as Villa Sacchetti
- painting since the building was destroyed
- incorporates numerous motifs from the High Renaissance and Late Renaissance in a composition that takes advantage of the site
- clearly a pleasure villa, not a villa farm
1629—death of Cardinal Moderno
Restoration of Palestrina (Praeneste), for Barberini
- began getting commissions for sculpture repairs
- went from Sachetti circle to Cardinal circle…sometime during the 1630s
- composed of terraced ramps…reminiscent of the Nicchione in the Belvedere Courtyard
- oversized idea
- villa setting, in which the fountains leading up to it also reference Villa Farnese
- Pentagonal Villa with Carriage Ramp and Stairs leading up either side with water features
- References garden architecture but takes it up to a whole new scale
Glorification of Urban VIII Reign, Barberini Palace
- cornice, window accents, etc…represent the building
- illusionistic situation on the ceiling creates a pergola type space (with the leaves and what-not wrapping around it)
- entire scene is painted from an angle…so standing right underneath it will not give it the correct perspective. the angle of taking a photograph is better from one end
- approach to allegory is very similar to that of the Baldachin
- Barberini and their coat of arms—art meeting nature…family coat of arms, Barberini Shield with bees…etc…
- Now it looks as though they’re flying through the sky being held up by certain virtues
Martina e Luca, 1635-64
- important both personally and professionally
- assisted by contacts in Barberini circle
- originally from 7th century as a chapel dedicated to martyr aniras
- was not made to fit a congregation
- dedicated churches tended to be smaller and allow for centralized plans
- first academy of the arts (Academy of St. Luke)—became a model for development of academies throughout Europe
- association initially founded to help grow artists
- resource that funded competitions and assisted artists to find commissioners
- Cortona was elected art director
- decided to turn it into a tomb…found corpse of more martyrs, so the chapel was then blessed by the Pope
- on the Northeast corner of the Roman Forum
- under-remarked about superb sense of Urban Siding….look at what is surrounding the building
- only possible orientation is to create a facade visible from the street that turns…so he designs a compact facade that is still monumental (2-story tabernacle) with a very high, elevated dome that adds an additional 2 stories.
- extremely visible because it is the tallest building in the city
- projecting end bays with paired pilasters that angle in and create a recessing area
- very slight projections throughout…elegant and effective use of nude drama (breathing architecture)
- flat pilasters to engaged columns…drama to the way that it is plastic
- 2-story tabernacle clearly marked by a strong horizontal element that enforces undulation more
Director of Academia di S. Luca, crypt
S. M. della Pace, 1656-58
- shows off Cortona’s qualities as an architect dealing with elements of Urban fabric
- right next to Piazza Navonna….very crowded
- also already existed…cloister (Bramante)
- Cortona was commissioned to create facade and piazza in 1656
- built as a votive for praying to the Virgin of Peace against the Plague (built during a time when they’re dealing with victory over the french….so it would be visited by the pope and other dignitaries)
- no longer walking around on foot…now driving around in carriages
- very narrow alley with no space for a carriage to proceed towards the church or turn around to leave
- solution is graceful and masks the alley-like condition with a 2-story facade close to Bernini’s S. Andreo Quirinale
- paired columns insinuate entrance through center bay
- arms on side have concave, projecting elements that make the sides both look like wings with a unified composition…yet the urban elements are made coherent by the architect
- undulating facade with two separate characters within each story (interesting way to make facade more complex)
- use of projecting elements make the facade evident no matter the angle you approach it from (great solution)…also makes it look very large and dynamic (at end of street)
- created a trapezoidal space that looks nice in the area….creates a theatrical element
Francesco Borromini (1599-1667)
- samilar age, similar longevity
- link to cardinal’s nephew brought him to Rome
- father was an architect- so training received was closer to preparation imagined today—neither Cortona’s or Bernini’s father would’ve given similar training
- begins as a stone carver—worked on St. Peters when Moderno was the head Papal Architect
- amazing graphsman—Moderno used him to create drawings for projects for other architects
- very little freedom in the projects because he was just an assistant
- personality compared to Michelangelo’s—compared to Corrachi? (painter)
S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, 1634-44 cortile, 1638-41 church, 1662-67 façade
- executed in multiple phases
- represents some of the earliest and latest work (facade is later)
- operated by barefoot spanish trinitarians (mission was to collect money to free captured christians)
- part of larger Barberini neighborhood—commissioned by Barberini as well
- cloister
- plan gives a sense of the confined space he was working with
- compare to Bramante’s cloister in S.M. della Pace (square/rectangle)
- treatment is similar to that of a rectangle, but he creates an oval feeling with the arches and niches…so the shape feels less closed off—flows better with continuous movement
- similar to S. Andrea (Vignola)
- each element forms a motif— Palladian Window Motif (seen previously on flat facades)
- allows him to manipulate any awkward spaces with columns
- the lentil curves out giving a concave/convex feeling…undulates the space
- balusters on second level are also very interesting….they’re alternating right-side-up and upside-down
- manages to create a space with a lot of movement and likeness
- church, 1662-67
- thinking of the facade during the construction of the interior
- utilizes greater space and elaborate ornament of the interior to accentuate similar qualities of active, organic movement we see in the plan.
- centralized plan with direction
- take a circle and use an oval to create direction
- overall church is rectangular feeling…a pinched rectangle
- probably used geometric shapes to create measurements and proportions throughout the space
reminiscingtherenaissance 