History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

Influence of Andrea Palladio on Neo-Classism

Term Paper for History of Architecture (AP131) Diksha Jain

Roll Number: 28 Sushant School of Art and Architecture

ABSTRACT
Andrea Palladio (15081580), was an Italin architect from the 16th century whos work strongly reflected the ideas of symmetry and proportion. Palladios work was majorly inspired by classic Roman and Greek designs. From the early 17th century English architects regarded Palladio's work as the epitome of a classical architecture modelled on the ancient world. Palladianism spread from England to Germany, and then to Northern Europe and the United States, where, despite changes in aesthetic views, it continued to exercise a strong influence well into the 19th century. This paper will be focusing on the influence of Palladios ideas in the late 18th century England. We will be studying in detail the conception of Palladianism in England with Inigo Jones leading upto a more adapted style of Palladian architecture with Robert Adam. Inigo Jones, within a few years of his return from Italy received the opportunity to apply what he had learned. In 1616 James I (15661625) commissioned Jones to design a new palace in Greenwich for his wife Anne of Denmark (15741619). His work from then on was a reflection of Palladios ideology. Robert Adam built stately homes throughout Britain. In 1769 the Scottish architect Robert Adam (1728 1792) leased a large tract of land on the Thames where he built so-called terraced houses. This project marked the first attempt to give the shoreline a unified form. As in the villas that Adam built, here too the influence of Palladianism is still traceable, even if now, in place of the direct adaptations, the new international Classicism appears.

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History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

PAPER Palladio
Andrea Palladio (1508-80) was an Italian architect, one of the most influential architects of our time. Palladio was born November 29, 1508, in Padua, and trained as a stonemason. Palladio moved to Vicenza in his early twenties. Originally named Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, he was named Palladio (after Pallade the goddess of wisdom daughter of Zeus) by the Italian poet and patron Giangiorgio Trissino, who oversaw Palladio's architectural studies. Trissino took him to Rome, where Palladio studied and measured Roman architectural ruins; he also studied the treatises of Vitruvius, one of the most important of the Roman architects. Although influenced by a number of Renaissance thinkers and architects, Palladio's ideas resulted independently of most contemporary ideas. Creatively linked to the artistic traditions of Alberti and Bramante, Palladio used principles that related to art and forms that related to nature to generate his architecture. Palladio's architecture and theories embodied Renaissance architectural thought in the second half of the sixteenth century. Although Palladio's works lack some of the grandeur of other Renaissance architects, he established a successful and lasting way of recreating ancient classicism.

Figure 1 Andrea Palladio's Iconic Villa Rotonda

Ref: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9605

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History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

Architectutal features used by Palladio

Symmetry Ionic columns Pediment Proportions Use of sculptures Palladian arches Cupolas

Although his buildings are all in a relatively small part of Italy, Palladio's influence was far-reaching. One factor in the spread of his influence was the publication in 1570 of his architectural treatise, I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (The Four Books of Architecture), which set out rules others could follow. The first book includes studies of decorative styles, classical orders, and materials. The second book included Palladio's town and country house designs and classical reconstructions. The third book has bridge and basilica designs, city planning designs, and classical halls. The fourth book included information on the reconstruction of ancient Roman temples

Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is often called the first English architect. Best known for his revolutionary buildings in London, most notably the Queen's House, Greenwich(1616) and the Banqueting House, Whitehall (1619), he can be described as the father of English Palladianism.
Figure 2 Inigo Jones
Ref: http://www.biography.com/people/inigo-jones9357307

Born in Smithfield, London in 1573, little is known of his early life except that he was the son of a Welsh cloth worker, and was christened at the church of St Batholomew the Less. Yet despite this humble start, Jones was to go far. Travel was key to Jones's meteoric rise. On two separate occasions he travelled to Italy, undertaking an early version of the Grand Tour. These trips, between the years of 1598-1603 and 1613-1614, transformed his understanding of architecture. In Italy, Jones was captivated by Roman ruins and the buildings of Andrea Palladio. Whilst there, he purchased a significant quantity of Palladio's drawings, a collection that would prove to have an extraordinary influence on British architecture.
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History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

Prior to his second visit, Jones had established himself as the leading designer of elaborate court entertainments known as 'masques'. On his return, Jones's architectural career began in earnest: in 1614 he was appointed Surveyor to the Kings' Works. With both James I and Charles I Jones's chief patrons, Palladianism gained a reputation as the royal style. This resulted in a series of brilliant, costly buildings. However, this close association also meant that Jones's career was subject to the political upheavals of the day: the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, brought an end to his glittering career. An architect of immense creativity, his greatest influence was Palladio. He examined Palladio's buildings in detail, as well as his books and drawings. However, he also drew on the ideas of Bramante, Serlio, Scamozzi (whom he met in Venice, 1614), and the French designer Jean Barbet. In 1652, Jones died in Somerset House, London, one of his finest buildings. He was succeeded by his assistant John Webb, who continued to champion his fledgling architectural style. Many of Jones's building survive; so too do his drawings, the majority cherished by the RIBA British Architectural Library. Together, these continue to inspire architects to this day.

Figure 3 Queens House by Inigo Jones in Denmark

Ref: http://www.urban75.org/london/greenwich-london-photos.html

The most important oh Inigos buildings was the Queens house in England. His preliminary drawing for the Queen's House, Greenwich, show an architecture of power and restraint, and was produced after Jones's second trip to Italy when he acquired a large number of drawings by Palladio.

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History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

Here he is far more concerned with a sense of proportion than decorative effect. The architectural components are carefully spaced and used sculpturally. Jones is keen to use his knowledge of the Orders, derived from an understanding of Palladio. There is a greater command of the pen too, an essential for an architect who derives pleasure from subtle effects: the sharpness of line, volume and profile. Jones is actively thinking whilst drawing. Here there are similarities between his and Palladio's drawings.

Palladios Influence
Symmetry Semi-circular Arch Columns in Elevation Raised Plinth

Figure 4 Plan of Queen's house by Inigo Jones

Ref:http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/quiz-41/deck/1469063

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Figure 5 Plan of Villa Totonda by Palladio

Ref:http://static.tumblr.com/7wframi/CnUlomuu3/villa_rotonda_plan1.jpg

If we compare the two plans clearly both of them are symmetrical about two axes. Palladios plan however is more consolidated and the proportions are more appealing. The staircase has been given more importance in villa rotonda and it being on all the four sides gives a feeling that the building has been raised to a higher level. On the other hand in Inigos Queens house the stair case seems out of scale to the building. In villa rotonda the dome in binding the volumes where as in Queens house the centre block is almost standing seperated from the rest of the building. In conclusion , Inigos designs were not exact reproductions of Palladios designs but he had pickied up elements and used then in his buldings.

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RobertAdam

Figure 6 Home of Lord Scarsdalein Derbyshire by Robert Adam

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedleston_Hall

Robert Adam (172892) was one of the most important British architects working in the Neo-classical style. He was a main force in the development of a unified style that extended beyond architecture and interiors to include both the fixed and moveable objects in a room. He incorporated design ideas from ancient Greece and Rome into his forms and decoration. His famous London houses include Kenwood House, Osterley Park and Syon House. Born in Kirkaldy, Scotland, Robert Adam was the son of the established architect William Adam, and followed him into the family practice. In 1754 he embarked on a Grand Tour, spending five years in France and Italy visiting classical sites and studying architecture. On his return Adam established his own practice in London with his brother James.

Fig8: Robert Adam Ref: http://www.scotcities.com/robert_adam.jpg

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Figure 9 Villa Roronda by Palladio

Figure 10 Lord Sarsdale's House by Robert Adam

http://architectdesign.blogspot.in/2008/06/villa-rotunda.html Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedleston_Hall

Common featers
Symmetry Columns Sculptures Raised plinth Pediment Proportions

Adams style was marked by a new lightness and freedom in the use of the classical elements of architecturea fresh combination of many architectural elements. In the Royal Society of Arts building (177274), for instance, Adam placed Ionic capitals below a Doric triglyph frieze, a liberty a Palladian would never have dared take. The various influences included the Palladiansm of Richard Boyle, 3rd earl of Burlington, and William Kent, both architects; the movement and vigour of the architecture of Sir Jhon Vanburg; contemporary French work, discernible particularly in details, planning, and furniture design; Roman archaeology; and Italian Renaissance decoration, particularly the fanciful ornamentation of the 16th century. Adams genius lay in his synthesis of these various lines of development. Adams style was essentially a decorative style, and it is as a designer of interiors that Adam is chiefly remembered. He gave meticulous attention to every part of each room, from the carpets to the most unobtrusive decoration.

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Figure 11 Osterly Park House in Middlesex by Adam http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/2011/06/a-visit-to-the-library-at-osterley-house-middlesex.html

Figure 12 The drawing of Villa Pisani at Montaganna (not built as planned)

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Villa_Pisani_(Palladio)_Leoni.jpg

The elevation of the house in Middlesex and a drawing of the Elevation of a house done by Palladio look almost identical. This happened because Adam used the most unique elements from palladios designs such as the sculptures and the proportions of the stairs to the faade.

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Bibliography
1. Mogg, Caroline-Clifton. The Neo-Classical Sourcebook. : Rizzoli International Publications, 1991. ISBN: 0-8478-1392-4. 2. Benevolo, Leonardo. The Architecture of the Rennaisance : Routledge, 2002. ISBN 0415265983, 9780415265980. 3.Tames, Richard. Robert Adam: An Illustrated Life of Robert Adam 1728-92 : Shire Publishing Ltd., 2004. ISBN 0747806039

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