The evolution of Renaissance architecture between Palazzo and Villa - Research Paper Example

?The Evolution of Renaissance Architecture between Palazzo and Villa: An Analysis between Palazzo Farnese (Rome) and Villa Farnesina (Trastevere) Royal Palaces, magnificent monuments have been built in ancient civilizations all over the world and thus they have been an inseparable part of any culture. They are the evidence of the glorious past of that respective culture. Palaces and monuments play a vital role in conveying the historical and political information of the region. They also depict the story of contemporary social, economic and religious system and focus on the social strata. They are also used to reinforce the primacy of contemporary political power. While describing the role of the palaces, Jessica Joyce Christie, Patricia Joan Sarro state, ' Palaces are more than just residence of the highest – ranking nobles. What distinguishes palaces from the elite residence is the symbolic function of palaces as political statements within their respective societies.' They further state, ‘Palace architecture, including layout, position, and decoration of the palaces as well as their public (or sometimes exclusive) nature, reflects the structure of the political system in which the palaces exist.' The palaces and monuments are either monarchical or built by the elite class. The fundamental objective behind this architecture was to show off the social status of the family, the political power they gained, and their affluence. The palaces and fine architectural buildings are the status issue of the affluent people. Monuments and palaces are always built so that the common people should feel respect, fear about the might dynasty. They are like a strong social, economic and political fortifications built around noblemen and the influential people of the respective era. Because of the palaces and lavish architectural buildings, the bridge between affluent people and common people remain intact. Thus they preserve their social status. The palaces and villas, built with extraordinary architectural structure, create a sense of pride for the possessor and envy to their rivals. Behind the constructions of almost all the monuments, the social, economical and political factors are majorly involved. These factors were involved in building and designing the two magnificent palaces in Renaissance period in Rome. They were Palazzo Farnese and Villa Farnesina. Keywords: Palazzo Farnese. Villa Farnesina, political, economic and social forces A thorough study of architecture gives a new insight to the cultural, political, economic and social study of the contemporary period, in which the architecture emerges. The style of architecture depicts the political transformations of the region. It narrates the story of economic and social transition. The style and design represent the money spent on building the monument, palace or any architecture. During the excavation process, the entire civilization can be explored with the help of the then excavated architecture and the best examples are the amazing architecture of the township of Indus civilization. The Egyptian Pyramids and palaces also represent the socio-eco-political forces. Through the architectural structure of Hawa Mahal in Jaipur in India for example, one can understand what political, economic and social purposes might have influenced the architecture. Hawa Mahal is an exquisite blend of Hindu and Muslim Architecture. It means that the political and social scenario was influenced by two of these dominating religions and there was a rivalry and fierce competition (sometime hatred) between the two religions. The blended architecture further reveals the story of the efforts of Hindu and Muslim kings to preserve their identity. Taj Mahal, one of the finest architectures of the world, depicts the exorbitant wealth and the absolute monarchical power of Emperor Shaha Jahaan and the entire Mughal Empire. Though the style, design of the Eastern architecture is different from that of Western Architecture, the political, economic and social factors are more or less similar. The focus of the paper is majorly to study these forces which had a great impact on Renaissance Roman Architecture. For the study the two exquisite specimens of architecture Palazzo Farnese (Rome) and another is Villa Farnesina. The similarities differences and their close association with each other give a new perspective to the architectural study. Before studying these two palaces, a detail analysis of the era is very essential. These two building were built during Renaissance period. The emphasis of Renaissance architecture was majorly on symmetry, proportion, geometry and regularity. Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches, and aedicules were the major characteristics of Renaissance architecture. The Renaissance Roman architecture is divided into three phases, Early Renaissance architecture, High Renaissance and Mannerism. The period of the creation of these two palaces is the High Renaissance period i.e. the period between 1500 and 1520. The period in which Italy had strong city states and they had relatively stable economies. Rome became the centre of High Renaissance. Palaces and villas built in Renaissance Roman were not just the residential places of the upper class people, but it was the strong evidence of their economic, political and social power. Palazzo Farneses and Villa Farnesina epitomize the grandeur of the Roman medieval age. It was the period in which the political religious and economical power was accumulated in the hands of Pope. They ruled the city states. They used to build the palazzos to exhibit their important social status. Historical Background: The architecture of these palaces is closely associated with the contemporary politics going on in Renaissance Rome and it has had a lot of influence on the architecture. The political matters were controlled by two major classes in Rome, Papacy and the Merchant Class. Renaissance period in Italy was the era of Papacy, which started prevailing in 1420 in Rome. Consequently Rome became the centre of all political and religious affairs. The Papal States started influencing in almost all the Italian affairs. They controlled the Renaissance evolution of Rome and maintained their control on economic affairs of the city. The Papal States were centred in Rome. They held their control on the economy through the sale of church offices and taxation of the Papal States. Nepotism and Extravagance were the two major characteristics of many Renaissance Popes and Paul III was among them. Here Pope Paul III is mentioned categorically because he was the owner of Palazzo Farnese. He used his economic, political power to show his social status. Palazzo Farnese was the prestige point of his status and so he spent exorbitantly on his dream palace. Like papacy, another characteristic of Renaissance Italy was the rise of the merchant classes. The merchants involved in the trading of money, were at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy. These merchants tried to protect their wealth by controlling the political affairs and establishing matrimonial relationship into noble families. The owner of Villa Farnesina, Agostino Chigi belonged to the merchant class. He accumulated wealth through the trade in money and became the richest person in Rome. He was one of the most influential persons and probably the richest person of his time. He used to lend money to the popes. With the help of his power of money, he administered the church revenue. He used to spend lavishly and Villa Farnesina was the witness of his lavish style and. If observed the architecture carefully, one can find that he had not compromised with the grandeur of the building. It is important to study the political, economical and social forces associated with the two buildings. Villa Farnesina was previously known as Viridario and later on it was named after its second owner, Farnese family. The evidences also show that the Villa would serve as banking facility as well as a residence. Though Chigi did not belong to the royal family, he accumulated lot of wealth and would lend huge amount of money to Cesare Borgia, Piero de’ Medici and also to the French king Charles VIII. Thus his social and economical status was on the topmost level, topper even than the king. The political journey of Palazzo Farnese starts with the professional life and career of Alessandro Farnese, In Medieval Europe politics and religion used to go hand in hand. Palazzo Farnese is one of the most important Renaissance architectures in Europe. This palace is an embodiment of the classical order, regularity, simplicity and dignity of high renaissance in Italy. The palace started shaping in 1517 by Antonio da Sangallo, the Younger and later on continued by Michael Angelo. It was the main residence of all powerful Farnese Dynasty (Though Farnese was not a royal family; it had a lot of influence in contemporary Italy, and was like a dynasty). The major objective behind building this palace was to exhibit the family's newfound prominence. Farnese family was one of the most celebrated families of Rome. Alessandro Farnese hired Antonio da Sangallo as an architect to build this residence. This palace has a lot of political significance. In history as well as in modern time also, the political importance of Palazzo Farnese remained intact. The extension and expansion of the palace was associated with the growing status of Alessandro Farnese. After gaining ecclesiastical status, he started refining the palace after the possession of the authority as Pope and this time the architect Michael Angelo was appointed and eventually the palace was completed by Giacomo della Porta. The palace received a crowning glory in real sense in 1597 when Annibale Carracci started his monumental fresco cycle in the Farnese Gallary. After the end of the Farnese family, the palace was inherited by Bourbons. The political significance of Palanzzo Farnese is still there as the palace is used as a French Embassy in Rome and open for tourists. Social Factors involved in Palazzo Farnese: Alessandro Farnese, who was elected as Pope III, led a very lavish life. The family had a very high social status in Rome and he lived his life as a prince. His life was a continuously an increasing graph as far as social status is concerned. His lavish life style is reflected in the architecture of the palace. 'As an expression of the social position, and wealth of the newly rich Farnese family, the palace commands the piazza on which it fronts, lending an impressive dignity to the space.’ (Marian Moffett, Michael Fazio, Lawrence Wodehouse 2003) While describing the powerful status of Farnese family, Gardner and Kleiner (2009) state, 'The broad, majestic front of the Palazzo Farnese asserts to the public the exalted station of a great family. The impressive facade encapsulates the aristocratic epoch that followed the stifling of the nascent middle-class democracy of European cities (Especially the Italian cities) by powerful rulers heading the centralized states.' The palace reflects the strong ambition for papacy. The political purpose behind constructing the palace was to unite and consolidate the properties that his family held in Viterbo and to build a state within the estate of St. Peter, Caprarola for the strategic position. It was also his objective to show the strong existence of the Farnese family around the whole territory. Villa Farnesina (Trastevere) Villa is the country side house of upper-class people. Though the Villa was not the residence of any king or prince, it has a lot of political significance, because of its association with Popes. The villa Farnesina was built by a very rich banker and treasurer of Pope Julius II, Agostino Chig between 1506 and 1510. He was born with good inheritance and fortune and destined to monopolise huge amount of mercantile ventures. He earned his good fortune through intelligent investment strategies in the world of finance. He had around 20,000 people as his employees. He designed Villa Farnesina in the style of Emperor Nero's Golden Home. His close relationship with Pope Julius II helped him to earn money and social status. Chigi was the treasurer of Pope Julius II. Chigi like Alessandro Farnese was a great patron of art and culture and his likings for art and architecture reflects in Villa Farnesina. He was such a wealthy person that the Villa Farnesina witnessed lavish banquets in which the golden plates were tossed in order to show and impress the guests with his wealth. Cherishing political and socially vested interest was the major objective of building Villa Farnesina. The villa was majorly used for amusement purpose. The villa used to amuse the reigning Pope Julius II, the “Warrior Pope”. Leo X, the head of Catholic Church was also the frequent visitor of Villa Farnesina. Villa Farnesina and Palazzo Farnese are situated on opposite banks of river Tiber. After the death of Chigi the palace was sold to Farnese family. Unlike palazzo, Comparative Analysis between Palazzo Farnese and Villa Farnesina: Peeping into the Roman Renaissance history, reveals to the connection between these two residential buildings. Both palaces belonged to the noble family of contemporary Italy. As said by Hollingsworth, those who had the wealth to do so preferred to commission architectural projects. The creators of both of these palaces were leading a very lavish and grand life and they could afford to appoint great architects of the contemporary period to build their dream houses. The similarities of these palaces lie in its objectives and that is to establish a status and hold a strong control on the nation’s political, economic and social affair. Both of them were honour oriented and committed to preserve the status of their respective families. Villa Farnesina was built for Agosti Chigi a rich Sienese banker, whereas the Palazzo Farnese was the seat of one of the most powerful men in Rome. Palazzo Farnese started to build in 1517, but the design was remodelled after 1534 when the owner Cardinal Alessandro Farneses became Pope Paul III. The social purpose behind remodelling the structure was to reflect the grandeur of his new social and political status. While describing the connection between the architecture of the palace with the social status of Alessandro Farneses, David Watkin (2005) says that the cliff-like elevations of the palace were nearly 100 feet (30m) high. It imposed barrel – vaulted and colonnaded entrance tunnel, and the courtyard was articulated with superimposed arcades like the Colosseum or Theatre of Marcellus. Such architecture clearly showed that it was for once capable of echoing the antique heroic grandeur of late Bramante and Michaelangelo. The political, social and economical forces are thus discussed in summarized and tabular form: Palazzo Farnese Villa Farnesina Alessandro Farnese the owner purchased the original building with the dream to build a magnificent palace. Villa Farnesina was owned by a very rich merchant Agostino Chigi He spent exorbitantly for the building. Having the status of a Pope, he didn’t have the scarcity of money. Being an extremely wealthy person, Chigi also spent lot of amount on building and decorating Villa Farnesina. He also called Raphael, the great artist to decorate the Villa. Along with Raphael other artists created series of painting which are the treasures of Renaissance. He hired the best, famous and costly artists of contemporary Rome: Antonio da Sangallo, Michaelangelo, Vignolaand Giacomo Della Porta. Chigi commissioned Raphael to decorate the ground floor loggia of the villa. The contribution of the artists such as painter Baldassare Perizz, Peruzzi Sebastiano del Piombo is also significant in designing the Villa. Nearly 250,000 scudi had been poured into building the Palazzo Farnese by 1549. (Eugene Garin) The Villa witnessed the presence of many rich and elite people and grand banquet in which the gold and silver plates would be thrown away in river after using it in the party. Palazzo Farnese was representative of the high social status of Pope Paul III. Villa Farnesina reflects the highest prince like status of Agostino Chigi. Remodelling of Palazzo Farnese took place according to the increasing social status of Pope Paul III Villa Farnesina exhibits the social status of his extremely rich owner Chigi. It was built just for amusement and conducting social meetings. It was built as a suburban residence and thus he showed his rivalry to the Pope as Patron of Arts (John Hendrix 2003) Though the two architectures are different from each other, they resemble with each other in some contexts. Villa Farnesina initially was the property of Agostino Chigi, it was sold to the Farnese family, who was living on the opposite bank of River in Palazzo Farnese The two palaces are located on the opposite bank of the same river Tiber. The ultimate owner of the two palaces was the Farnese family. Pope Paul III hired Michael Angelo, one of the most eminent architects of the period to design a private bridge to join these two palaces. But the project was never completed. Neither Chigi nor Farnese belonged to royal family, but they spent their lives like kings or princes. The strategic approach of both of these men made them the tycoons of their era and they became successful in changing all political, economic and social calculations of their period. The two palaces owned by them are the strong witnesses of their political, social and economic power. Sources: 1. David Watkin(2005), 'A History of Western Architecture,' Published by Laurence King Publishing, p.230 2. Eugine Garin ‘Renaissance Characters’ published by University of Chicago Press, p.63 3. Helen Gardner, Fred Kleiner (2009) ‘Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History, Published by Cengage Learning, p.601 4. Jessica Joyce Christie, Patricia Joan Sarro (2010)“Palaces and Power in the Americans: From Peru to Northwest Coast, Published by University of Texas Press, p.4 5. John Hendrix (2003), 'History and Culture of Italy', Published by University Press of America, p. 120 6. Marian Moffett, Michael Fazio, Lawrence Wodehous (2003) “A World History of Architecture 7. Mary Hollingworth (2008) ‘Art in World History’ Published by Giunti Editore, p. 259 Read More