Architecture of the US Capitol and Villa Barbaro - Essay Example

ARCHITECTURE OF US CAPITOL AND VILLA BARBARO The essay contrasts the buildings of United s Capitol and the Italy’s UNESCO heritage building Villa Barbaro. The intricacies of construction and the history are detailed for both the famous buildings and their features are compared and contrasted. Introduction The buildings Villa Barbaro and the US Capitol have similarities as well as the dissimilarities. While one was constructed in the 19th century, the other was constructed in the 16th century. Besides being constructed centuries apart, they are still considered to be grand examples of architecture for their respective countries. The following paragraphs will highlight their unique architectural features and will contrast them. The United States Capitol The United States Capitol is an impressive building which is famous as the meeting place of the legislature of US federal government - the United States Congress. It is located in Washington D.C., on the top of Capitol Hill on the east of the National Mall. The design of the President’s house and the Capitol was first proposed by Thomas Jefferson in spring 1792, which was set for a 4-month deadline and amateur architect William Thornton submitted a late entry on January 31, 1793. 1 Thornton’s design was inspired by Paris Pantheon and the east front of “Louvre”, for creating the centre portion of the building and it was officially approved by Washington (in a letter dated April 5, 1793). The initial design of Thornton was changed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and later by Charles Bulfinch. The dome found currently, and the House and Senate wings are designed by Thomas U. Walter and August Schoenborn, who was a German immigrants and the building was finished under the guidance of Edward Clark 2. A breakthrough ceremony was organized at Capitol on September 18, 1793, when dressed in Masonic attire Washington laid the cornerstone3. In 1800, the Senate wing of the building was completed and the House wing was finished in 1811. In 1807, the House of Representatives was shifted to the House wing. Earlier the Capitol was the place where government functions were organized and church services were held on Sundays regularly. This practice continued post Civil War4. Later, the building was partially burned during the War of 1812 by the British (on August 24, 1814,) and reconstruction started in 1815 which was completed by 1819. The construction process continued till 1826, as a central Rotunda was added to the structure and the first dome was also created. As the Capitol could not accommodate the legislators from the new states, in 1850, hence, two new wings were constructed - the chamber on the north for the Senate, and the chamber on the south for the House of Representatives5. This increased the length of Capitol by more than two times the original length and it also dwarfed the original structure, which was the timber framed dome of 1818. The decision to tear down the old structure and replace it with a wedding cake like structure made up of case iron was made in 1855. The new structure, which is found today, is three-times the height of the dome, which was constructed originally, and this structure is 100-feet in diameters but it still needed to get the support of the masonry piers.6 A wide oculus was created as the inner dome, which is also seen as the Apotheoses of Washington, made from coloured shells, hanging from the supporting ribs. The colossal Statue of Freedom was added to the top, in 1863, and the weight of the dome made in cast iron was measured to be 8,909,200 pounds. One of the major expansions in the structure was made in 1958, when the extension of 33.5 feet (10.2 m) was created on the East Portico. The duplicate of sandstone East front was built in marble, which was 33.5 feet (10.2 m) from the previous front, and Corinthian columns were removed during this process. In 1984, the landscape designer Russell Page constructed the settings for columns at the National Arboretum in a large meadow, where these were fixed along a reflecting pool. The structure of Capitol resembled many notable structures, churches and landmarks of Europe such as St. Pauls Cathedral (London) and the dome of St. Peters Basilica (of Vatican).The roofs of the Senate and the House Chambers were marked by flagpoles, which hosted the U.S. flag, when in session. The Capitol building is known for its central dome, which is constructed above the Rotunda and two chambers of the Congress - the North wing (the Senate Chamber) and the South wings (for the House of Representatives). A private underground railway and the underground tunnel join the main structure at the Congressional office buildings in the nearby complex. The murals of Constantine Brumidi, the Italian / Greek American artists can be found in the hallways, in the 1st floor of the Senate part of the building. These murals are called Brumidi Corridors, and it depicts certain historical moments and also, the people in US history7. The structure also exhibits the National Statuary Hall Collection, which is made up of two statues dominated by the 50 states, to pay tribute to the significant people of US history. Below the Rotunda, one can see the Crypt, which was designed to overlook the final resting area i.e. the tomb of George Washington8. The Hall of Columns host 28 fluted columns and many statues belonging to the National Statuary Hall Collection, and it is located on the House side of the building. Two marble bathtubs are found in the utility room, constructed in the basement of the building. A metal staircase having 365 steep steps take the visitors to the outdoor walkways created on the top of the Capitol dome from the basement9. The steps represent each day of the year. There are total 448 seats in the House of Representatives Chamber, which does not have assigned seats like the Senators. A number of relief portraits of many historically important lawgivers and lawmakers can be found in the chamber. White marble busts of former presidents can be seen in the current Senate Chamber, which was originally opened in 1859. The ground area of the structure is 274 acres, although, the ground includes the area of the streets, drives, walkways, lawns, drives and planting areas. Previously a monument was found on the East façade and the lawn, which included the Rescue and George Washington. The current ground is made by the American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the summer house, an open-air building located on the North of the Capitol. Three arches have been constructed in the shape of hexagon close to the 22 brick chairs and the fountain. Around 4 US flags can be seen flying on the Capitol and two flagpoles are found at the base on the west and the east sides of the dome structure. Villa Barbaro Villa Barbaro (also called the Villa di Maser) is mainly a large villa, constructed at Maser of Veneto region, in the north of Italy. Italian architect Andrea Palladio created the design of the building and the sculptures are by Alessandro Vittoria, while, the fresco is by Paolo Veronese10. In 1996, the villa was listed in the World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO, although, the land is the property of Barbaro family. It originally it belonged to Pisani and the Gustiani families. The villa was designed on the low lines, which extends to a large part and the ground floor plan of the villa is designed in rectangular structure, having complex perpendicular rooms on the central axis, which contains the main reception room of the structure. The structure of the central block is inspired from the designs of the portico of Roman temples and it basically is highlighted in the form of 4 Ionic columns. The design is mainly taken from the temple of Fortuna Virilis constructed in Rome. The heart of the block is surmounted by huge pediments imprinted with heraldic symbols of Barbaro family11. The inscription in Latin can be seen below the pediment on the entablature which dedicates the building to the brother’s father. The meaning of the inscription is “Daniel Barbaro, Patriarch of Aquileia and his brother Marcantonio, sons of Francesco Barbaro.” Two symmetrical wings are found on both the sides of central block12. The wings are constructed on two floors and the front is in the form of open arcade. Palladio made the wings to be a functional structure, providing accommodation for agricultural purposes. The Villa Barbaro has a private living area above the “barchesse”. The estate is small as it may not have required the storage space as Villa Emo. The wings of the structure end at the pavilion having large sundials constructed in their own pediments. The pediments were designed for devocotes (on the uppermost floor) and the lower rooms were constructed for winemaking, domestic use and stables. In many types of Palladio’s villas, the pavilion is constructed to have farm building on the back of the covering façade. One of the features of the villa architecture is it resembles and has been changed into the Palladian architecture and is inspired from the original Palladio’s designs13. The interiors of the piano have frescos painted by Paolo Veronese, in the most contemporary style14. The paining contains an imperative fresco cycle created by the artists, which have been inspirational to many fresco painting created by other artists of the time. The Crocienra Room, in the midst, depicts the fantasy landscapes and structure of the villa staff looking from behind the doors15. One can see the images of virtuous conduct and strength in “The Room of the Oil Lamp” and the winemaking scenes are evident in the Bacchus Room16. The figure of Ambundance depicting the splendour of the villa and the bucolic ideals can be seen on the Chimneypiece cravings17. The ceiling of the north salon shows the planets, religious symbols and zodiac signs. The earth goddess is represented as Gaia, which is depicted in the form of a dragon. Palladio got the opportunity to construct a church Tempietto Barbaro, to serve the village of Maser and the Villa Barbaro in the last part of his life 18. The time period of construction of Tempietto Barbaro is not clear but the inscriptions reveal it was created in 1580, which contains the names of both Palladio and Marcantonio Barbaro. The Teatro Olimpico and The Tempietto are the last few works of Palladio, which he built before his death at Maser, while, working on it19. An orthodox garden hosts a Nymphaeum, which is known for arching architecture containing natural springs20. Seven figural structures can be found and four statues are free standing created by Marcantonio Barbaro21. The spring is found in a pool, which is suitable for fishing. The water goes to the kitchen and the garden. A barrel can be found on the ceiling fresco, which is on the north salon and has beautiful structures of geocentric solar system, which shows the inner planets of the solar system are differentiated by the Earth, moon and the Sun, and this is interesting as this was painted 10 years after the death of Copernicus and 15 years prior to the birth of Galileo22. The distribution of black signs around the perimeter is not in order. The ends of the villa wings have been created as dovecotes, which bear two vertical sundials where the “hour” dial is on the left and the “monthly” dial on the right. 23 The central portion of the villa goes further to the open arcade at the start of the symmetrical wings. The design of Palladio is inspired from façade designs and it gives a religious feel and significance to Barbaro quarters24. The both side of the portico are linked to the central part through lateral wings and there are 4 statues, which signify Olympian gods standing in the front of the façade in grand welcoming posture. The Barbaro heraldic symbols can be found at the centre of the allegory, above the gable stand and it signifies peace and harmony. Also it shows the inspiration for designing and constructing the villa. There are masks on the keystrokes and on the dovecots.25 The Olympian gods can be seen standing, while, two sundials are found on the dovecots showing time. Six rooms were constructed and frescoed inside the villa by Paolo Veronese (1528-88) and the stuccoes created by Alessandro Vittoria (1525-1608) are now open to public. In Villa Barbaro, one can find some of the most significant creations of art of the Venetian Renaissance, including the Entrance Porch, Room of Bacchus, Sala a Crociera, Stanza del Tribunale dAmore, Sala dellOlimpo, Elena Caliari, Stanza del Cane, Stanza della Lucerna, Ninfeo and Autoritratto di Paolo Veronese. Conclusion Although the buildings were dissimilar from the standpoint of time and geographical location, both the buildings had Italian architectural influence26. The similarities of the two structures is that the structures was not constructed by one architect alone, rather they were a few other architects of contribution to the design and architecture of the constructions. Although William Thornton was the main architect of the Capitol, architects such as Charles Bulfinch and Benjamin Henry Latrobe also contributed to the construction of the grand building in Washington. Similarly, although the Villa Barbaro’s construction is attributed to Andrea Palladio, architects such as Allesandro Vittorio and Paulo Paolo Veronese also chipped in with their frescoes and sculptures. Also, if one looks at the two buildings, they’ll find there are different sections in the building, each section with its own unique set of structural attributes. In the Capitol, some of the sections include the House Wing and the Senate Wing, while in Villa Barbaro, the rooms constructed included the Room of Bacchus, Stanza del Tribunale dAmore and Autoritratto di Paolo Veronese. In both the buildings, there used to be a church, which testifies the religiousness of the people for whom the buildings were constructed. In the Capitol before the Civil War, regular church functions were held on Sundays. In Villa Barbaro, a church was constructed separately; it was called Tempietto Barbaro and was meant for the Maser village. As regards the presence of statues, both the Capitol and Villa Barbaro house some exquisite masterpieces. In the Capitol, the Statue of Freedom is a grand example of amazing sculpture. In Villa Barbaro, a number of figural structures are located in the garden area, along with four free standing statues. Hence it’s clear that statues are an integral part of the outstanding architecture27. Although the constructions of both the buildings were in different geographical locations, still the basic tenets of high quality architecture remained the same. Another similar feature of both the masterful constructions is the presence of fantastic murals and frescoes which adorn the walls and ceilings28. In the Capitol, the Senate building ceiling is covered with murals of famous artist Constantine Brumidi. The enormous murals depict the important statesmen in US history. Similarly, in Villa Barbaro, one can view the ceiling fresco to the north salon. The frescoes comprise of the images of the solar system, showing the inner planets, the moon, sun and the Earth. Again, the two buildings have sprawling gardens on which are based. In Capitol, the lawn surrounding the area is almost 300 acres. The lawn contains drives, walkways, drives, lawns and planting areas. The lawn was landscaped by architect Frederick Law Olmsted. On the other hand, the Villa Barbaro houses a garden called Nymphaeum. The garden contains natural springs and is an arching architecture. Therefore, both the constructions have a number of similarities. Again, there are dissimilarities too, which differentiate the two buildings. However, the Capitol is one of the most famous examples of American architecture and Villa Barbaro is one of the outstanding examples of Italian architecture. Such is the magnetism of those two buildings that millions of visitors from all around the world come to visit the buildings. References Ackerman, J. Palladio. (Penquin, London, 1990) Boucher, B. Andrea Palladio, The Architect In his Time. (New York: Abbeville Press, 1998) Bushong, William. Uncle Sam’s Architects: Builders of the Capitol. (Washington: U.S. Capitol Historical Society, 1994) Constant, C. The Palladio Guide. (Princeton: Princeton Architectural Press, 1985) Gutheim, F. Worthy of the Nation: The Planning and Development of the National Capital City. (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977) Howard, Alexandra M. Stephen Hallet and William Thornton at the U.S. Capitol, 1791–1797, M.A. Thesis, University of Virginia, 1974) Jaffe, Irma B, ed. The Italian Presence in American Art, 1760–1860. (New York: Fordham University Press, 1989) Pupi, L. Andrea Palladio, (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1975) Schofield, R. and Tavernor, R. Andrea Palladio, The Four Books on Architecture, (London, 1977) Tafuri, M. Venice and the Renaissance, (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1989) Read More