Romanesque Architecture and Renaissance Architecture Compared - Essay Example

?Compare and Contrast Essay Introduction The world would be hard to understand without the history of visual art. The history of visual arts and movements has distinct differences with regard to their historic times. Architecture is one those artistic markers which played significant roles in understanding the evolution of visual arts. This paper evaluates historic movements such as Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Islamic and mannerism, and seeks further to compare and contrast some architectural designs and artworks of these movements. Answer to Question one Romanesque architecture The term Romanesque architecture describes the building style adopted between 800AD to 1100 AD. One of the finest Romanesque architecture buildings in England is the Durham Cathedral and is often regarded as the leading Romanesque building in the world (Kimball & Edgell 251). The composite piers, of the cathedral, are alternated with drum columns, flying buttresses or lateral abutments all concealed within the triforium over the isles. These characteristics were highly inspired by the religious fervor of the Romanesque architecture period. Therefore, the design shows the Christian values which were highly valued by the people of the time. Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was most common during the early and late medieval period from 12th century through 16th century. An example of a Gothic architecture is the Cologne cathedral, which dates back in the early 19th century (Kimball & Edgell 260). The geometrical and mathematical nature of the construction is indicative of the orderly universe, which is laid logically and with rationality. The statue, the sculptural decoration, stained glass and murals incorporate the creative genius as portrayed by the old and new testaments. The building and its style emphasize the religious nature of the people and the way they valued God’s power and creative works of logic. Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture started in the fifteenth century through the early seventeenth century and replaced Gothic architecture. An example of renaissance architecture is the Palladio's Basilica in Vicenza, Italy (Kimball & Edgell 258). The church has orderly arrangement of columns, pilasters and lintels. There is the use of hemispherical domes, which are all characteristics of the renaissance architecture (Kimball & Edgell 252). All these details were used to emphasize solid and spatial relationship where the idea of harmony leads to free and imaginative rhythms. The details of the style especially in the church building were more civic than spiritual. This feeling, therefore, emphasizes the blending of religious and secular values of the people of the time. Answer to Question two Islamic architecture incorporates both secular and religious styles from the time when Islam was founded to date and is extensively used in the shrines of Mecca and Medina (Bloom & Blair 152). Comparing the Fatimid’s architecture used in Bab al-Futuh gate and the Gothic architecture at the entrance of Carmo Church in Lisbon, Portugal, there are notable differences. Bab al-Futuh gate has a hemispherical dome while the main entrance of Carmo church has a pointed arch. In content, the Gothic architecture is created to give less democracy in the religious sense, while the mosque architecture emphasizes freedom and secularism (Bloom & Blair 159). Therefore, the sense of holiness elicited by the two gates varies from the outside details depending on the gate architectural style. The form and content of the two are seen in the materials used, the color designs, murals employed and the emphasized details with regards to logical arrangements, balance and creativity. Answer to Question three These two works of art represent the two periods; the early Northern Renaissance and the early Italian Renaissance respectively. These two artworks are different in form. The first element that differentiates their form is the painting details, which are emphasized by the depth of the colors. The form of the first picture from the early Northern Renaissance, which uses mottled colors of yellow and red, looks artificial as opposed to a more natural and real feeling of the second picture from the early Italian period (Manfredo 136). The Italian art work, therefore, represents human forms in a more realistic way than the northern renaissance work. Both artworks try to emphasize details in their content, creation of depth and three dimensional forms. The other details of the content emanates from their individualized connection with religion and the shared connection. Answer to Question four The painting of Lord Rimini by Piero Della Francesca is an excellent example of early Italian renaissance. The painting is done with a black frame which emphasizes the figure of Lord Rimini (Manfredo 140). The human figure is brought out and made vivid by the outstanding bright color. This is similar to Michelangelo’s ‘the Erythraean Sibyl’, whose tone is created by the use of color variations to bring out the details of the picture and the content. However, while Michelangelo’s art work is characterized by logic, detail and dense content, the early renaissance’s art work is simple and has simple theme (Manfredo 142). The surrounding of the picture is painted black to bring forth a simple theme of the lord’s portrait. This makes the painting to be dominant as in the Greek and Roman cultural thought, unlike in Michelangelo’s art work which seems to emphasize freedom and independence. Answer to Question five Mannerism as style is largely anti-renaissance and incorporates intellectual style that appeals to a sophisticated mind. Comparing ‘the Rape of the Sabine Women’, which belongs to mannerism and ‘the Small Cowper Madonna’, which is from the high renaissance, the former is more dramatic. The Rape of the Sabine Women has the background painted black to emphasize the dramatic action central to the artist and the viewers. While high renaissance deploys flesh and beauty to emphasize the religious feeling, the mannerists use naked bodies to dramatize social relations (Manfredo 146). Small Cowper Madonna uses the mottled colors of yellow and red while the mannerism uses the black and white color. These details show the contrast that mannerism tries to bring in the art works of the high renaissance. Conclusion In conclusion, architectural designs from Romanesque through Renaissance are marked by heavy borrowing in form and content. While some artistic movements claim to offer a radical shift from the former movement, they relied heavily on the foundations laid in by their predecessors in both form and content. This is evident in the mannerism, which is anti-renaissance, but differs, with high renaissance only in content. Therefore, no artistic movement is free from the traces of other movements’ form since all of them tried to capture the social values of the time. Works Cited Bony, Jean. French Gothic Architecture of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983. Print. Bloom, Jonathan, and Sheila Blair. The Grove encyclopedia of Islamic art and architecture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Kimball, Fiske, and Edgell Harold. A History of Architecture. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1918. Print Manfredo, Tafuri. Interpreting the Renaissance: Princes, Cities, Architects. Cambridge, MA: Yale University Press, 2006. Print. Read More