Michelangelo and Bernini - Essay Example

Michelangelo and Bernini The emerging ideals of art and architecture in 15th century Italy led to the acceptance of the knowledge contained in remnants of classical antiquity, such as the concept that mankind was a measurable component of the universe. This idea and return to classical architecture put an end to the gothic styles that preceded the Renaissance. The city’s major architectural landmarks were built during the 14th century, or Trecento … Florence was graced then with two new churches of the mendicant orders – Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella – the proud and severe fortified Palazzo Vecchio, and the Podesta Palace, or Bargello, all of which were built according to the same principle. … The cathedral – ‘the finest and noblest church in Tuscany’ – built under the direction of Arnolfo di Cambio, already towered above the rooftops, yet remained without a dome (Lemaitre & Lessing, 1993: 10). The classical ideals expressed through the ancient remnants of Greece and Rome were given a modern twist with the resurgence of interest in Renaissance Italy. The houses built in this time are marked by a certain commonsense simplicity, but they are also marked with an attention to beautiful details that serve to hide the bulk of the structure itself (“Renaissance Art”, 2005). The particular characteristics of Renaissance architecture include an attention given to the regularity and clarity of the various parts, the inclusion of specific yet simple mathematical proportions and a deliberate emphasis on a renewal of old Roman architectural styles in the form of columns, hemispherical domes, geometrically flawless designs and symmetry. As the Renaissance grew older, fascination with the old styles began to change, melding the various artistic theories and approaches together with other media to become a new movement entirely that would later be called Baroque. Although the Baroque Period is not officially recognized until around 1600, great architects of the period such as Gianlorenzo Bernini can be seen to have taken some of their inspiration and direction from a well-known artist of the previous century, Michelangelo Bounarroti. Before one can fully appreciate Michelangelo’s contribution to the Baroque style, more must be known about Michelangelo’s particular style as an architect. Michelangelo (1475-1564) is perhaps most famous for his frescoes painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He is also well-known as a sculptor, having created numerous famous pieces such as David and the Pieta. However, he was also an accomplished architect. Having won fame and admiring support from the Pope to many other leaders of Renaissance Italy through his painting and sculptural talents, Michelangelo turned architect in his later years, smoothly incorporating his sculptural ideas of communicating through the stone with his natural ideas concerning his paintings to create unique works of art in things as utilitarian as a set of stairs for the Laurentian Library (Bonner, 2001). http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/michelangelo-buildings6.htm While impressive and highly decorative, modern interpretations of this staircase criticize it for its massive use of space and for the nearly unusable aspects of the two outer lower stairways (Fletcher, 1996). However, Michelangelo’s architectural work demonstrates that he wasn’t as firmly entrenched in the Classical ideals of his time as his contemporaries. “Michelangelo generated sculptural detailing that marked the beginning of the Baroque and the end of purely classical architecture. Michelangelo emphasized visual effect over the structural logic of a design. He always subordinated invention to the needs of overall composition” (Sharp, 1991, p. 108). The way he accomplished this occurred as a natural by-product of his working style, as can be traced through his architectural sketches. Michelangelo approached architecture from the same viewpoint with which he approached painting or sculpture, with the concept of the human body first and foremost. “Having no background in an architectural workshop, Michelangelo adopted an approach to design that was idiosyncratic from the outset. Convinced that an understanding of the human body was as necessary a skill in architecture as in the figurative arts, the artist tackled the design of a piece of architecture very much as he would have done a preparatory figure drawing” (Morris, 2006). This can be seen in his plans for the Medici Chapel, in which it can be seen that Michelangelo included human figures within his sketch to ensure appropriate dimensions and to work out issues of space and light. As the design developed, he would often make changes right on top of his previous drawing that enabled him to sometimes combine ideas in ways that had not been considered previously. “Rather than starting with a simple ‘idea’ sketch, and developing increasingly detailed and exact drawings on successive sheets of paper, Michelangelo would typically do an initial sketch and then repeatedly draw on top of it, creating a kind of multilayered palimpsest as his ideas advanced” (Morris, 2006). Michelangelo These hybrid designs brought about innovations such as the curved pediment, which contributed to a more organic façade to a structure, and were the result of his combination of skills coming together for the beauty and aesthetic form of the whole. This is particularly true as Michelangelo would commonly create a clay sculpture of his building as his final drawings envisioned it, and then made further modifications to achieve the end result he was seeking. His designs were often shocking to his contemporaries, who were accustomed to following the rules set down by the Greeks and Romans to whom all of Italy was looking for enlightenment. However, “his organic conception of architecture, his application of sculptural methods in modeling buildings and his dynamic manipulation of space, light and shadow were instrumental in breaking down the divide between structure and decoration, introducing a heady new sense of freedom” (Morris, 2006). Despite these innovations, much of Michelangelo’s ideas never saw complete fruition and his architectural vision would not be realized on a grand scale for another 50 years or so after his death, due in large part to the work of another architect working within the high Baroque period, Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). Bernini himself recognized Michelangelo’s achievements within his designs: “It was Bernini who was to assert that in architecture the Florentine had reached the pinnacle of his many achievements, saying of him: ‘He was a great sculptor and painter, but a divine architect.’” (cited in Morris, 2006). In keeping with the explosion of ideas coming forth from Michelangelo as a result of his ability to combine artistic talents to create a unified whole, “the baroque style is characterized by an emphasis on unity among the arts. With technical brilliance, the baroque artist achieved a remarkable harmony wherein painting, sculpture, and architecture were brought together in new spatial relationships, both real and illusionary, often with spectacular visual effects” (Heindorff, 2006). Like Michelangelo, Bernini made a name for himself in other areas of artistry well before he ever became involved in architecture. Although he also reportedly painted hundreds of paintings and authored several plays, very few of these survive, leaving only his sculptures and buildings as stone testaments to his creative energy and vision. Also like Michelangelo, Bernini did not begin working in architecture until his older years. Arguably, Bernini’s most well-known architectural works are the piazza at St. Peters and the Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale. One of the architectural works for which Bernini is most known for is the design of the piazza at St. Peters. http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/5220/baroque/bernini.html The concept behind this design utilized Bernini’s sense for sculpture in helping him to envision the final effect in much the same way that Michelangelo used his sense of sculptural effects to bring about his final designs. As can be seen from the image, the piazza is designed in such a way that they altar canopy reaches out towards the many pilgrims that would come to the great church like two giant arms reaching to embrace them to the bosom of the mother church. The Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale is based upon an oval within an oval within an oval. http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Geography/Europe/Italy/Rome/Quirinal/Churches/SantAndrea-al-Quirinale/Interior/Interior-1.html When working on this design, Bernini realized he didn’t have a great deal of space to work in and determined to change the typical church structure to bring about the same general effect of a much larger church. His unusual approach only started with the church’s unusual orientation, allowing the short axis of the oval to contain the main entrance and the high altar. “Here the full charge of symbolic art and architecture hits the moment you step inside. Four massive pink marble Corinthian columns framing the altar lead the gaze to a painting of the martyrdom of Sant’Andrea by Guglielmo Cortese and then up a level higher to a stucco figure of the saint ascending over the columns, then higher still to the busy putti playing around the vaulted dome and finally to the lantern, from which the Holy Spirit beckons” (Lashkin, 1997). From this description, it is clear that the church attains its incredible success and admiration as a result of its harmonious blend of art, sculpture and architecture reminiscent of Michelangelo’s approach. Sharing a background full of painting, literature, art and sculpture, both Michelangelo and Bernini intuitively added to their designs as they went, envisioning the perfect housing for a particular work of art or a particular work of art to help accentuate a particular area of a building while filling the corners and niches with specific sculpture. This combination of talents was a characteristic element of the baroque period, of which Bernini was undeniably a part. However, he derived a great deal of his inspiration and perhaps even courage to expand his architectural ideas, from the ideas Michelangelo had put forward nearly 100 years before Bernini had a chance to explore the field. Although many of Michelangelo’s ideas were never fulfilled, at least not in their entirety, Bernini was able to understand the genius of the Florentine and instill that spirit into his own designs and bring them to full fruition, often retaining a great deal of control over the finished product. References Bonner, Neil R. (Ed.). (December 14, 2001). Michelangelo Buonarroti [Website]. December 14, 2001. Michelangelo.com, Inc. April 22, 2008 Heindorff, Ann Mette. (2006). “Baroque Art.” Art History. Available April 22, 2008 Laskin, David. (July 5, 1997). “A Vision as Eternal as his City.” The New York Times. Lemaitre, Alain J. & Lessing, Erich. (1993). Florence and the Renaissance. Paris: Terrail Press. Michelangelo. “Design for the Medici Chapel in the church of San Lorenzo.” Florence. London: Bridgeman Art Library, 2008. Morris, Roderick Conway. (November 17, 2006). “Michelangelo, Architect, Drawn into View.” International Herald Tribune. “Renaissance Art and Architecture.” (2004). The Columbia Encyclopedia. Sixth Ed. New York: Columbia University Press. Sharp, Dennis. (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing. Read More