He received a commission in 1562 to redesign the façade of the outdated Franciscan church. The first of which, is the San Francesco della Vigna (Figure 2). Palladio’s efforts into altering the architectural make up of Venetian buildings are best exemplified by three buildings he designed during the 1560’s and 1570’s. This prominent central façade with lighter lateral portions will be further demonstrated in Palladio’s Venetian churches. Here, three bays of the façade, where the sides are identical on either section of the central portion, demonstrate this symmetry. Palladio believed that buildings should be completely symmetrical to promote a harmonious project. The structure recalls styles of Venetian palaces, however, the façade of this structure is completely symmetrical and uniform. One of these palaces, Palazzo Chiericati (Figure 1), helps us to identify some of the concepts of symmetry and proportionality that he would incorporate into his Venetian structures. Here he built various villas and palaces, enhancing his technique and building a reputation. This adherence to maintain a low cost for construction also appealed to a Venetian Republic that had begun to crumble at the start of the 16 th century due to over expansion and militaristic defeats.īefore Palladio attempted to bring his architectural talents to Venice, he became the most prominent architect in Vicenza, a region of Northern Italy owned by the Republic of Venice. This kind of building, under strict guidelines, allows harmonious buildings to be erected for much less money in relation to the highly decorative style of Venetian Gothic. These ideas of symmetry and proportionality extend through every part of the building, for example, doors and archways should be lined up exactly throughout the interior of the building, rooms should be a simple geometric shape with a length and height that is three fifths the width, and facades should have openings in odd numbers of either three, five, or seven. Instead, he believed buildings should compensate for human imperfections by being harmonious through perfect symmetry and proportionality. He describes his buildings as having a kind of “soft harmony.” Palladio maintained that excessive decoration was not necessary to make a building beautiful, as was common in Venetian Gothic architecture, typical in Venice in the 15 th and 16 th century.
In Palladio’s Four Books on Architecture, he explains many of his ideas regarding the subject and his previous designs, as well as simplifying the construction of a beautiful building. Vitruvius had detailed specific guidelines for building proportions, styles for columns and capitals, and interior design, that influenced Palladio’s designs and treatise on architecture, I Quattro Libri dell’architettura. Primarily learned in Mannerist architecture at the beginning of his career, a style that exaggerates certain forms in an informal manner (although he does employ Mannerist techniques on occasion despite his reliance on strict building procedures), Humanism revealed an entirely new realm of possibilities in regards to utilizing ancient architectural theories to inform new building techniques. Humanism had a profound affect on Palladio.
This eventually led Palladio to create an entirely new Palladian architecture based on the theories of Vitruvius and his observations of ancient buildings, all of which was made possible by his humanist education. Trissino most notably introduced Palladio to the architectural ideas of Vitruvius, a Roman architect whose writings were the single surviving guide to ancient Roman and Greek building. Trissino, a humanist scholar, educated Palladio in the ways of humanism by studying classical literature. Through his career as a stonemason he gained practical knowledge of contemporary architectural styles before being noticed by Count Gian Giorgio Trissino. He began his career as a sculptor before enrolling in the guild of stonemasons at the age of 16. Palladio epitomizes the affects of humanism on architecture in Venice, and his architectural efforts represent both harmonious simplicity in reference to classical antiquity and a departure from a decidedly Venetian style of building.Īndrea Palladio, originally named Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, was born in the region of Veneto. He largely owes his contributions in art to his humanist education and practical understanding of mannerist, Venetian Gothic, and classical building forms, the contemporary styles of architecture in Italy during the 16 th century. Andrea Palladio contributed immensely to the architectural style referencing Greek and Roman antiquity.