ARTH 1201B — Buildings & Themes Cheat Sheet
50 buildings · 2 themes each · Short point form notes
EARLY RENAISSANCE — Lectures 1–2
Ospedale degli Innocenti
1421–44 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Orphanage
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Patrons & Institutions
• Square module repeated across loggia • Commissioned by the Arte della Seta (Silk Guild)
• Round arches at equal intervals • Medici family provided funding
• Cantilever bays use same module • Expressed civic duty of merchant class
• Loggia depth = column spacing • Launched Brunelleschi's career
• First fully modular Renaissance façade • Classical language for a social institution
Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore
1420–36 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Cathedral Dome
THEME 1: Construction & Structure THEME 2: Intellectual & Theoretical Contexts
• Double shell — inner dome carries load • Studied Roman ruins to solve the problem
• Herringbone brick = no centering needed • Applied Renaissance mathematical ratios
• No scaffolding — revolutionary at this scale • Challenged medieval building tradition
• Module determined every brick and rib • Reason and observation replaced convention
• Octagonal base carefully calculated • Established Brunelleschi as architect-genius
San Lorenzo
c.1421 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Church/Monastery
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Patrons & Institutions
• Entire plan = one repeated square module • Directly funded by the Medici family
• Side aisles = half the nave width • Became the official Medici family church
• Coffered ceilings reinforce the grid visually • Old Sacristy built as Medici burial chapel
• Columns placed at exact modular intervals • Patronage gave Brunelleschi creative freedom
• Geometry is clear and instantly legible • Private wealth shaped Renaissance architecture
Santa Maria Novella (façade)
1456–70 · Alberti · Florence · Church
THEME 1: Ornament & Formal Expression THEME 2: Relationship to History & Tradition
• Volutes mask height difference between nave and aisles • Alberti worked around an existing Gothic facade
• Pilasters are decorative — not structural • Roman arch and Greek temple reused for Christian context
• Green/white marble creates geometric pattern • Classical language modernizes a medieval building
• Temple pediment crowns the upper section • Volutes became one of the most copied devices ever
• Triumphal arch + temple façade combined • Negotiation between old and new traditions
Palazzo Rucellai
1446–51 · Alberti · Florence · Private Palace
THEME 1: Symbolic Meaning & Language THEME 2: Power, Authority & Representation
• Supercolumniation references the Colosseum • Rucellai used façade to display family prestige
• Three orders communicate classical learning • Classical language = authority equal to ancient Rome
• Single façade over 7 buildings = unified identity • References the Colosseum — aligns owner with empire
• Building speaks of wealth and education • Façade dominates the entire streetscape
• Pilasters signal knowledge of ancient rules • Architecture as instrument of social positioning
Palazzo Medici
1444+ · Michelozzo · Florence · Private Palace/Bank
, THEME 1: Power, Authority & Representation THEME 2: Function & Program
• Rusticated ground floor = fortress-like strength • Ground floor open for public banking
• Each story decreases in height — hierarchy visible • Arches closed in 16th c. as security changed
• Courtyard plan = elite Roman insula reference • Courtyard separates private life from commerce
• Open arches for banking = power through commerce • Three floors = three distinct functions
• Architecture shows Medici as rulers and merchants • Early example of separating public and private program
HIGH RENAISSANCE & PALLADIO — Lectures 2–3
Tempietto
1502 · Bramante · Rome · Commemorative Chapel
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Religion & Worldviews
• Perfect centralized plan — circle in square • Marks site of St. Peter's crucifixion
• Cylinder + hemisphere = two pure forms • Circle symbolizes perfection of God
• Every element proportionally related • Roman Doric = strength, suited to a martyrium
• No projecting features interrupt geometry • Functions as martyrium over a holy site
• Most perfect Renaissance centralized plan • Circular form = ancient temples to the gods
Sant'Andrea, Mantua
1472–94 · Alberti · Mantua · Church
THEME 1: Relationship to History & Tradition THEME 2: Symbolic Meaning & Language
• Inspired by Roman triumphal arches • Triumphal arch = moment of triumph at entry
• Combines temple façade + triumphal arch • Barrel vault evokes imperial Roman grandeur
• Coffered barrel vault = Roman bath halls • Dual pilaster scale communicates hierarchy
• Dual-scale pilasters echo Roman civic buildings • Arch + temple = civic and sacred authority combined
• Synthesizes ancient sources creatively • Classical language asserts Church's universal power
Villa Rotonda
1560–70 · Palladio · Vicenza · Private Villa
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Intellectual & Theoretical Contexts
• Perfect bilateral symmetry on two axes • Published in Palladio's Quattro Libri
• Circle inscribed in square — Vitruvian ideal • Embodies Vitruvian proportion from human body
• Four identical porticoes — geometry over function • Geometric purity prioritized over convenience
• Central dome marks exact geometric center • Most imitated residential building in history
• Designed to be read as a perfect diagram • Influenced Neo-Palladianism globally for 200 years
San Giorgio Maggiore
1565–1610 · Palladio · Venice · Church
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Religion & Worldviews
• Entire plan uses one square module • Benedictine monastery — plan reflects monastic order
• Every square corresponds to a circle • Dome symbolizes perfection of God
• Two temple façades solve nave/aisle height difference • Bright white interior = spiritual clarity
• Plan is a diagram of Vitruvian ideals • Prominent location gives civic and religious visibility
• Geometry and worship reinforce each other • Geometry and devotion are inseparable here
St. Peter's Basilica
Dome 1546+ · Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, Maderno · Vatican
THEME 1: Power, Authority & Representation THEME 2: Construction & Structure
• Largest church in Christendom — scale = supremacy • Double shell dome at far greater scale than Florence
• Dome visible across all of Rome • Massive crossing piers carry the dome's weight
• Bernini's colonnade symbolically embraces all Catholics • Paired pilasters create plastic ripple on exterior
50 buildings · 2 themes each · Short point form notes
EARLY RENAISSANCE — Lectures 1–2
Ospedale degli Innocenti
1421–44 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Orphanage
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Patrons & Institutions
• Square module repeated across loggia • Commissioned by the Arte della Seta (Silk Guild)
• Round arches at equal intervals • Medici family provided funding
• Cantilever bays use same module • Expressed civic duty of merchant class
• Loggia depth = column spacing • Launched Brunelleschi's career
• First fully modular Renaissance façade • Classical language for a social institution
Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore
1420–36 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Cathedral Dome
THEME 1: Construction & Structure THEME 2: Intellectual & Theoretical Contexts
• Double shell — inner dome carries load • Studied Roman ruins to solve the problem
• Herringbone brick = no centering needed • Applied Renaissance mathematical ratios
• No scaffolding — revolutionary at this scale • Challenged medieval building tradition
• Module determined every brick and rib • Reason and observation replaced convention
• Octagonal base carefully calculated • Established Brunelleschi as architect-genius
San Lorenzo
c.1421 · Brunelleschi · Florence · Church/Monastery
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Patrons & Institutions
• Entire plan = one repeated square module • Directly funded by the Medici family
• Side aisles = half the nave width • Became the official Medici family church
• Coffered ceilings reinforce the grid visually • Old Sacristy built as Medici burial chapel
• Columns placed at exact modular intervals • Patronage gave Brunelleschi creative freedom
• Geometry is clear and instantly legible • Private wealth shaped Renaissance architecture
Santa Maria Novella (façade)
1456–70 · Alberti · Florence · Church
THEME 1: Ornament & Formal Expression THEME 2: Relationship to History & Tradition
• Volutes mask height difference between nave and aisles • Alberti worked around an existing Gothic facade
• Pilasters are decorative — not structural • Roman arch and Greek temple reused for Christian context
• Green/white marble creates geometric pattern • Classical language modernizes a medieval building
• Temple pediment crowns the upper section • Volutes became one of the most copied devices ever
• Triumphal arch + temple façade combined • Negotiation between old and new traditions
Palazzo Rucellai
1446–51 · Alberti · Florence · Private Palace
THEME 1: Symbolic Meaning & Language THEME 2: Power, Authority & Representation
• Supercolumniation references the Colosseum • Rucellai used façade to display family prestige
• Three orders communicate classical learning • Classical language = authority equal to ancient Rome
• Single façade over 7 buildings = unified identity • References the Colosseum — aligns owner with empire
• Building speaks of wealth and education • Façade dominates the entire streetscape
• Pilasters signal knowledge of ancient rules • Architecture as instrument of social positioning
Palazzo Medici
1444+ · Michelozzo · Florence · Private Palace/Bank
, THEME 1: Power, Authority & Representation THEME 2: Function & Program
• Rusticated ground floor = fortress-like strength • Ground floor open for public banking
• Each story decreases in height — hierarchy visible • Arches closed in 16th c. as security changed
• Courtyard plan = elite Roman insula reference • Courtyard separates private life from commerce
• Open arches for banking = power through commerce • Three floors = three distinct functions
• Architecture shows Medici as rulers and merchants • Early example of separating public and private program
HIGH RENAISSANCE & PALLADIO — Lectures 2–3
Tempietto
1502 · Bramante · Rome · Commemorative Chapel
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Religion & Worldviews
• Perfect centralized plan — circle in square • Marks site of St. Peter's crucifixion
• Cylinder + hemisphere = two pure forms • Circle symbolizes perfection of God
• Every element proportionally related • Roman Doric = strength, suited to a martyrium
• No projecting features interrupt geometry • Functions as martyrium over a holy site
• Most perfect Renaissance centralized plan • Circular form = ancient temples to the gods
Sant'Andrea, Mantua
1472–94 · Alberti · Mantua · Church
THEME 1: Relationship to History & Tradition THEME 2: Symbolic Meaning & Language
• Inspired by Roman triumphal arches • Triumphal arch = moment of triumph at entry
• Combines temple façade + triumphal arch • Barrel vault evokes imperial Roman grandeur
• Coffered barrel vault = Roman bath halls • Dual pilaster scale communicates hierarchy
• Dual-scale pilasters echo Roman civic buildings • Arch + temple = civic and sacred authority combined
• Synthesizes ancient sources creatively • Classical language asserts Church's universal power
Villa Rotonda
1560–70 · Palladio · Vicenza · Private Villa
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Intellectual & Theoretical Contexts
• Perfect bilateral symmetry on two axes • Published in Palladio's Quattro Libri
• Circle inscribed in square — Vitruvian ideal • Embodies Vitruvian proportion from human body
• Four identical porticoes — geometry over function • Geometric purity prioritized over convenience
• Central dome marks exact geometric center • Most imitated residential building in history
• Designed to be read as a perfect diagram • Influenced Neo-Palladianism globally for 200 years
San Giorgio Maggiore
1565–1610 · Palladio · Venice · Church
THEME 1: Geometry & Proportion THEME 2: Religion & Worldviews
• Entire plan uses one square module • Benedictine monastery — plan reflects monastic order
• Every square corresponds to a circle • Dome symbolizes perfection of God
• Two temple façades solve nave/aisle height difference • Bright white interior = spiritual clarity
• Plan is a diagram of Vitruvian ideals • Prominent location gives civic and religious visibility
• Geometry and worship reinforce each other • Geometry and devotion are inseparable here
St. Peter's Basilica
Dome 1546+ · Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, Maderno · Vatican
THEME 1: Power, Authority & Representation THEME 2: Construction & Structure
• Largest church in Christendom — scale = supremacy • Double shell dome at far greater scale than Florence
• Dome visible across all of Rome • Massive crossing piers carry the dome's weight
• Bernini's colonnade symbolically embraces all Catholics • Paired pilasters create plastic ripple on exterior
