How to Study ArchitectureCaffin, Charles H. (Charles Henry)
History
How to Study Architecture
Caffin, Charles H. (Charles Henry)
Architecture -- History
=Capitol Palaces--Library of S. Mark.=--If we compare the Library with the
=Capitol Palaces= we discover several important differences. In the
Venetian building the divisions of the interior are indicated by the
emphatic horizontal features; and the latter, as well as the deep
openings of the arcade and of the windows, produce a depth of shadow
effects, which in combination with the lighted surfaces results in great
variety and richness. It is precisely these qualities, which are also
elements in the design of Hellenic and Roman temples, that Michelangelo
lost or discarded in his adaptation. Contrasted either with a temple or
with Sansovino’s Library, the Capitol Palaces, grandiose although they
are, seem tame and tight, lacking in structural vitality. Sansovino
introduced vigour into his design by increasing the projection of his
large and small columns and by using the latter in couples; also by
giving a corresponding projection to all the decorative details and by
introducing sculptured figures into the spandrels of the arches and the
frieze.
The principle of his design, stated in ordinary terms, was: If such and
such things are good, more of them will be better. It was a principle
that might well commend itself to the Venetians’ love of pageantry and
display. Sansovino had sufficient taste to know how far to carry the
elaboration; but in the hands of succeeding architects his restraint was
exchanged for license, variety degenerated into fussiness, and
elaboration became extravagance.
=Pesaro Palace.=--These faults are discernible in the Pesaro Palace
(1650-1680) by Longhena, a product of the Venetian Rococo spirit, and by
no means an extreme example. For it preserves a certain dignity of mass
notwithstanding that it is overcharged with ornament that gives it an
effect of trickiness and restlessness. And the latter, it is to be
noted, is partly due to the device, which for a long time had been
prevalent, of carrying the horizontal moulding around the projecting
capital of an engaged column or pilaster. Borrowed from Roman usage, it
represents an element of decoration that tends to convert the
contrasting quietness of the horizontal lines into a jiggety
disturbance. This palace, however, can lay claim to the distinction that
the superimposed orders are continued, with pilasters instead of
columns, along the façade that abuts on the side canal.
ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS
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