One underlying theme which can be found in the Renaissance era is the bringing of architecture closer to man, and grounding it in more reason. Intellectuals who followed this ideal influenced the whole sphere of architecture with their contributions, with new ways of writing and observing architecture coming about. Design was becoming something for the people, and theory takes a shift more toward them.
One particular idea which perhaps ‘encapsulates the spirit of the Renaissance sensibility’ (Henry, p.70) is the rise of more scientific thinking. “Things were not beautiful because they were outwardly pleasing to behold, but because they were the expression of a system of precise harmonic rules and relationships” (Henry, p.70). Observations were made about the order and numeric relationships which could be found in nature, and it was believed that following such details in art or architecture may bring about work of a higher, divine quality. Moreover, humanity in and of itself was also regarded as an extension of that divinity. “Man is the measure of all things, of existence of all things that are and the nonexistence of all things that are not” (Henry, p.72). From the new perspective of humanism, both our intellect and form gave us chief importance in addition to responsibility. The idea of building around man’s proportions becomes a recurring one, from the famous illustrations of Leonardo da Vinci, to the perception of a building being like an ‘organism’ (Henry, p.78) with limbs and parts each contributing to a greater whole.
Complimenting the rise of humanistic thought, architecture and its principles started to become more accessible to people. Bolognan Sebastiano Serlio was one such writer who wrote ‘for the architect rather than the educated nobility’ (Mallgrave, p.42) in his treatise, wanting the craft to be open to common people and architects alike. Architecture could be more readily understood thanks to his use of imagery and the decision to avoid heavy philosophising, making his work ‘one of the most influential of all publications on architecture’ (Kruft, p. 84). Additionally, he expresses an interest in designing homes for people of lower social status, developing ideas to meet their needs. “He distinguishes several grades of poverty for the various classes, and begins with designs for the lowest social stratum, the poor peasantry” (Kruft, p. 88). He separates himself from the likes of Filarete, who refused to create for people ‘low degree’ (Kruft, p.88). Through this, Serlio expands the profession in both practice and theory.
The Renaissance era was one where the significance of humanity and its place in the world became more prevalent in the minds of architects. This new way of thinking led not only to design becoming more centered around man, by even inspired by he and his very form. It furthermore provided the tools and knowledge necessary to greater understand the world around him. Ultimately, this period saw the profession expanded as more could observe, understand and connect with the built environment in a meaningful way.
Works Cited
“Ordo, fondo et mensura: the Criteria of Architecture” by O.M. Ungers from The
Renaissance from Bruncelleschi to Michelangleo: The Representation of Architecture, Henry A.
Millon, ed. New York: Rizzoli International, 1997. pp 307-317.
“16—Sebastiano Serlio” by Mallgrave, Harry Francis, ed. Architectural
Theory, Volume I: An Anthology from Vitruvius to 1870. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell
Publishing, 2006. P.42.
“6. Sixteenth-Century Codification” by Kruft, Hanno-Walter. A History of Architectural
Theory: From Vitruvius to the Present. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994. pp. 73-
82.
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