The Doge's Palace magnificently displays Venice's own Gothic style, but later work gave it a Renaissance courtyard. How did Italy move on from the Gothic of the great cathedrals of Florence and Milan to re-discover classical form in the age of Brunelleschi and Michelangelo? By examining splendid Italian buildings of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries we will see how Italy had absorbed the essentially external influence of Gothic architecture. San Francesco in Assisi, the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence illustrate its impact on both church and secular building. Re-discovering its own classical forms, we will then see how Brunelleschi's churches in Florence, Federico de Montefeltro's palace in Urbino, Mauro Codussi's work in Venice, and Bramante's in Milan contributed to the Italian Renaissance in architecture.
Course aim
To see how Italy moved on from the Gothic architecture of the great cathedrals of Florence and Milan to re-discover classical form in the age of great Renaissance architects like Brunelleschi and Michelangelo.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- appreciate the forms of Gothic architecture particular to Italy
- track the transformation as architects opened up the new Renaissance style
- understand the external influences which brought the Gothic to Italy
- appreciate how Italian Renaissance architecture influenced wider building in Europe
What else do I need to know?
Nothing more is needed.
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When Gothic Architecture was overtaken by Renaissance in Italy
