Renaissance Architecture in Italy: Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Palladio

Renaissance Architecture in Italy

This course will examine the history of Italian Renaissance architecture from its origins in the fifteenth century through its transformation in the sixteenth, featuring the work of its most celebrated exponents: Filippo Brunelleschi, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Andrea Palladio. Throughout the semester, we will explore how and why fifteenth- and sixteenth-century architects and patrons appropriated and interpreted both ancient and medieval forms to create the architectural culture of the Renaissance. We will investigate the revival—and reinterpretation—of the classical architectural language, the emerging notion of architectural authorship, the ability of architectural forms and materials to convey particular meanings to particular audiences, and the deployment of architecture as an instrument of power.

All are welcome; no prior experience with Renaissance studies or architecture expected.