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It refers to a re-birth of arts and culture into Europe after the middle Ages that basically passed by without the arts.
Renaissance architects rejected the intricacy and verticality of the Gothic style for the
simplicity and balanced proportions of classicism. Renaissance architecture tends to
feature planar classicism. The walls of a Renaissance building both interior and
exterior are embellished with classical motifs of minor physical depth, such that they
intrude minimally on the two-dimensional appearance of the wall.
The reason why the period is called rebirth is because people started taking an interest
in the learning of ancient times, in particular the learning of Ancient Greece and
Rome. The Renaissance is often said to be the start of the "modern age".
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Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and
early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and
development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and
material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic
architecture and was succeeded by Baroque architecture.
Put another way, the walls of a Renaissance building serve as flat canvases for a
classical veneer. This contrasts sharply with Baroque architecture, in which walls are
deeply curved and sculpted.
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The period of European history referred to as the Renaissance, spanned from the 14th
to the 16th centuries, was a time of great social and cultural change in Europe. It was
a period characterized by innovation, imagination and creativity. The Renaissance
was also a time during which Europe's classical past was revisited and reinvigorated.
Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the
regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of classical antiquity and in particular ancient roman architecture, of which many examples
remained. Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of
semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, nitches and aedicules replaced the more
complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings.
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As in painting, Renaissance architecture took
some time to reach the Netherlands and did not
entirely supplant the Gothic elements. An architect
directly influenced by the Italian masters
was Cornelis Floris De Vriendt, who designed
the City hall Antwerp.
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The City Hall of Antwerp, Belgium stands on the western side of
Antwerp's Grote Markt (Great Market Square).
It was built between 1561 and 1564. Most importantly the city hall is layered horizontally
and is characterized by the superposition of the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian colons. The
middle ressault is still inspired on the old gothic towers and breaks the horizontality of
the building and distinguishes the facade from specific Italian renaissance buildings.
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In the 16th century, the municipal authorities proposed to replace Antwerp's small
medieval town hall with a more imposing structure befitting the prosperity of the great port city. Domien de Waghemakere drafted a plan for a new building in a style typical of
the monumental Gothic town halls of Flanders and Brabant.
But an atmosphere of war prevented any progress on the project. The building material
intended for the city hall was instead used to shore up the city defenses. Not until about 1560 were new plans developed, but meanwhile Gothic architecture was no longer
fashionable, so this time the new town hall was designed in the new Renaissance style.
Completed in 1565, the building lasted hardly a decade before being burnt to a shell in
the Spanish fury of 1576. It was repaired three years later.
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Renovations during the late 19th century by Pierre
Bruno De Bourla drastically modified the interior.
Much of the stately decor dates from this period, as
does a roof over what was once an open-air inner courtyard.
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Leiven de Key and Hendrick de keyser are two important architects
at the end of the sixteenth century and in the first decade of the seventeenth
century. Hendrick de keyser in Amsterdam and Lieven de Key in Haarlem. In
the works of these architects can be seen the transition from sixteenth century
playful mannerism to the more rigorous architecture of seventeenth century.
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Lieven de key was a famous Dutch renaissance architect. In 1597 his work
started on the new city hall of Leiden, a monumental renaissance facade was designed. The building was meant to represent the great wealth the city had
achieved following an economic boom after the siege of Leiden (1574) was lifted.
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The Town Hall, LEIDEN
In the 14th century the city got its own town hall. In 1595, the Haarlem civic architect
Lieven de Key was asked to design a new façade for it, that would fit with Leiden’s newly
acquired status. De Key designed one of the most imposing Dutch Renaissance façades.
The remarkably long façade is topped with three ornamented gables. A very wide and
high stoop leads to the central entrance.
In the 17th century the interior was remodeled. Tragically, a great fire on February 12,
1912 utterly destroyed the building, as well as many priceless works of art. The city council
ordered the town hall to be rebuilt in 1934. The architect C. J. Blaauw reconstructed the
original façade and placed a modern building behind it. It was a complex task and ironically, the exact opposite of the assignment given to Lieve de Key.
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Another is Hendrick De Keyser who plays an
important role in developing the Amsterdam
Renaissance style in the early 17th century Dutch
Republic, not slavishly following the classical style but
incorporating many decorative elements, giving a
result that could also be categorized as Mannerism.
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The Bartolotti House
One of the most impressive stepped gables
in Dutch Renaissance style is that of the Bartolotti House. The house was built to the
design of Hendrick de Keyser in the years 1618-
1621. It was commissioned by the beer brewer
Willem van den Heuvel, who had inherited his uncle Bartolotti’s firm in Bologna on the
condition that he would adopt his uncle’s last
name.
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The façade is a rich and playful whole of
classical motives. A house of such grandeur had not been built in Amsterdam up till then.
In order to avoid severe criticism from
orthodox Calvinists, Bartolotti had two labels
placed on the house: ‘ingenio ed assiduo
labore’ and ‘religione et probitate’. With
these words he made clear that his fortune
was justly earned.
The Bartolotti House
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The Weighing House
Opposite to the Statencollege stands the
weighing house. The weighing house was built
in the years 1608-1609 to the design of
Hendrick de Keyser, the renowned Amsterdam
architect. The building is in the style of the
Dutch Renaissance.
The scales on which goods were weighed are
preserved. On marked days they would be
shoved outside and cheese, butter, meat and
other products would be weighed and taxed.
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Hans Vredeman de Vries was another
important name, primarily as a garden architect.
Vredeman de Vries is known for his publication in 1583 on garden design and his books with many
examples on ornaments (1565)
and perspective (1604). Vredeman De Vries were
very important in disseminating Cornelis Floris De
Vriendt’s Style. From 1565 until his death in 1606, Vredeman De Vries published many series of prints
and books, which were dispersed over the whole
of northern Europe.
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