Andrea Palladio: biography, works

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The greatest Italian architect Andrea Palladio, even after 500 years, remains an example to follow and admire. His influence on world architecture cannot be overestimated; the Palladian style is the only one in the world that bears the name of an individual master. The master had many successes and discoveries, his life was not simple, but harmonious, like his buildings.

Family and childhood

November 30, 1508 in the family of a simple miller in the city of Padua, a boy was born, they named him Andrea, from his father he received a middle name - Pietro, and a surname - della Gondola. Times were tough on children, the poor did not have to go to school, since they had to work from childhood. Moreover, the boy remains an orphan, and he has to earn a piece of bread himself. Andrea, at the age of 13, became an assistant in the stone carver's workshop. There he will get the first practical experience in stone processing, learned about its capabilities, which was useful to him in the future. Working conditions were slave, and after a while Andrea escapes to Vicenza, wheregets a job as an apprentice in the studio of famous sculptors. So he gets into the circle of people who will determine his fate.

Becoming a profession

At first, he masters the profession of a stonecutter, draws up friezes and capitals. His employers help him join the masons' guild and he gets a steady income. In Vicenza, he gains access to a circle of people close to art, and becomes close to the humanist Giangiorgio Trissino, who is imbued with the fate of an orphan and takes on the role of his mentor and patron. It is he who insists that Andrea study the monuments of Greek and Roman architecture, get acquainted with the culture of antiquity. Andrea studies the writings of Vitruvius, as well as various treatises on art and architecture. He travels around Italy, examines, sketches and even measures the outstanding monuments of ancient architecture, visits Croatia and France. Trissino became the first customer of the future architect and insisted that he take a more harmonious name and become Andrea Palladio, in honor of Pallas Athena. Andrea becomes an architect only at the age of 30, but by this time he has a rich knowledge of the principles of ancient architecture.

In 1534, Trissino entrusted his ward with the work on his own villa, so Palladio's first work appeared - Villa Cricoli in the center of Vicenza. The first work, as well as the numerous acquaintances that Andrea acquired through the patronage of Trissino, open the way for the young architect toprofession.

First successes

In the next 10 years, Andrea Palladio builds villas, one building takes about 2-3 years, the architect not only creates the project, but also supervises the construction of the structure and landscape design. From the very beginning of his career, Palladio has been implementing his own principles, he adheres to the idea that the building should look like a whole, combined with the territory and surroundings. He carefully thought over the points of inspection of his structures, he had a true urban vision. Since 1540, he has received several orders in succession to create a palazzo, which is an important step in the crystallization of the Palladio style.

In 1545, an architect wins a competition for a project to reconstruct the town hall building in Vicenza. The old building was dilapidated and was not enough for the needs of the city. Andrea proposes a radical restructuring, creating two-tier arches, using the order not as part of the decor, but as the most important structural element. This allows him to create a harmonious composition of the building and increase the usable area. Beauty is closely intertwined with practicality. The building today is a UNESCO protected site and an important decoration of the city. This project makes Andrea famous, and he can claim to fulfill the largest orders.

City of Andrea Palladio

The architect wanted to work in the capital, but his relationship with Venice was difficult. Although he was able to erect several very significant buildings there. But he himself did not suspect that his trueglory will be another city. Few architects are fortunate enough to become the progenitors of the urban concept. Andrea Palladio, whose biography is firmly connected with Vicenza, got such a chance. During his life, he created in this city and its environs many luxurious buildings that make up the glory of this place and attract tourists from all over the world. The street named after him, Corso Andrea Palladio, is an exhibition of his creations. Here he was able not only to embody the talent of an architect, but also to work as the creator of the city. The layout of the street and the two main squares were given by him and designed for human perception. The buildings amaze with their harmony, grandeur and thoughtfulness of details. Vicenza was a real gift for the architect, here he was able to realize many plans, although some of them remained unfinished after his death in 1580. Some of the buildings were completed by his students. But in general, the city embodies the greatness of the architect, it is not for nothing that every novice architect strives to Vicenza to see this classic with his own eyes.

Main buildings and legacy of the architect

Andrea Palladio, whose works constitute the golden fund of late Renaissance architecture, left a significant legacy to posterity. Among his most significant projects are the Villa Rotona, the Basilica of Palladio, the church in Venice of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Olimpico Theatre, and the Loggia del Capagno. The architecture of Andrea Palladio is distinguished by solemnity, a thoughtful continuation of ancient principles and traditions. In total, after the architect, more than 80 buildings of various sizes remained throughout Italy.

Exceptbuildings, the architect left a legacy in the form of the monumental work "Four Books on Architecture" and several treatises on the architectural monuments of the Ancient World. These books became textbooks for many generations of architects and played a paramount role in the development of great styles: baroque and classicism.

Palladio's influence on world architecture

The work of Andrea Palladio left an indelible mark on world architecture. Today, buildings in the classical style, which was formed thanks to Palladio, are in all developed countries. Andrea Palladio, whose brief biography fits in two words: "Palladian style", became the founder of a whole direction of "the name of himself", which has never happened in the history of architecture. European architecture of the 17th-18th centuries was created under the direct impression of the works of Palladio and on the basis of his principles.

Palladio and Russia

Andrea Palladio left his mark in Russian architecture. Two of his passionate followers, Giacomo Quarenghi and Charles Kamerno, shaped the face of the northern capital in the 17th century. Later, Russian architects, who absorbed the principles of Palladio, built a huge number of buildings in the classical style in Moscow and many other cities. The latest surge of interest in the legacy of Andrea Palladio is the Stalinist Empire style, which is based on its aesthetic principles.