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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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INRENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE

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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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Nathalie FloresSarah MarbidaBrandon Martin GarciaRachelle Ann Ramos

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