Middle English Renaissance

One of the most famous English architects to live was Sir Christopher Wren. During his life time he built as many as 52 churches in London after the Great Fire. The Great Fire lasted 4 days in September of 1666 destroyed most of the city. 13,2000 house and 87 churches were taken by the fire. The fire started on Pudding Lane at a bakery owned by Thomas Farriner.

Sir Christopher Wrens most famous work is St. Paul's Cathedral located at the highest point in London. The church was designed in the English Baroque style. The dome feature on the structure is 365 feet tall one of the tallest domes in the world. Until 1962 it was the tallest building in London and remains the second largest church in the United Kingdom. The tallest is the Liverpool Cathedral.

St. Paul's was home to many famous services and events like peace events after each world war, Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria and funerals for people like the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill.

Now when visiting the cathedral you can experience the amazing interiors with a touch screen media tour guide to explain the different features of the building. While on the tour you can see the tombs of the people listed above as well as others. Another favorite of visitors is the Whispering Gallery and the Garden Gallery that has an amazing view of London. 

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b42eSEdEtFs (the whispering gallery)

responses: Emma- I thought it was interesting how you explained the design tastes of Queen Anne. 

Lisa- I like how you included the bit about comfort being a big design focus and how the furniture reflected this. 

Neoclassical

The Petit Trianon is located on at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. IT was designed by Ange Jaques Gabriel for Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour. The structure began being built in 1762 and was finished in 1768. Madame de Pompadour unfortunately died during the building process so it was given to Madame du Barry her successor.

Gardens

In 1774 Louis XVI took the throne at age 20 and ended up giving the land and the buildings on it to Queen Marie Antoinette. The queen used the chateau and the park for her exclusive enjoyment.
The Petit Trinon is a great example of the transition from the Rococo style to the Neo classical style. Marie Antoinette used the Petit Trinon as an escape from her royal responsibilities and their formalities. When not at there she was under constant pressure and judgement by her family and the court.

Post revolution, in 1792 all of the furniture, art work and other valuables of the Petit Trinon were given to auction due to the the over throw of the monarchy. Since the property was now national property there were many changes made to it. In 1801 the land was being used for things like dances and festivals. These sorts of events led to neglect and vandalism. 

Extra Credit : http://www.biography.com/people/marie-antoinette-9398996#synopsis

Responses: 

Scott: I like how Scott mentioned the first use of a hired designer and described what it is they were hired to do exactly. 

Madelyn: I like how Madelyn went into detail about the use of wallpaper instead of tapestries and explained what the motifs looked like. 

French Baroque Period 2 with responses

During the reigns of both Louis XIII and Louis XIV french architecture was classified as the french baroque style. One of the most famous works of this time period was the Palace of Versailles designed by architect Louis Le Vau of Paris, Italy. Along with the grand living for the king and queen he designed thee stone facades of the chateau that face the garden, stables and grand common buildings. The roof of the Palace of Versailles was not like a traditional French slate roof and instead Le Vau designed a roof that was hidden by a balustrade.

Other works done by Le Vau included town houses for the rich parliamentarians. The most famous and expensive of these homes was the Vaux-le-Vicomte. It was designed for Nicolas Fouquet and looks like a smaller Versailles.

Another famous piece of architecture of the time was the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, Italy. It ws first built between 1615-1645 by architect Saloman de Brosse but in later years changes to the original design were made and additions were added. The building is now used for the French Senate of the Fifth Republic, this started in 1958.Architects responsible for the refashion and enlargements were Jean Chalgrim n the years 1835-1856 and Alphonse de Gisors from 1835-1856.

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It3KU87iupw

Responses: 

Angie: I like how Angie discussed the different types of rooms that made up the Vaux-le-Vicomte and the material that made up the furniture made during that time period. 

Savannah: I thought Savannah did a great job of discussing the different works made for each building and the the artist that was responsible and what material each worked with or what type what work they did. 

responses

Angie- I like how Angie mentioned the weather in France and how the structure was built accordingly. 

Rachel- She included so much information in her blog. I thought it was helpful how the bullet points were ordered by years, peoples and events.

French Period

The Chateau de Chambered is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in all of France. It is also the largest Chateau of the Loire Valley. The construction began in 1519 and took twenty-eight years to complete, it was built as a hunting lodge for Francis I. The chateau was designed with many walls, towers, and even has a moat but was never designed with the intention of being a defense against enemies. Other design features include are large open windows, a large outdoor area on the top, 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 84 staircases. Styles from both the Italian and French were used when designing.

The centerpiece of the Chateau is the double helix staircase that is three stories high. Although it has not been confirmed it is said that Leonardo da Vinci designed the staircase for the structure. 

After Francis I died in 1547 the chateau wasn't used for a century. The building was abandoned and started to decay until 1639 when King Louis XIII and his brother Gaston dOrleans started restoring it. They added furnishing fit for the royals and added in 1200 horse stables. The Chateau was then abandoned again in 1685.

extra credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HziwBRrFqY4

responses

Emma- I think Emma chose great example of modern day applications for the Spanish style. They display the simple brick and concrete exteriors like the castles.

Lisa- I like how Lisa went into detail about the interiors of the spanish design like the iron work, plasterwork, and tapestries.

spanish period

The classical Spanish design was influenced by the Moorish, early Christian, midivil and Italian renaissance. Until this unit I had not heard of the Moorish people and was interested in finding out more about them.

During the middle ages the Moors were Muslim people of Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta. The name Moors was applied to those from sub-saharan africa, Arabia, Berber people and Muslim Europeans by medieval and modern Europeans.

In Medival European decor the Moors were often displayed in crowns. There are also instances where the Moors were represented as blindfolded heads, this is said to represent the Moorish emirs who were killed in the 11th century by Peter I.

Moorish architecture is Islamic architecture from North Africa, Spain and Portugal where the Moorish people lived from 711 to 1492. The Alhambra of Grenada and the Giralda in Seville are the best examples of this style. 

Extra credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEseJViidy8