The Italian Art And Rebirth Of Classical Architecture

Italian art and culture changed numerous times throughout history, bringing about some of the world’s most unique and beautiful design concepts. While many marvel at the beauty of magnificent architecture, one-of-a-kind paintings, and breathtaking sculptures, the interiors of these buildings were just as remarkable. Rebirth of classical architecture became prominent along with the notion of an ideal city, where proportions were of the upmost importance. Many early interior architects used patterns and colors, along with strategically placed furniture, to create rooms of unity and proportion. With the architectural rediscovery of classical design, artisans and designers of the time were called upon to create interiors that met those needs.

This period began a trend of prosperous trade and banking which created a strong economy resulting in a great deal of capital. This great wealth was possessed mostly by the Medici, Pitti, and Strozzi families, who used it to collect artwork, fund artists, construct buildings, and ultimately inspire the growth and development of this period. Simultaneously, many forward thinking individuals distinguished by achievement in arts and sciences were born, known as Renaissance men. As a whole, the Renaissance is seen as an era of design, separate from the Middle Ages, where architects would study Roman buildings and strive to surpass those achievements, which resulted in this era becoming the foundation for later stylistic developments.

Renaissance men like Leonardo Di Vinci, an incredible painter, engineer, inventor, and architect, along with Michelangelo, an exquisite painter, sculptor, poet, and arguably the greatest architect throughout history, began this great movement influenced by science,...

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...mage representative of an entire era.

Because classical antiquity was revived during the Italian Renaissance, the practitioners of art and design developed new techniques for developing a structure and paved the way for future designers. Modern interior design practitioners borrow many ideas from these Italian pioneers of art and culture, such as high ceilings, ornate floors, and fresco painted walls, which are design techniques indicative of the Italian Renaissance period (Houzz.com, 2012). Being that each room should coincide with the taste and style of the resident and the cultural norms in the society, designers and architects led the way for a new era where proportion and design of the room were unified as a whole. Pieces of art and furniture of the Italian Renaissance, like the Cassapanca, would be used by artisans of the interior for many decades to come.