This week's topic of study is a stylistic, intellectual, engineering, social and cultural vaulting forward the Baroque.
As we move closer to the end of the semester - and continue moving towards more contemporary history - the 'echoes' of design ideas will start to have more notable implications on the city around you. We have been looking for these echoes all semester long, and will continue to, but where the echoes may have been traces they will become more pronounced, and can be interpreted in increasingly different ways.
To further add to the stew of history, layers of time, design and thought each contemporary time period builds on it's own interpretations of the past. Just as the Romans built up from Greek and Etruscan culture, just as Medieval cities organized themselves around the bones of the Roman Empire, and the Renaissance revitalized and re-engineered itself - the Baroque took the flourish and energy of knowledge found in the Renaissance and in a critical mass of design, art, skill, talent, and exuberance applied the eras of the past, reinterpreted and expounded on them. This period in history saw ideals of design formulated in the Renaissance promulgate across western culture, seeding cities with ideas. However these ideas where most prominently enacted in buildings, sculptures, monuments, highlights of thought speckling the landscape of the city. The Baroque (in addition to being characterized by the lavish detailing of its architecture and art) saw the application of ideas not just scattered but spread across broad swaths of numerous cities and towns. The Renaissance renewed the sense that thought and planning could effect and shape spaces - the Baroque saw this rigor applied in a modern sense at a new level.
Rome, our old friend, serving yet again as our experimental barometer of city design, saw it's landscape transformed yet again during the Baroque period. There are various examples to choose from but perhaps the most approachable transformation is the landmark of St. Peter's Bascilica.
The building that stands today was conceived of in the mind of a very Renaissance Michelangelo, which was transformed as it was built and completed into the image which has lasted until today with it's very Baroque fronting piazza.
This urban space creates a very important clearing and gateway - breathing room between the fervor of the streets and the church entry but at the same time does not separate it from the city instead lacing it into the neighborhood. This idea, and design was brought about by one of the most Baroque minds, perhaps of all, Bernini. While we are discussing St. Peter's let us not forget to mention Moderno's facade a design with a foot in both worlds which translates between the two designs (piazza + basilica), minds (Michelangelo + Bernini), and eras (Renascence + Baroque).
Baroque is best understood by being in the space and moving through the spaces as it is made up of shifting proportions, three dimensional sculptures and buildings which push and pull at the streetscape. Architectural visualist Piranesi (whose work we have seen earlier) published a series of very famous veduta or 'Views' of the city of Rome - a kind of Google Street View of his own day. Look at this example of St Peter's, below:
Google Street View allows us the power to 'walk' around in many of these spaces and expeirence Baroque space the way it was intended - by moving through it in a constantly changing and designed urban perspective.
Here are some suggested spaces to help you formulate your answers for the lecture - Hint tour the spaces on your computer, and utilize them as a reference or other spaces in your answers!
Your well known weekly task: read through lecture 16 and its questions + engage with your classmates, per our standard terms.
Please post your answer, in a well written paragraph(s) to the question in the lecture here at this post.
All comments are due by Monday March 28th.
As we move closer to the end of the semester - and continue moving towards more contemporary history - the 'echoes' of design ideas will start to have more notable implications on the city around you. We have been looking for these echoes all semester long, and will continue to, but where the echoes may have been traces they will become more pronounced, and can be interpreted in increasingly different ways.
To further add to the stew of history, layers of time, design and thought each contemporary time period builds on it's own interpretations of the past. Just as the Romans built up from Greek and Etruscan culture, just as Medieval cities organized themselves around the bones of the Roman Empire, and the Renaissance revitalized and re-engineered itself - the Baroque took the flourish and energy of knowledge found in the Renaissance and in a critical mass of design, art, skill, talent, and exuberance applied the eras of the past, reinterpreted and expounded on them. This period in history saw ideals of design formulated in the Renaissance promulgate across western culture, seeding cities with ideas. However these ideas where most prominently enacted in buildings, sculptures, monuments, highlights of thought speckling the landscape of the city. The Baroque (in addition to being characterized by the lavish detailing of its architecture and art) saw the application of ideas not just scattered but spread across broad swaths of numerous cities and towns. The Renaissance renewed the sense that thought and planning could effect and shape spaces - the Baroque saw this rigor applied in a modern sense at a new level.
Rome, our old friend, serving yet again as our experimental barometer of city design, saw it's landscape transformed yet again during the Baroque period. There are various examples to choose from but perhaps the most approachable transformation is the landmark of St. Peter's Bascilica.
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| Variations on the design of St Peter's Basilica in Rome from it's initial planning to final form, through the hands of various designers. |
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| Superimposed images showing he various uses and changes that have be built over the course of Rome's history - including etruscans, roman republic, roman empire, the first edition of St Peter's, and the current, Baroque space that currently occupies the space - Normally we think of cities as static and unchanging, when in fact they are slowly and constantly evolving! |
Baroque is best understood by being in the space and moving through the spaces as it is made up of shifting proportions, three dimensional sculptures and buildings which push and pull at the streetscape. Architectural visualist Piranesi (whose work we have seen earlier) published a series of very famous veduta or 'Views' of the city of Rome - a kind of Google Street View of his own day. Look at this example of St Peter's, below:
Google Street View allows us the power to 'walk' around in many of these spaces and expeirence Baroque space the way it was intended - by moving through it in a constantly changing and designed urban perspective.
Here are some suggested spaces to help you formulate your answers for the lecture - Hint tour the spaces on your computer, and utilize them as a reference or other spaces in your answers!
- Piazza Navona (the shape of the former Roman circus track that existed there, noted for it's church facade and fountains)
- Piazza del Popolo (Piazza of the People, entrance to Rome from the north)
- Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of the Angels)
- Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain - a ceremonial and celebratory fountain - a Baroque take on the town well)
- Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps, another well known frequently photographed landmark)
Your well known weekly task: read through lecture 16 and its questions + engage with your classmates, per our standard terms.
Please post your answer, in a well written paragraph(s) to the question in the lecture here at this post.
All comments are due by Monday March 28th.
25 comments:
The Baroque period was described in the reading as "as if, but not quite." This means that things would appear perfect, but in fact aren't. Many "perfect" things such as circle-shaped areas and statues placed in the exact center were replaced by oval-shaped areas and obelisks or sculptures placed off-center. The reported reasoning of this was to challenge the intellect, add tension to the environment and stimulate reflection. A good example of this, seen in the Google Street View options, was the Spanish steps, also known as the Piazza di Spagna. The steps up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art are very similar and have many Baroque elements.
The Piazza di Spagna was placed by Pope Sixtus V in order to unify three separate areas, Strada Felice, Via Del Babuino, and lead to Piazza del Popolo. This was not achieved with perfect lines or a centered organization, but with steps that angle in towards the top and highlight the building and trees at the top as well as the fountain at the bottom. The steps up toward the Art Museum in Philadelphia do the same thing. Although the steps are not perfectly aligned with other elements such as the opening toward the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, they help to connect two separate places, the art museum and the Parkway so they can all be considered Fairmont Park.
Another element of the Baroque period was utilizing open space to connect areas and allow for breathing room. An example listed in the blog is the open space outside of St. Peter's Bascilica in Rome. Though the building itself is elaborately designed, there is a large open space outside with a statue in the center. This juxtaposition of open and full space adds tension to the area that works to highlight both spaces. In the same way, the walk between the steps and the museum is flat and empty.
Once someone climbs the steps to the Art Museum, they are in a large empty space with a fountain in the middle. The lecture spoke on the use of water in the Baroque period, and how architects at the time utilized fountains often because of the fascinating physics of water. In the same way, the Museum of Art in Philadelphia has the fountain in the center of the empty space to draw everyone toward it. Also, just as St. Peter's utilizes empty space to draw juxtaposition, there is a large empty spot at the bottom of the steps between the Parkway and the museum. This spot has a statue, two fountains, the two lines of trees and a wonderful view of the Philadelphia skyline. This was clearly intentional, utilizing the high ground at the top of the steps by ensuring there is empty space below to view the many different interesting visuals available. Just as the architects in the Baroque period used a theory of "as if, but not quite" to bring contrast to a space, the architecture of the Museum of Art uses negative space to bring tension to the environment that draws the viewer's attention.
Woojae H.
Responding to Lecture 16
I have found some places in Philadelphia that appear similar to those places that are mentioned in the lecture post on the blog. First, Piazza Navona can be compared to the City Hall of the city of Philadelphia. The outer sculpture of the two buildings look very much alike. Also, the surrounding atmospheres of the two buildings look very alike. Those two buildings are located in front of large street where a lot of people move by, and those two buildings are alike in a way that in those areas those two buildings attract a lot of attention by being the biggest and the most appealing buildings around the area.
Secondly, I would like to write about Fontana di Trevi. I have found that there is a fountain in Philadelphia which is called Swann Memorial Fountain. Those two fountains look very alike with those animated sculptures built in the centers of those fountains. Swann Memorial Fountain is a fountain located in Logan Circle in Philadelphia.
Lastly, I have found Philadelphia Museum of Art to possess a lot of similarity with Piazza di Spagna. The main characteristic of these two may be those steps that attract people’s attention that reach high up to the buildings from the bottom. We can certainly find that when we look at the photos of Philadelphia Museum of Art, and we can find the same from Piazza di Spagna.
This week, we were asked to find any places in Philadelphia that remind us of those ideas of the Baroque period. I tried to compare those places given as examples in the lecture post with any places in Philadelphia that can be compared with. I was able to find some places to compare with and as a result I came to a conclusion that there certainly exist buildings that look similar and places that look similar to those from the Baroque period in Philadelphia.
The Baroque period had particular aspects which made it unique. For instance, its architecture adopted ideas of the Renaissance period. Religion was quite visible in the architecture and the aesthetic component ensured that the streets were effectively aligned to the ideals of Rome. The period also ensured that space was effectively utilized. The city of Philadelphia exhibited similar attributes, in which space was effectively used to diminish crowding. The ideas of the Baroque period were utilized in the establishment of the city of Philadelphia, although some differences existed.
Considering the Baroque period, architects were so much concerned about the use of space to take into consideration a lot of Christian pilgrimages. During the period, the Catholic Church desired to counter the reformation wave. Structures of the time in this sense portrayed these ideologies. The streets, sidewalks and the porticoes of buildings became spaces that would be used to showcase such ideas. The Baroque period was also considered as a time in which change took place, in the sense that there was a re-adaptation of ideas and new civilization, which was distinct from spiritual matters, was esteemed. The architecture of the time in this sense was full of drama. A consideration of the city of Philadelphia shows that it focused more on the issue of the environment rather than religion. This view suggests that Philadelphia may have differed from the ideas of the Baroque period. The city of Philadelphia’s semblance to the period of Baroque in this sense was in aspects of space. Other aspects of semblance included a drive for perfection. During the Baroque period, architects strived for perfection, although it was seldom achieved. Circles appeared perfect and were placed at exact centers. In Philadelphia, perfection was achieved through the development of lines that seemed to align well with other elements.
In essence, it is easy to identify some aspects of the Baroque period in the city of Philadelphia. Distinctions existed in the foundations of ideas. Religious sentiments and civilization seldom characterized the architecture of the city of Philadelphia. As such, the city of Philadelphia was planned by secular architects, which was quite different with the practice during the Baroque period. It was rather easy to notice architects such as Pope Sixtus V influencing the planning of cities during the time of the Baroque. Perhaps this influence is the reason the architecture strove for perfection, although it was seldom achieved. Conversely, a reminder of the Baroque period in the city of Philadelphia existed in aspects such as the use of fountains. The Baroque period employed empty spaces that had a fountain in the middle. Water in this sense was considered as an offering, a fascinating view. In Philadelphia, the use of the fountain was also used. Empty spaces were filled with fountains, and this enabled people to move towards it easily.
In conclusion, religion was a driving idea during the Baroque period. The city of Philadelphia was, however, quite different and seldom employed religion in its architecture. Similarities existed in the way space was used. Circles and straight lines that were almost perfect defined the architecture. Moreover, the application of fountains to fill space in the city of Philadelphia exemplified similarities with the ideas established during the time of the Baroque.
Woojae H.
Responding to Lecture 16
I have already posted a comment for this week’s discussion. However, I would like to add a little more to it because I was concerned if my comment was insufficient. I have focused on comparing those buildings or spaces mentioned with links on the lecture with those we can find in Philadelphia. Despite the fact that the question from the lecture was asking us students to find those spaces and buildings in Philadelphia to discuss about the ideas of the Baroque period, I suppose that I paid too much attention on just comparing those from the lecture with those in Philadelphia. Therefore, I would like to write a little bit more for each couples of comparisons that I wrote for my previous comment for this week.
First, I have written that the City Hall in the city of Philadelphia appear similar to me with Piazza Navona both having huge sizes compared to buildings around it and having animated sculptures on their exteriors. I suppose that the ideas of the Baroque period we can find from looking at the City Hall are having animated sculptures on buildings exteriors and building architectures in sizes. As a result of being big and having sculptured exterior, the City Hall attracts a lot of people’s attention as they move around in the city of Philadelphia.
Next, I would like to add a little bit more on my comparison between Fontana di Trevi with Swann Memorial Fountain. Swann Memorial Fountain is the one that I found to possess some qualities to write about discussing about the ideas of the Baroque period located in the city of Philadelphia. Like Fontana di Trevi, we can see a lot of sculptures located in the center of the fountain. Ironically, sculptures from both fountains appear to be muscular male lying on the ground looking at the sky. I suppose that the idea of the Baroque period we can think of from Swann Memorial Fountain is the idea that people from the Baroque period enjoyed building architectures with animated sculptures to give architectures to have more appealing effects.
Lastly, I have found Philadelphia Museum of Art to write about because I found it to be the perfect example to compare with Piazza di Spagna. What caught my eyes was the stairs we can see from both. I suppose that the idea of the Baroque period we can think of from this example is that people from the Baroque period had tendency to build architectures in large sizes. Also, I suppose that a lot of stairs and the buildings located at the top altogether create sort of tension to visitors who look at the buildings from the bottom.
To conclude, I suppose I was successful on adding some notes for this week’s comment. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Steffanie M.
Lecture 16
Like everyone else when asked where in the city of Philadelphia is there a building/space which reminds me the most of the Baroque period? My answer is the Philadelphia museum of Art, its surrounding site, extending down Benjamin Franklin Pkwy to JFK plaza. While the Museum itself is clearly neo-classical in design, it is the overall design of the parkway which is so obviously baroque in style.
The nature of the various parks lends itself to a more French baroque style with expansive parks/gardens that were part of the palace designs, rather than Roman baroque. And the use of a wide boulevard to connect several parks/plazas was used in several other cities including Washington DC, which as I mentioned in a prevision paper was designed as a combination of a rational grid pattern and a Baroque style by the French engineer L’Enfant towards the end of the baroque movement.
Overall in the baroque style of city planning we see an emphasis on open spaces in addition to buildings, as well as connecting those spaces both visually as well as by direct travel route. In Washington DC, you see the various plazas and squares surrounded by buildings connected to one another by a boulevard ignoring the rational geometric street system, with each plaza marked by some form of visual marker. In Rome we see the same thing, the various plazas being connected via a wide clear boulevard, visually marked with an obelisk or statue and generally flanked by a building of some importance and visual appeal. A fine example of this is Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Venezia, connected by Via del Corso.
The Benjamin Franklin Pkwy serves in the exact same way, ignoring the more rational grid street, it cuts through the city connecting JFK plaza, which abuts City Hall along the NW/SE axis of the parkway; with Logan square, which of course is one of the four squares marking the boundries of the orginal city and is flanked by the Franklin institute and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The Parkway continues onto Eakins oval where it ends, but following along the imaginary line that makes up its axis we are taken through the park right to the footsteps of the Philadelphia museum of Art.
Baroque architecture is extremely complex, having been developed from the preceding Renaissance era, famous in history for its intellectual richness. The Renaissance was a refinement and rebirth of logical and artistic ideas. Once these ideas had been completely reestablished in culture, the subsequent designers of the world had the opportunity to toy with them beyond the ordered logic of their existence; their work became greater than the sum of its parts.
The Baroque challenged the mind by acknowledging the established order of the Renaissance and intentionally breaking such order. It used forced perspective to make things appear larger or small than they really were. It bent the ideal form of the circle often into an oval, implying a design mindset that could go beyond the rigidity of simple forms. It also took advantage of open spaces, or voids, by breaking them with free standing structures and statues. These principles were influential and can still be found in cities today.
One space in Philadelphia that uses some Baroque principles is 30th Street Station. While the building itself does utilize rectilinear forms and angles, which does not necessarily indicate Baroque principles, the way one perceives the space is very much in line with the awe inspiring approaches and sequences found in Baroque Rome. Initially, when approaching the station from Center City, its wings are obscured by the skyscrapers along JFK Boulevard. As observers become closer, the size of the building seems to expand. Its columns are out of touch with human scale, thus throwing off how one might sense the size of the building. On the interior, the main concourse is massive. Its largely unbroken vertical height is awe inspiring and its scale is difficult to distinguish. Furthermore, a large, free standing statue of an angel holding up a fallen man now stands off center in the middle of the concourse.
Another space that does so is City Hall. While my classmates have mentioned several ways in which this space utilizes Baroque elements, one that I would like to mention is the implementation of the relatively new subway entrance on the west side of the site. These structures emphasize the approach to City Hall, as they seem to jut out of the ground with swooping angles and their glass structures allow observers glimpses of the building from above as they move up the stairs. Once above ground, observers are afforded near perfect sight lines in many directions emanating away from City Hall towards the rest of the city. This emphasis on approach and a visual connection between major landmarks in Philadelphia echoes Pope Sixtus V's efforts to unify the city of Rome with a distinguished path.
Hong Woojae made a great point about Swann Memorial Fountain. Specifically, his note on the animated sculptures and how the Baroque period utilized them. The lecture spoke on the Baroque architects' appreciation for water and how they used it in their architecture. The combination of sculptures and a unique manipulation of water is a great example of how the Baroque period stretched the conventions introduced by Renaissance architects.
Swann Memorial Fountain also serves an important role in the spacial design of the top of the steps at the Museum of Art. If someone were to turn around and look toward the Philadelphia skyline, the Swann Memorial fountain is slightly off-center and yet the focus of the viewer's attention. The use of negative space toward Benjamin Franklin Parkway allowed for an open perspective of the trees, the skyline, and the fountain. That view was clearly intentional, created out of the spacial design to highlight features that already exist in the space around it.
Phil S.
Response to Lecture 16:
When asked to consider which parts of Philadelphia mirror aspects of Roman Baroque design and architecture, the first thing that came to mind was the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Parkway, which was originally designed to connect people in the center-most part of Philadelphia to the then less-built-up Fairmount Park/Art Museum Area,is very similar to the plans for the Strata Felice that were proposed by Pope Sixtus V. Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was proposed and built in the first 2 decades of the 20th Century, was meant to be a grand boulevard that would connect many of Philadelphia's historical institutions, like Love Park, The Free Library, and many of the attractions associated with Logan Circle, Eakins Oval, The Art Museum, and Fairmount Park.
Similarly, Strata Felice was designed to connect Santa Cruce in Gerusalemme to the central area of the Piazza del Popolo, while incorporating elements like the Santa Maria Maggiore and the St. Peters. And, just like the founders of Benjamin Franklin Parkway encountered difficulties in their plan, so did Pope Sixtus V in completing Strata Felice. While Sixtus V was forced to terminate his Strata Felice in front of Santa Trinita del Montei instead of the proposed Piazza de Puopolo, Greber, the creator of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, had to find a way to incorporate Logan Square into his design. While earlier designs either ignored Logan square or called for the roads to go directly through it, Greber proposed transforming it into a circle, with the roads going around it in a grand, French-inspired design.
In response to lecture 16
Philadelphia, in its short history, has expanded in multiple directions, often simultaneously. As a result strange spaces of tension and uncertainty can be found around the city. One of the most prominent examples is Eastern State Penitentiary in relation to the modern street grid layout of the city. The Penitentiary was built on the true north orientation which makes sense because the area of the city that it calls home was, at the time, rural countryside. The modern street grid layout, on the other hand, follows the magnetic north orientation. As a result the penitentiary seems to be twisting the city grid against its will. The north and west side host green spaces not previously designed by either the city nor penitentiary officials. Additionally, the south and west sides reorient the streets on those sides in an awkward fashion. This location, although unplanned, is indicative of the Baroque area in which the building seems to be in animation, creating spaces by being slightly off axis to the city grid. It challenges our understanding of the grid system and makes us question it in regards to the building’s placement in the city.
Responding to lecture 16
I do not really know that which building in Philadelphia is exactly built by following Baroque style, but many buildings in Philly seems like using some elements from the Baroque period and the ideas of Baroque style. The building I want to talk about is the City Hall.
Many classmates have already mentioned this building and talked about it. Woojae H. talked about the location and function of the city hall compared to Piazza Navona. Daniel K mentioned: “the implementation of the relatively new subway entrance on the west side of the site” which is the steps in front of the City Hall facing the market street.
I agree with all my classmates what they discussed about the City Hall. The first feeling the City Hall gave me when I first came to this city is spectacular and kind of gorgeous. It also made me feel serious and nervous. The first element the lecture taught is axis and symmetric. If you looked at the sky view of the City Hall, you can see it is symmetrical by the north and south broad street. The building can be cut into half by broad street and the left side and the right side look the same. It has large inside square spaces for breath. The sculptures on the outside walls are beautiful especially the sculpture of William Penn at the top of the building. Because of all these, it attracts huge amount of people to visit and becomes the first sight view of people when they walking down to the downtown of Philadelphia.
In considering a specific area of Philadelphia I have noticed that while I find no specific Baroque styling I do find the metaphorical aspect is still alive in Rittenhouse Square. The Baroque era emphasized on dramatizing evolved ideas of the Renaissance and creating an illusion of perfection that is always slightly off in reality. There was movement and flow between public spaces and the same can be said in Rittenhouse Square. The diagonal pathways lead to the oval center just as we see many oval forms within Baroque works rather than the mathematically perfect circle. The reflecting pool and statues within Rittenhouse Square dramatize and change the way we move and act within the space. The reflection pool intertwines this Baroque fascination with fountains and water as well as includes William Penn's own ideas of including nature and water within his public squares.
We see this same use of water, art, and nature combined as one when viewing the Trevi Fountain. I was most surprised when viewing this place on Google not because of the art itself but because of the way people were utilizing the space. It is very much a tourist attraction to some but I was also able to see some people relaxing or just enjoying the fountains view sitting along the side much like you would see at the reflection pool in Rittenhouse Square. You can eat lunch at the fountain or just marvel at its beauty. It was interesting to see how the sculptures define the space around it. It is a very Baroque sense to be able to walk around and interact with the dramatic art surrounding you just as people are still doing today at the Trevi Fountain and in an art enriched place like Rittenhouse Square.
Lecture 16
An aspect of Philadelphia that reminds me of the ideas of the Baroque period is Eakins Oval, the area southeast of the PMA. I believe that this space mimics the Baroque idea of forced perspective and the manipulation of space to achieve illusionary effects. As you leave the museum you Center City lines up perfectly with the view through Eakins Oval. This view not only serves to connect the points of Center City and Fairmount Park but also creates a long, dramatized space.
This area reminds me of how the area of Capitoline Hill is set up to engage the space as a whole but is really drawing attention to Piazza del Campidoglio at the top. Similar to this Eakins Oval is helping to dramatize the space so that the PMA can truly shine. They even use similar horizontal elements to emphasize the central building (The rows of trees in Eakins Oval and the two buildings that sit on either side of the central building on Piazza del Campidoglio)
In response to Daniel C.
The way you describe the space around Eastern State is entirely accurate. It's interesting that you relate it to the Baroque period in such a creative way as well. I find that whenever I'm walking to the PMA and I take Corinthian St. I get turned around by not only the strange shape of the street but the sudden change in architecture as well. Eastern State clashes pretty well against ritzy Fairmount.
In response to David G. I would have to agree the Eakins Oval displays the very Baroque ideals of forced perspective and how we use dramatize these illusions to change the way we move through spaces. Like Steffanie M. also noted this use of the oval determines how many move throughout the city and end up approaching the art museum. I also find that the overall landscape and ground of the art museum very Baroque in its layout and plan. The large fountain one approaches as Craig W. pointed it is a focal point again utilizing the Baroque ideals of using water as an art form and using it to further manipulate dramatic illusions. The Baroque ideals of creating aesthetic and transforming public spaces and how we use them is key to the function and planning of both the Art Museum grounds and Eakins Oval and the grid that encompasses it. It is a breaking off from the rest of the city grid and dramatizes the way we travel through the space and unifies the area as well as defining it.
In response to Craig W.
I agree with Craig's Baroque ideals of forced perspective. His paper created the impression that the architecture of Philadelphia wholly resembled the ideas of the period of Baroque. However, he should describe more about to make a detailed analysis of how the city went beyond the spiritual aspects that were highly esteemed during the Baroque period.
Lecture 16
Certain aspects of Philadelphia embody some ideas and characteristics of the Baroque period such as planning around architectural concepts of axis and symmetry, animated architecture, and movement and volume. Although the style of Baroque architecture may not be seen in the city buildings, Philadelphia exudes excitement and a spirit of growth and integration. City Hall for example lies in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, and William Penn standing at the top, can be seen from many parts of the city. The sight of the statue from different viewpoints on the streets of Philadelphia reveal a significance of City Hall as it stands at the convergence of overlapping streets as the center of gravity.
As previously mentioned by my classmates, the area that includes Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Eakins Oval, and the Art Museum, also displays ideas from the Baroque period. Similar to the Fontana di Trevi and Piazza Navona, the Philadelphia space creates movement and volume by adding innovating artworks to the surrounding area, as well as utilizing water fountains. This restless space continues to grow in forms of transportation and renovated buildings and businesses.
I agree with Cathy N. and her observations of City Hall in that there is a forced illusion regarding the statue of William Penn. There is also the idea of aesthetic and illusion approaching city hall down broad street. The perspective as you approach closer is intimidating as the traffic then reverts from the grid around the building. This planning creates a central public space surrounding City Hall itself and furthermore the building itself seems to increase in volume and scale as you approach it and then see the intricate detail of the exterior. There is a very Baroque sense of intimidation and drama set in the way we approach and move around the ground space and exterior of City Hall.
Lecture 16
After reading this lecture there is nothing more Baroque in style then that of the Benjamin Parkway. To start, in lecture Pope Sixtus V and Architect-Planner Domenico Fontana were the ideal baroque designers of there age and during there time one of there design aspects of a city was to integrate a new road system into thy existing one that would connect key points in the city. One of the most key point in Philadelphia is the Philadelphia Art Museum which is directly connected to Logan Square and ends right before City Hall at JFK Plaza. These three essential Philly landmarks are a part of history and therefor should be connected in a grand way just like that of any other Baroque design. These three landmarks were at one time never connected in such a straight forward way. Designed by Jacques Greber, and this idea sought to ease traffic of center city by bulldozing through the existing grids of the city and creating one direct connection. Just like this Leonardo Da Vinci also had a bulldozing like idea where he would clear existing areas, usually inhabited by shops and house, and create new geometry's through the existing grids all to accelerate traffic. Both in doing so destroyed entire communities just for the sake of making these grand connections.
In response to Dynisha B.,
Her point on the Trevi Fountain is quite interesting in how the space is utilized. In addition to the fountain being a tourist attraction, there are many buildings flanking the area for sightseeing and enjoyment as well. Unlike the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona, which dominates large open spaces, the space surrounding the Trevi Fountain creates a sense of unity with the buildings and spatial dimension.
I agree with Dynisha about Ritten House Square being attributed to Baroque design, but I don't think it stops at just that one park. The very placement of each of the four parks connects to the zoning ideals of the baroque era, because the design specifically separates the private spaces from the public, being the park itself. This is a common thing when laying out these spaces and the purpose of this layout was to display the city's power through different monuments. Each park has its own monument like design and this idea can also be connected to every other historic and important building like City Hall. Also these separations of parks was deliberately placed symmetrically as to create a connection between the hierarchy of spaces in Philadelphia, just like that of the Baroque design.
One of the largest aspects of the baroque time period in Rome is the importance of axis and symmetry. The axes that cut their way through the city - Via del Corso and Via del Babuino, for example - create direct links to places of importance throughout the city. For instance, via del babuino provides a direct link to Piazza di Spagna. Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Venezia are connected directly by Via Del Corso. A distinct memory I have from being in Rome was being able to stand in Piazza Venezia and see straight through to the Obelisk and Fountain in Piazza del Popolo to the north. Not only do these roads create physical thoroughfares for people to circulate through, but they create visual connnections as well. This reminds me of the view of City Hall in Philadelphia from either north or south Broad Street. On either end of the city, and at a very great distance might I add, there is a visual connection to City Hall, the civic center of the City of Philadelphia. This visual provides a sense of connection to parts of the city who are a little farther removed. It also creates a kind of grand entrance to one of the most important sections of the city. This is even further enhanced by the new lights that were installed in the middle of North Broad Street. Driving through the city at night, the lights give someone traveling down broad street a sense of direction towards the important geographical center of Philadelphia.
I would also agree that the art museum steps remind me of baroque Rome. Much like the piazza that now sits atop the Capitoline hill, the Art Museum now sits atop the hill that was once the site of the city's main reservoir. In Rome, the Capitoline Piazza acts as a way to connect the historical city of Ancient Rome to the south with the new city to the north. In much the same way, the steps and piazzas around the art museum act as a connection between Center City and Fairmount Park.
Joe R said...
There are a number of architectural elements in Philadelphia that are comparable or perhaps influenced by Baroque design and ideas. One of the first notions I picked up on that influenced designs in not only Philadelphia but many cities was the design of the city streets under Pope Sixtus V. Under his reign, the city streets took on a design that connected the churches and other important structures throughout the city. Philadelphia follows a similar pattern and a number of buildings especially City Hall and the Philadelphia Art Museum are connect by a number of streets especially Broad Street, Market Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. These streets all connect not necessarily churches like the Baroque period but definitely the more significant buildings in Philly. Pope Sixtus V also had obelisks placed an important locations that he thought would turn into great urban centers for social affairs of the city. If one were to think of City Hall as an obelisk than it was built for the exact same reason, to stand as a symbol for a large, important urban center. Some of the buildings during that era were also design with the intention of dominating large urban open spaces. I would argue the same goes for the area surrounding City Hall and Dilworth Park. The structures surrounding this area are design maybe not purposely but are design in a way that they dominate the surrounding area almost like a courtyard. These courtyards as well as plazas are also mimic Baroque designs. Baroque plazas and open spaces were designed and utilize to connect different spaces throughout the city. Take Love Park or Rittenhouse Square for example. Both of these parks act in the same way Baroque plazas would've and connect different sections of the city to one another. Outside of these examples, there are numerous buildings and areas throughout Philadelphia that have roots in Baroque period architecture and design.
Lecture 16 Response.
In this lecture, the Baroque was said to mean "odd shaped pearl" and in terms of architecture, the mentality was "as if, but not quite." The Baroque period was a time where the architecture appeared to be perfect but was slightly off in some way and layouts were oval in shape, which would explain the "odd shaped pearl" meaning. The Baroque architecture was all about a sense of illusion, emotion, and drama, while at the same time conveying a sense of tension.
Pope Sixtus V was the pioneer of this movement although many of his ideas came to life after he passed away. Sixtus started this by placing obelisks in various places throughout the city of Rome, and the architecture that would be built around it would follow this oval-like structure. Many of these Piazzas in Rome appeared to be proportional, but when one was inside the layout, it was clear in certain details that they were in fact not proportional.
Another main characteristic of the Baroque period was water. There was a large fascination with water because not only was it key to the survival of humans, but man has always been fascinated by its form, and it was commonly used in the Baroque movement to convey a sense of animation and movement in a space which would contribute to the drama of that space. In the lecture, it says that we as a society have been using water in our building environments. The way it forms and reacts to us and our energy has always intrigued us and that is why architects in the Baroque period thought it really would contribute to the drama of a space.
When comparing these Roman spaces to modern day Philadelphia, the first space that comes to mind is the Ben Franklin Parkway/Art Museum Area. Just like the Piazza di Spagna with the steps being a large part of the space. Also, when looking at the Art Museum area from outside of it, it looks very well thought out and proportioned and everything looks centered. However, once you are inside the space, it is much easier to see that the space appears to be a more oval layout. This space also greatly utilizes the idea of water animating a space. The Ben Franklin Parkway/Art Museum are is full of flowing fountains that in my opinion give great life to the space. If you take the fountains out of the area, the area lacks drama and emotion. The space would just be a set of stairs leading up to a large dead building with statues sprinkled around the area. Finally, it could be argued that the Art Museum appears to be set up extremely similar to how St. Peter’s square is set up. The Art Museum sits at the very edge of this space and everything in front of it spans out in an oval like structure out towards the Parkway.
Response to Daniel K.
Hi Daniel. Most of the class chose to write about the Art Museum, but it was refreshing to have a different space compared in your comment. While I do admit I have never been inside 30th Street Station, I have been outside of it, and after reading your analysis of the space in terms of the Baroque style, I have to agree with you that this is a very good example of a Baroque layout. Nothing is completely centered and proportional on the outside and when driving around it, you really can get a sense of an oval-shaped layout. Although I have not been inside of the station, I did google what the inside looked like, and I agree very much so to your point about the statue. It is placed towards the back of the room instead of the center of the area.
Response to Cathy N.
This is a great point! I especially like your point to City Hall and it made me start to think. City Hall acts as the center point of our city, which makes sense as it is our government building. However, much to the point of "as if but not quite" in our lecture, City Hall is not the center of the Philadelphia skyline. City Hall is known as the center of Philadelphia, but if you step back and look at the skyline, the Comcast building is at the center rather than City Hall.
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