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Dictionary of Art
and Artists
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CHAPTER SIX
THE BAROQUE IN ITALY AND SPAIN
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PAINTING
ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE
- Part 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22,
23,
24,
25,
26
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ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE
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Juan Bautista de Toledo.
Juan Bautista de Toledo. Spanish architect educated in
Italy, in the Italian High Renaissance. As many Italian renaissance
architects, he had experience in both architecture and military and
civil public works. Born, either in Toledo or in Madrid around 1515.
Died May 19, 1567 in Madrid. He was buried in Madrid, in the choir of
the primitive “Convento de Santo Tomás, Iglesia de la Santa Cruz”.
Perhaps he started his career in
architecture in Rome, between 1534 and 1541, working for Michelangelo
and Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese), completing the facade and
courtyard of Palazzo Farnese. Then, possibly, he continues his training
in the construction site of St. Peter's, under the direction of Antonio
da Sangallo the Younger. Another hypothesis is that he worked for
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger in both Fortaleza da Basso, Florence and
St. Peter’s Basilica of Rome.
Juan Bautista de Toledo, an enigmatic
and puzzling personality, was known in Florence and Rome as Giovanni
Battista de Alfonsis. However, in Naples and Madrid, he was identified
as Juan Bautista de Toledo: both Spanish architects had the same hand
writing. Perhaps, his true name was Juan Bautista de Toledo Alfonsis.
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Juan de Herrera.
Juan de Herrera (1530 – January 15, 1597) was a Spanish architect,
mathematician and geometrician.
One of the most outstanding Spanish
architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the
Renaissance in Spain. His sober style was fully developed in buildings
like the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The Herrerian style
was named after him, and was representative of the architecture of the
Spanish Empire of Philip II and his Austrian successors.
As a Renaissance man, Herrera was
interested in all the branches of knowledge of his times. His Discurso
sobre la figura cúbica (Discussion of the Cubic form) tells us about his
notable knowledge about geometry and mathematics. He also participated
in the military campaigns of Charles V in Germany, Flanders and Italy
Juan de Herrera completed his studies at the University of Valladolid in
the spring of 1548. He started his architectural career in 1561 with the
works in the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
In 1563 he starts his collaborations
with Juan Bautista de Toledo in the construction of El Escorial. In 1562
he had written the Book of the Astronomical knowledge (Libro del saber
de astronomía). After the death of Juan Bautista de Toledo in 1567,
Herrera becomes the director architect of the works. Herrera modifies
the plans and enlarges the program, changing the image of the façades
and introducing his personal sober style. The main keys of his design
are the impressive horizontal unified composition and the nude use of
the granite, omitting the classical orders for large surfaces.
He builds the monumental western
façade, the Basilica with its central composition plan and the pavilion
of the Patio de los Evangelistas (Court of the Evangelists). He also
modifies the constructive techniques and the roofing. This style
introduced in the monastery influenced Spanish architecture for over a
century with the name of Herrerian style.
The plans of the Cathedral of
Valladolid and the Archivo General de Indias were also designed by him.
He was the first original designer for the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.
Following the wish reflected in his
testament, written in 1584, his sepulchre is located in the Church of
San Juan Bautista, in Maliaño, Cantabria.
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Juan Gomez de Mora.
Juan Gómez de Mora (Madrid, 1586 –
Madrid, 1648) was a Spanish architect. His father, also Juan Gómez, was
court painter to Philip II of Spain and brother to the architect Francisco
de Mora.
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The Plaza Mayor
by
Juan de Herrera
and
Juan Gomez de Mora
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The Plaza Mayor is a central
plaza in the city
of Madrid,
Spain. The Plaza
Mayor is only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, the
Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, 129 by 94 meters,
and is surrounded by three-floored residential buildings with 237 balconies. It
has a total of nine entranceways. The Plaza Mayor was built during the Austrian
period. The
Casa de la Panadería, serving municpal and cultural functions, dominates the
Plaza Mayor. The origins of the Plaza go back to 1581 when
Philip II of Spain asked
Juan de Herrera, a renowned
Renaissance architect, to devise a plan to remodel the busy and chaotic area
of the old Plaza del Arrabal. Juan de Herrera was the architect who designed the
first project in 1581 to remodel the old Plaza del Arrabal but the construction
didn't start until 1617, during the
Philip III of Spain's reign. The king asked
Juan Gomez de Mora to continue with the project, and he finished the
porticoes in 1619. Nevertheless, the Plaza Mayor as we know it today is the work
of the architect
Juan de Villanueva who was entrusted with its reconstruction in 1790 after a
spate of big fires.
Juan de Bolonia's statue of Philip III on horseback in the center of the
square dates back to 1616.
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The Plaza Mayor, begun 1590
Juan de Herrera
and
Juan Gomez de Mora
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The Plaza Mayor
Juan de Herrera
and
Juan Gomez de Mora
completed 1619
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View of the Casa de la Panadería in the Plaza Mayor de
Madrid.
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Juan Gomez de Mora,
Plaza Mayor, Madrid
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Casa de la Villa, Plaza de la Villa
Juan Gomez de Mora
one source says 1630; another 1644
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Façade of the church of Real Monasterio de Santa Isabel (a convent), at
46-48 Calle de Santa Isabel (street) in Centro district in Madrid
(Spain). Original building was made between 1560 and 1570. Church was
projected by
Juan Gomez de Mora
and built between 1640 and 1665.
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