Spanish Renaissance & Peer Reviews

The Spanish Renaissance was influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval and Italian Renaissance. The 16th century was the most brilliant era in Spanish history. There were concurrent existence in Spain of two schools of art; the Moors from Africa, who were supreme ornamentalists, colorful, fancy, and expert wood workers, and the Spanish Christian groups, Mudejars (Moors who converted to Christianity).  Some of the Spanish Renaissance's most famous works include La Mota Castle (there were more castles built in Spain during this time than any other European country), Granada Cathedral, Cathedral of Seville, and El Escorial. They used a few different styles of construction which were Plateresco Phase (silversmith's style) which included minute and delicate ornamentation used on furniture, exteriors, churches, etc. The second style is Desornamentado Phase which is unornamented but a powerful style used on public buildings. Herrera architecture was influenced by the Italian Renaissance until Baroque style/ churrigueresco  came about.
Interiors were influenced by Moorish design and superb iron grills were utilized in interiors and were the most artistic features. Furniture was simple and bold. Woods, silver ornamentation, and carving were a part of most pieces. Inlay work was one of Spain's finest achievements.











current applications








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

This is a video on the history of Granada/ Alhambra


Peer Review:

Miryam: She did a good job explaining the important parts of design history and what the main characteristics of homes and other building were. She also gave good information on the types of styles and I really like her example pictures.

Alexandra: I like that she separates and explains the different styles during this time and she posted some interesting videos.

The Americas

The Americas consisted of four main groups of people, the Olmecs, which were the first dominant group, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. This period is very unique due to its isolation from other countries. Ceremonial centers were the nuclei of Mesoamerican settlements. There were temples to orient the town centers and pyramids to represent Gods and religions. The citizens were polytheistic and they believed in the act of human sacrifice for their Gods.
All of these groups of civilizations are a mystery in the sense that Olmec and Aztec groups abruptly disappeared and their cities were deserted. The other two were conquered by the Spanish.
Each tribe made significant contributions. The Olmecs introduced hieroglyphic writing and produced the first calendar in the western hemisphere. Their artwork was very realistic and made from jade. They are also known for their large sculptures of stone heads. The Mayans-Tolters used the grid system to construct their cities and Aztecs invented the floating gardens to create a larger land area for their settlement. Structures built by the Incas were very impressive due to their lack of mortar and how precise the stone cut outs are especially with not having the wheel or iron tools.







Modern Applications




Olmec Tree of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYydq4HvTE0

this is a video about Aztec civilization

Peer Review: Gothic

Sammy Vogel- I enjoy the way she breaks up her paragraphs using pictures of examples of architecture. She does a great job introducing the time period by giving good information about the history and continues with stating the importance of religion during this time. She also gives information about the period's most prominent features such as pointed arches, flying buttress, and ribbed vaults along with history about them and which countries utilize these characteristics in their design.

Allysia Jaques- She did a good job expressing the importance of the flying buttress and the use of stain glass windows in addition to the period's "obsession" with light. She also showed good examples of past and present architecture.

Gothic

Gothic is the last style of the medieval period, before the Renaissance. The word Gothic was widely used int the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to refer to art that was specifically not Italian and not Renaissance. Architecture and design is a bridge between Romanesque and Renaissance. Gothic grew out of Romanesque. It is known for features such as the flying buttresses, stained glass, and ribbed vaults which also existed during the Romanesque period. The flying buttress supported the buildings which allowed churches to have multiple large windows. By using pointed arches in their architecture, walls were able to be built thinner and look more elegant because the force of the building's weight is pushed straight down instead of out to the side. There were several types of town layouts. Some were rectilinear where some town squares were designed to appear as a response to foot and vehicular traffic and often center on a public utility such as a well.






current applications







This is a video about Gothic architecture, style characteristics and history

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01uNqFaKpC8

Peer Review Islamic

Alex Richardson: Alex emphasizes the importance that religion has over Islamic design as well as how important their leader, Mohammed, is. Many impacting structures were created over this time, such as the Mosque, and she does a great job listing and informing the reader about them. I really enjoyed her examples.

Alecia: Islamic design was prominent in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Building the Mosque was a huge accomplishment and the first one was called Mohammed's Farm.Horseshoe and ogival arches were a main characteristic in Islamic design. I like the examples she gave and also that she slightly explained some history under her picture of the Taj Mahal.

Peer Review Romanesque

Paige S: She restates the most important aspects of the Romanesque time period which would be the architecture made of arches and vaults, the layout of the basilicas which gave them more usable space, and the importance of learning and religion. She also gave good examples.

Katie K: She introduces Norman architecture and some of its history which is very interesting. She also states the importance of religion and what most structures such as churches and homes were made out of and where we can locate a few today. Her current application examples are very strong.

Islamic

Mohamed is the main figure of the Islamic religion. Religion was the foundation to Islamic design. The mosque was the central facility for prayer and worship. Mosques had a perimeter wall, covered hall of columns, and courtyard. Design characteristics included classic capitols with the Islamic arch and horseshoe arch. Patterns in architecture were used that originated in textiles like carpets. Tile work was a huge part of design and decor as well as stone and brick with marble vaneer, such as the Taj Mahal.





current applications






This video shows islamic art and architecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Z5wZvjpk0