Italian Renaissance Responses

Dana's blog post really stood out to me, because she discusses the importance of the collaborations going on at this time. artists were working with architects, designers, and so on. I think this is really important to share, because these collaborations are still going on today. The other blog I reviewed was Katie's post. She also shares what Italy was going through at this time culturally, and how this ignited the collaborations and the styles from this time period.

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance incorporated portable furniture into their designs. The interiors were lavish and well ornamented. the walls were covered in paintings that were very realistic. The Dante chair, also referred to as the x chair, is one of the popular dining chairs from this time period.

Dante Chair

  

Current application of the Dante Chair

Another interesting piece of furniture from this time is the Cassapanca, which was an earlier version of today's sofa. the piece consisted of a seat that doubled as storage, and had arms and a back. 

Italian Renaissance Cassapanca

Current application of the Cassapanca

The Trestle table is another interesting piece of furniture from this time period. These tables were typically created using wood and had large, chunky, ornamented pedestal legs. 

Trestle table of the Italian Renaissance

Current application of the Trestle table 

The Americas: The Incas

I found the Incas the most interesting group out of the four groups discussed. Religion was a huge influence on the daily life of the Incas, and was portrayed through their art and designs. The Incas were best known for the architectural works. One of the most famous sites constructed during their time was Machu Picchu. The trapezoidal doorway and window was one of the biggest architectural elements the Incas gave to design.  the doorways and windows incorporated into Machu Picchu has the trapezoidal design.

Machu Picchu

trapeziod windows in interior of Machu Picchu

The two following are examples of current examples of the stonework and artwork of the Incas.

Gothic Design Responses

I reviewed Flor's blog post on Gothic designs. I really liked the fact that discussed the furniture pieces from this time period. The current applications that she shares are really cool takes on the Gothic style. I also really enjoyed the video that she shared. The second blog post on Gothic design I reviewed was Justine's, where she discusses the architectural structures of this period. She also shared a video that distinguished the difference between the Romanesque style and the Gothic style.

Gothic Design

The cathedral design and layout is one of the major attributes the Gothic design period gave to architecture. The typical cathedral layout was the Latin cross plan.  The walls were tall with stained glass windows everywhere. The stained glass windows typically had a tracery, or an outline, surrounding the glass. The pointed arch and ribbed vault were both introduced in the design of the cathedral. another architectural feature utilized in Gothic design is the fly buttress.

INTERIOR VIEW OF WELLS CATHEDRAL

The Wells cathedral is a great example of the pointed arches, as well as the ribbed vaults. 

EXTERIOR VIEW OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

The Notre Dame de Paris is another good example of the use of the pointed arches. the use of stained glass windows can also be found in this cathedral. 

CURRENT APPLICATION OF STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE POINTED ARCH

Islamic Design Responses

I reviewed Sammy's blog, where she discussed some of the key Mosques covered in class. She also posted a really neat video that further discusses the mosque designs of that time. The second blog I viewed was Rachael's blog. She discuss the features of the Taj Mahal. I also really liked her current application examples. She had examples of the color schemes, the geometric patterns, and the use of arches.

Islamic Design

Islamic design introduced the design of the Mosques. the features of the mosque include a perimeter wall, a covered hall with columns, and a courtyard. The Mosques provided a gathering place for people to worship and pray. The Great Mosque of Kairouan, located in Tunisia, North Africa, is a famous ancient mosque. The interior features is the horseshoe arch, as well as the classic capitols with the Islamic arch.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

INTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

The interiors of the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed featured a geometric design. 200 stained glass windows are featured in this mosque. 20,000 hand made tiles were also used in the interiors.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED

INTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHEMD

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.