Humanism and the Urban World: Leon Battista Alberti and the Renaissance City
()
About this ebook
In Humanism and the Urban World, Caspar Pearson offers a profoundly revisionist account of Leon Battista Alberti’s approach to the urban environment as exemplified in the extensive theoretical treatise De re aedificatoria (On the Art of Building in Ten Books), brought mostly to completion in the 1450s, as well as in his larger body of written work. Past scholars have generally characterized the Italian Renaissance architect and theorist as an enthusiast of the city who envisioned it as a rational, Renaissance ideal. Pearson argues, however, that Alberti’s approach to urbanism was far more complex—that he was even “essentially hostile” to the city at times. Rather than proposing the “ideal” city, Pearson maintains, Alberti presented a variety of possible cities, each one different from another. This book explores the ways in which Alberti sought to remedy urban problems, tracing key themes that manifest in De re aedificatoria. Chapters address Alberti’s consideration of the city’s possible destruction and the city’s capacity to provide order despite its intrinsic instability; his assessment of a variety of political solutions to that instability; his affinity for the countryside and discussions of the virtues of the active versus the contemplative life; and his theories of aesthetics and beauty, in particular the belief that beauty may affect the soul of an enemy and thus preserve buildings from attack.
Related to Humanism and the Urban World
Related ebooks
A Text-Book of the History of Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPost-Modern Buildings in Britain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIdeas and Structures: Essays in Architectural History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPossessing Nature: Museums, Collecting, and Scientific Culture in Early Modern Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Renaissance Art: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuilding the Italian Renaissance: Brunelleschi's Dome and the Florence Cathedral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetics of Ruins in Renaissance Literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Splendor of English Gothic Architecture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Letarouilly on Renaissance Rome Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fountains of Rome: Selected Plates from the Classic "Le Fontane di Roma," 1660-1675 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Michelangelo’s Sculpture: Selected Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Renaissance Philosophy of Man: Petrarca, Valla, Ficino, Pico, Pomponazzi, Vives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry of Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDEEP Milano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Classical Orders of Architecture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brunelleschi: Studies of His Technology and Inventions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seven Lamps of Architecture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Canon of the Five Orders of Architecture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anachronic Renaissance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Letters to Architects Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Works of Petrarch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Stones of Venice: Study of Venetian Architecture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReligious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: The Feud That Sparked The Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Architecture (Gothic and Renaissance): Edited & Illustrated Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect House: A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Architecture For You
Martha Stewart's Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Bohemians Handbook: Come Home to Good Vibes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Fix Absolutely Anything: A Homeowner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flatland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Live Beautiful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Architecture 101: From Frank Gehry to Ziggurats, an Essential Guide to Building Styles and Materials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feng Shui Modern Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Bohemians: Cool & Collected Homes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Giza Power Plant: Technologies of Ancient Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Become An Exceptional Designer: Effective Colour Selection For You And Your Client Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Foxfire Living: Design, Recipes, and Stories from the Magical Inn in the Catskills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frommer's Athens and the Greek Islands Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJulia Morgan: An Intimate Portrait of the Trailblazing Architect Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Build Shipping Container Homes With Plans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making Midcentury Modern Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Living Small Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Humanism and the Urban World
0 ratings0 reviews