Alternatives Unit: Point

The most logical place to begin discussing this unit is to first asses the title of the unit itself, "alternatives." The word "alternatives" is defined as, employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment. This statement is a portrayal of what the Renaissance and the Alternatives unit embody overall, establishing and breaking the rules. 

Hardwood describes the Renaissance as a, "period of heightened interest in classical antiquity," and continues to point out that this "renewed interest in antiquity coincided with with emergence of humanism and its emphasis on the individual" (Hardwood 162). This concept is another main idea of this time period, the emergence of man as the measure of all things. 

These two main ideals carry over and infiltrate everything that existed during the Renaissance, from architecture to literature. There was a general yearning for worldly knowledge and what resulted were buildings and artifacts that were made up of multiple design styles, to portray that the designer/owner had not only a knowledge of the world around them, but of the world that existed before them as well. It was a time of revival but also of testing new ideas. These tests were conducted under the influence of some ancient values such as geometry, harmony through repetition, and the implement of boundaries, edges, and borders. New faces to the design plan were the emphasis on vertical height rather than horizontal girth. The Renaissance architecture and arts were dominated by patrons, paying to have their structures serve not only as buildings but as symbols. Verticality paralleled with the concept of power, knowledge, and wealth. It was a time for showing off, when the stage of the theater spilled out into the streets and theatricality became the norm. 

This theatricality can best be seen in the Cathedrals that dominated the landscape during this time. Rising from the earth as solitary buildings or integrated into already bustling cities, the cathedrals were a symbol of the church's dominance and power during the Renaissance. Hardwood states that these "buildings were often large to impress, but relate to human scale, reflecting the humanism of designers and patrons"(Hardwood 164). These structures reverted back to classical orders in terms of the mathematical approach that was taken in their design. Architects of this time began to relate the parts of buildings using "simple whole-number proportions" and their "harmonious proportions and classical elements create[d] a stable, articulate, and rational language for Renaissance architecture" (Hardwood 165).  

Overall, the Renaissance and time period discussed in the Alternatives unit was a time of looking backwards and forwards simultaneously. It was about taking what worked during antiquity and putting a modern, theatrical spin on it. It was about melting many styles together to represent knowledge of the past, present, and future of the world. It was a time dominated by high paying patrons and the powerful church who littered the landscape with structures that were built narrower, taller, and more decorated than ever before. It was a time which took the idea of the measure of man and made it a factor in daily life, from the buildings they lived in, to the arts and literature they adored. The Renaissance was simply a rebirth and continuing of the life of design, a life that is still very much a reality in the world that surrounds us today.

Florence Cathedral

Hardwood, Buie. Architecture and Interior Design Through the 18th Century. 1. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2002. Print.