ROCKY'S ITALY: Florence - Michelangelo's Laurentian Library Part 3

Summary

The video discusses Michelangelo's architectural innovations, focusing on his unconventional use of classical design elements. It highlights his transformation of Corinthian columns into a disguised form, with unique details like grotesque faces replacing traditional motifs. Michelangelo's design also features recessed columns, defying gravity by tapering downward, and incorporates niches inspired by the Pantheon that he never intended to fill with statues. The narration emphasizes his playful yet radical approach, using familiar architectural vocabulary in unexpected ways to challenge conventional norms, creating an imaginative and unorthodox visual experience.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The space has a height of about 50 feet, with a lower podium suggested by Michelangelo's design.
• 🧱 The upper level is dominated by recessed Corinthian columns, disguised to appear Doric by removing the acanthus leaves and replacing rosettes with grotesque faces.
• 🤔 The recessed columns seem redundant with both walls and columns but reduce the wall's weight, showing Michelangelo's awareness of structural balance.
• 🏛️ The tripartite arrangement of niches is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, alternating paired columns with pedimented or niched walls.
• 🎭 Michelangelo intentionally left the niches empty, using conventional architectural forms in unconventional ways.
• 📉 The tapering of elements below the niches is an inversion of normal architectural rules, with the base tapering instead of the top.
• 🔺 The niches are topped with alternating triangular and segmental pediments, contributing to the visual complexity.
• 🔲 Above each niche is a U-shaped frame, referencing ancient light wells, but these are blind and do not serve their typical function.
• 🎨 The width of the plaster in the niches matches the depth of the columns, showcasing a playful and unconventional design.
• 🌀 Michelangelo's architectural design is described as zany, unconventional, and unorthodox, blending traditional forms with innovative twists.

Q & A

What is the height of the space being described?

The height of the space is about 50 feet.

What architectural feature does Michelangelo use at the next level above the lower podium?

Michelangelo uses pairs of recessed columns at the next level above the lower podium.

How do the recessed columns appear at first glance, and what is revealed upon closer inspection?

At first glance, the recessed columns appear to be of the Doric order, but upon closer inspection, they are actually Corinthian columns whose acanthus leaves have been stripped off, and their capitals have grotesque faces.

Why did Michelangelo use recessed columns in the design?

Michelangelo used recessed columns to address the weight issue by reducing the wall's weight and providing structural balance.

What architectural inspiration did Michelangelo draw from the Pantheon in Rome?

Michelangelo was inspired by the Pantheon's arrangement of paired columns alternating with pedimented or niched walls.

What is the conventional function of niches in architecture, and how did Michelangelo use them differently?

Niches are traditionally used to hold statues, but Michelangelo had no intention of filling them with statues, thus using conventional architecture in an unconventional way.

What is the radical detail in the design of the niches, and why is it significant?

The most radical detail is the downward tapering of the niches, which defies the rules of gravity since tapering is usually at the top. This inversion of reality is a distinctive feature of Michelangelo's design.

What is the purpose of the segmental pediments alternating with triangular ones above the niches?

The segmental pediments, alternating with triangular ones, create visual interest and variety in the architectural design.

What architectural feature inspired the U-shaped frame around the square center above each niche?

The U-shaped frame around the square center is inspired by an ancient architectural detail called a light well, though Michelangelo’s light wells are blind and do not actually let light in.

What is unconventional about the design of the recessed columns' profiles?

The profiles of the recessed columns are as wide as the depth of the columns, creating a zany and unorthodox architectural detail.