Summary
This lecture looks at the development of Venice from the origins of the city, to the architecture of Andrea Palladio at the end of the sixteenth century.
Synopsis
The waters of the Venetian Lagoon have been both saviour and enemy. Their protection enabled the city to become a magnificent Republic, a leader in global trade and a highly successful world power. All of this is reflected in the architecture her citizens created, from the delicate Gothic that so enchanted Ruskin to the elegant classicism of Palladio. Now those same waters challenge the city’s very existence.
This lecture covers the origins of Venice, the difficulties of building a city within the lagoon, and the idiosyncratic architecture that characterised the Venetian style. It also looks at the development of Renaissance architecture in Venice and explores the contributions of Jacopo Sansovino and Andrea Palladio.
A related special interest day looks beyond the Renaissance city to the challenges of her later history and the modern race to save Venice from the encroaching sea.
