Andrea Palladio: The Architect in His Time

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Abbeville Press, 1998 - Architecture - 320 pages
Andrea Palladio (1508-1589) was one of the most creative architects the world has ever known; many consider his villas, palaces, and churches the epitome of Renaissance ideals. Though his buildings have often been photographed and numerous specialized studies have been written about his career, never before have Palladio's life and times been brought together in a narrative as incisive as this one. Richly illustrated with specially commissioned photographs as well as period plans and drawings, this volume defines Palladio's remarkable career against the backdrop of the dramatic events and personalities of the age, while the buildings are discussed in terms of their importance in art history.

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Contents

PREFACE
6
III
59
IV
93
Copyright

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About the author (1998)

Palladio is one of the most influential architects in the history of architecture. He is known as the first professional architect, since he was trained to build and in fact pursued that career throughout his life. Palladio was born in Padua but moved to Vicenza to apprentice with a stonemason. There he built some of his greatest works. Like many artists of the Renaissance, he was a student of Latin literature and of the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius. He found a patron in Giangiorgio Trissino, who in 1545 took him to Rome, where Palladio was able to study the remains of ancient architecture. This led to his revival of Roman symmetrical planning, which is particularly evident in the several villas he built in the Veneto from 1550 onward and for which he is now famous. Among these are the Villa Rotonda outside Vicenza. Palladio set forth his theories and achievements in his Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (Four Books of Architecture), which he published in 1570 and which has been republished many times throughout the world.

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