Art History Term Paper

“Leon Battista Alberti critiquing
The Opéra in Paris by Charles Garnier”
Art History 202
April 19, 2010
The Pennsylvania State University

“A man can do all things if he but wills them”, is what I respond to people when they ask me how I come up with such amazing ideas for my buildings and books. My name is Leon Battista Alberti, and Architecture is my life. I was born in Genoa in 1404, which was during the Early Renaissance times. Even though I’m an architect, I have always been interested in other subjects such as math, music, painting, philosophy, sculptures, crafts, and artistic theories as well, which many would consider me as a Humanist during my times. Unlike many other architects who are interested in Greek architecture, I have a great interest in the future: in the reviving of Roman architecture. I even wrote a book called On the Art of Building in Ten Books, in which I cover a wide range of subjects from history to town planning and engineering to the philosophy of beauty. Many people have told me that I have been such an influential architect and that my buildings and philosophy will have a great impact in the architecture of the future, but never did I believe it was going to be that way. “What a better way to find out the truth, but by experiencing it by myself?” I thought, so I went to my close friend Leonardo Da Vinci, who invented a time machine to take me to the future, and this is where my adventure began…
Figure 1: Avenue de l’Opera
Figure 1: Avenue de l’Opera
The time machine took me to one of the most amazing places I could imagine: Paris. I was 500 years into the future, and everything was different than like at home, in Florence. The first thing I noticed is how nicely this city was constructed with streets and boulevards in an orderly manner, like I mentioned in my book the way a city should look like. After walking for a while I found a long, narrow street called “Avenue de l’Opera”, and far away at the end, rested a building like if it were calling to be seen. I walked a few miles up, and there it was, one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my life. Beauty can be interpreted in many ways, but in my opinion, beauty is “the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.” This building was just perfect: its ornamentation, location, order, arrangement, style, colors; it had everything. It clearly pursued venustas just the way I would have done so; I immediately felt connected to it.
What was this building’s purpose? Who was its architect that thought the same way I did? So many questions I had and so much to learn that took me to ask everyone around in pursuit of information. At first I thought it was a church, since it was the most beautiful building around, like if it where the chief ornament of the city, and because it even had an avenue which went directly towards it. Also, I noted that this building stood all by itself on an island, in a podium elevated off the ground, like I would consider a church during my times should be. Its façade seemed to be completely symmetrical and in complete, proportional harmony. But there was something that I didn’t like about this ‘church’: it wasn’t round like the most perfect things in nature are. After asking all the people around me, I was told that it wasn’t a church, but it was “The Opéra”. Apparently, the architect that designed this building was a French architect named Charles Garnier in 1861. According to the people there, this was where Operas and many other theatrical events were presented, and it was one of the most important buildings of that time. At first, I didn’t agree as much that this “public secular building” was treated as if it were a church, nor that it was more important than one since that wouldn’t follow my ladders of beauty, but this building was too beautiful to criticize and I hadn’t seen it all yet. To further examine this amazing piece of architecture, I had to cross the street and almost got hit by these crazy looking motorized carts, but it was worth the risk for what I was about to discover.
The Front façade simply looked amazing, there was no way I could explain it with just words. It showed me how architecture has evolved through time, and not only evolved but also improved in so many ways! The first thing that I noticed is how rich of ornament this building was. As I wrote in my sixth book in which I talk about ornaments in a building, “ornaments may be Figure 2: Façade “The Opera”
Figure 2: Façade “The Opera” defined as a form of auxiliary light and complement to beauty”. They are the ones that complement to beauty, and they achieve this by deriving from nature properties such as weight, lightness, density, purity, durability, and of course bring to the work some admiration. You see, I love buildings that resemble nature, and I feel that we must always take from nature what we construct, and always choose from it the most beautiful things. I have already noted the importance of the application of ornament in the art of building; it is clear that each building does not require the same ornament though. I feel that in sacred works, especially public ones, every art and industry in it must be employed for the gods, while secular ones only for man. It impresses me how the architect, Garnier, took into account my ideas that I wrote about ornamenting a public secular building in my book. Between the columns of the theatre's front façade, I saw many sculptures of great composers such as: Mozart, Rossini, Daniel Auber, Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy, Spontini, and Philippe Quinault. This being a public, secular building, it was ornamented for men, and not for gods, as I stated in my book.
According to some the people I asked, they told me something about a Neo-Baroque style that was used to construct this building. Last time I recall, we were still in a Renaissance style. I needed no explanation to know what this new style was though, the building gave it all away just by seeing it; it spoke all by itself. By just observing this building, I could describe baroque as a style quite similar to the renaissance one due to its similar values such as classicism, but rather than giving the idea of resting and long pauses, this building was more theatrical-like: heavily ornamented, intricate, decorated, and overloaded with detail, making it complex and beautiful at the same time, which is what I loved the most about this building. Speaking of classicism, this building also reminded me of a church that I built in the year 1470, and it was the church of Sant’ Andrea. What called my attention is the way that Charles Garnier used similar techniques as I did in my church such as the use of Corinthian ordered columns, the use of arches for the façade of his building, and the fact that both are lifted up on a podium. This building showed me how classicism has survived through many years and is still used today, but also how it has evolved in many ways as well. Before, I remember when buildings used to have single columns in their facades, and now I see how architects have changed that to the use of paired columns instead, which is a characteristic of the French-baroque style from what I understand. Also, the pediments on this building are semicircular and not triangular as they used to be and as I applied them in my Sant’ Andrea church. Also, the application of a dome in this building illustrates how classicism is being approached by it too. This dome is located exactly at the center of the building, making it central planned, which is another aspect that Figure 3: “ The Opera” Floor Plan
Figure 3: “ The Opera” Floor Plan
I admire about this building. As I wrote down in my book, buildings should be symmetrical, like the human body. Symmetry is “the balance created by matching forms on opposite sides of a structure,” and even though this building is a secular building and not a church, its plan looks more like a Greek cross rather than Latin cross, making it seem more symmetrical.
After so many details and aspects to learn from the outside, I just couldn’t wait to see the inside, what other surprises was I to find? The first thing I encountered once I entered through the main entrance was a grand staircase, mimicking the same style as the façade of the building, using Corinthian columns, statues, vast amount of ornamentation, and many other details to show its baroque style. I could see many different tones of colors, and light being reflected in every single corner of the building. One thing that did catch my attention was the mosaic on top of the staircase in the entrance. This reminded me to churches back at my times, and reflected once again how this structure assimilates to a church. After walking around for a while and entertaining my eyes with such beauty, I finally got to the center of a Figure 4: Grand Staircase
Figure 4: Grand Staircase building: I couldn’t believe it. I had finally arrived to the main part of the building, the stage. This stage looked like an enormous church meeting hall: It had the shape of a horse-shoe, constructed such way to focus all the audiences’ attention towards what’s happening in the center of the stage, like in a church. Once again, the word beauty came into my mind. Its vast ornamentation, plenty of colors, and its colossal columns reminded me once again of this baroque style which Garnier had in mind when he designed this building. Walking around the building made me think how its form did follow function and how every single space in it is being taken advantage thanks to its symmetric plan.
I cannot deny that this has been of my greatest experiences I’ve had in my life! I just feel so flattered that my beliefs, thoughts and ideas that I wrote in my book On the Art of Building in Ten Books have had a positive effect on the world, and that have been put into action even 500 years later. I am just pleased to know that famous architects such as Charles Garnier have taken into account my ideas to construct such beautiful buildings as this one, “The Opéra de Paris”. As I said, I never believed people when they told me that I would be a great influence in the future, but remember: “A man can do all things if he but wills them.”There is one more thing that I’m left to do now: Explore the rest of the world…

Pictures
Figure 6: Sant’ Andrea, by Leon Battista Alberti
Figure 6: Sant’ Andrea, by Leon Battista Alberti
Figure 6: Sant' Andrea, by Leon Battista Alberti.
Figure 6: Sant' Andrea, by Leon Battista Alberti.
Figure 5: The Opere, by Charles Garnier
Figure 5: The Opere, by Charles Garnier

Figure 5: The Opera, by Charles Garnier.
Figure 5: The Opera, by Charles Garnier.

Figure 5: Stage inside The Opera
Figure 5: Stage inside The Opera

Figure 7: Mosaic above staircase of The Opera
Figure 7: Mosaic above staircase of The Opera

References

Alberti, Leon B. (1450). On the Art of Building in Ten Books. Translated by Joseph Rykwert, Neil
Leach, Robert Tavernor. Massachussets Institue of Technology Press. (1988).

Fontaine, Gérard (1998) Palais Garnier : Opéra national de Paris. Editions du Patrimoine. (2001).

Liukkonen, Paul. (2007). Leon Battista Alberti. Retrieved from http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/alberti.htm.

Snell, Melissa (2008). Leon Battista Alberti Quotes. Retrieved from http://historymedren.about.com/od/quotes/a/quote_alberti.htm. Tavernor, Robert (1994). On Alberti and the Art of Building. Yale University Press. (1998).

Thiers, Genevieve. (2002). Information on the Paris Opera House. Retrieved from http://www.essortment.com/all/parisoperahous_rgwi.htm.

Wikipedia. (2010). Leon Battista Alberti. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Battista_Alberti. Wikipedia. (2010). Charles Garnier. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Garnier_%28architect%29.

Wikipedia. Palais Garnier (2010). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Garnier.

Wikitionary. (2010). Baroque. Retrieved from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/baroque.

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Figure 1: http://images.travelpod.com/users/catasleep/14.1263594978.ave-de-l-opera.jpg
[ 4 ]. Alberti, Leon B. (1450). On the Art of Building in Ten Books. Translated by Joseph Rykwert, Neil
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Figure 2: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Palais_Garnier.jpg
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[ 11 ]. Alberti, Leon B. (1450). On the Art of Building in Ten Books. Translated by Joseph Rykwert, Neil
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Figure 3: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_apFpwnMI2hs/S6WDG6ptn8I/AAAAAAAACw8/8woeYX-mzUQ/s400/Paris-Opera.jpg
[ 12 ]. Firgure 4: http://fwnet.ipower.com/images/2009/12/paris_opera_house.jpg
[ 13 ]. Figure 5 http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/resources/medias/rubriques/pratique/visites/Vue-Aerienne-Palais-Garnier.jpg
Figure 6 http://www.webitalianet.it/fotografie/foto%20lombardia/foto_mantova/s.andrea.jpg
Figure 7 http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/opera-garnier-paris.jpg
Figure 8 http://farm1.static.flickr.com/25/55312987_be701897a4.jpg