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Santa Maria Novella Essay

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The Santa Maria Novella by Leon Battista Alberti (1458-70) of Florence, Italy, and the II Gesu of Rome by Giacomo della Porta (1575-84) both possess many similarities and differences. While both being from Italy, they are from different time periods of the Renaissance. The Santa Maria Novella originates from the Early Renaissance, and the II Gesu draws its design from the Late Renaissance, and even of proto-Baroque themes. Both buildings have similarities in key features of the façades, and in the importance of the rhythmic appearance of the buildings to give a strong form and beauty to them.

The façades of both buildings are notably similar. According to Jason's History of Western Art the Western Tradition1, "Alberti's use of graceful scrolls to bridge the gap between the temple and the frieze was truly innovative and was to prove extremely influential (see II Gesu)." Indeed, both buildings have very similar designs. Some shared key features between them would be the pediment of the top of the building, the orders (column and entablature combinations) on two stories, and most of all, …show more content…

According to De Zurko and Edward R.'s Alberti's Theory of Form and Function2, "Beauty is defined by Alberti….as 'a harmony of all the parts…fitted together with such proportion and connection, that nothing could be added, diminished, or altered, but for the worse.'" For Alberti, the Santa Maria Novella uses a trinity of squares to define the building, as well as other curvilinear designs to connect them, like the scrolls shaped buttresses. For the II Gesu, it also integrates all of the parts of the façade into a whole. Both the stories share the same vertical rhythm, which even the horizontal members follow, and which the horizontal divisions determine the size of the vertical members, so there is no colossal

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