James H Kunstler dissects suburbia
Please respond to the following question by writing a thesis statement in a comment below: How did ideas about civic humanism inform architectural forms in Renaissance Italy? Please submit your statement (by posting a comment) by 8am Wednesday 17 Oct. [Yes, this should be a thesis about the Renaissance, not Kunstler or American suburbia.]
European History 
Civic Humanism led to a renewal of Classical architecture in which man and the physical world is important, active, and realistically rendered, as opposed to Medieval architecture in which man is stationary and deliberately unrealistic for the sake of primarily religious symbolism.
I do not understand how man, realistically or unrealistically depicted, plays into civic architecture. What about the space within a city?
The revival of the use of Classical architecture during the Renaissance as the public of that time period realized the value of usable public space as an arena for political interaction, a space where everybody was “equal” (in most respects), and as a location for people to gather in order to develop a more strongly connected society.
Civic humanism manifested itself in the architecture of the Renaissance in manners such as the human form and proportions in architecture, as well as a revival of classical Roman and Greek architecture with their specific styles.
There are three main principles to Civic Humanism. First, the only way for a man to truly mature is to be an active citizen. Second, the study of the humanities could be used to ensure the overall well being of the state. Third, the individual is the center of thought. These ideas inspired many architectural forms in Renaissance Italy. These ideas lead to architecture that was meant to teach citizens about where they came from, specifically Rome, their culture’s history, and to celebrate the individual.
How exactly does architecture ‘celebrate the individual’? I like the fact that you laid out some principles of civic humanism first to help frame your response.
With a focus on the individual, proportionality, and the temple motif, architecture of the Renaissance was heavily influenced by Civic Humanism, as we see the shift from tall spires whose purpose was to intimidate neighbors in the late Middle Ages to low lying, open buildings which serve a purpose. Thanks to the Humanist movement and the rediscovery of Roman heritage, Italian Renaissance architects took Roman ruins as an example and expanded upon the classical principles to create buildings of beauty and practicality, highlighting the role of the individual and Burkhardt’s idea of “the state as a work of art,” central tenets of Civic Humanism.
Civic humanism motivated Renaissance architects to make the public realm the “physical manifestation of the common good” (Kunstler). Using Roman architecture as the model for their designs, Renaissance architects designed both more space that was public—particularly in the form of public squares (with loggias, fountains, and arcades for the citizens’ enjoyment and convenience) and open markets—and buildings that were used for both enterprise and living to make residents into citizens who cared about each other’s affairs because of their close proximity to one another. For example, two of the most important public arenas in Florence were the Piazza del Duomo by the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Piazza della Signoria by the Florentine civic building, which were designed to give the Florentine citizens a place to congregate and chat (presumably about politics) and/or conduct business, thereby making the citizens more active in the affairs of the state.
The ideas of civic humanism caused Renaissance architecture to shape the land, creating a public space that had actual use. As opposed to Medieval architecture, which focused on protecting and glorifying what was inside, Renaissance architecture focused on forming a plot that could benefit citizens both inside and outside of buildings. Moreover, this new focus on the outside created a greater focus on the beauty of structures – spawning, or perhaps rediscovering, the classical ideas of proportionality in architecture, as well as thrusting the classical motifs of column and arch onto any and every building designed and erected.
Architecture should “inform us of who we are” (Kunstler). In this sense, the Renaissance architecture that grew out of the Quattrocento succeeded, as each building visually described the age in which it was made and the people that originally inhabited it. This success was twofold. The use of Classical, especially Roman, designs as a model for building denoted the humanistic revival of the Classics in general. Furthermore, the desire to employ measurements of human proportion, fused with the creation of defined and meaningful public spaces (i.e. piazzas), represented the explosion of civic humanism, a treatment of the individual as a conscious, active, and important citizen in his state.
Ideas about civic humanism directly shaped architectural forms in Renaissance Italy by placing focus onto the individual, which led to the creation of meaningful buildings and usable public spaces that promoted interaction between the individuals of society.
You may wish to explain your terms better. You mention the rather vague ‘ideas’ but do not give an indication what those ideas were? What does civic humanism mean anyway? An example is always useful as well.
The architecture of Renaissance Italy was informed by many of the ideas of Civic Humanism. Unlike the middle ages, architecture of the Renaissance was focused largely on the exterior. Buildings began to incorporate outdoor public space and proportional, aesthetically pleasing Roman designs (arches, columns, etc). The Renaissance also saw the advent of planned construction, which closely mirrors the Civic Humanist view of the state as a work of art. Throughout the Renaissance, architectural developments were strongly influenced by Civic Humanism, especially in their return to classical forms and belief in the importance of a planned, beautiful city, both architecturally and socially.
-JB
The new architecture that emerged in Florence, Italy in the fourteen century emulated the ethos of Renaissance humanism. Humanism, which was inspired by the culture and philosophy of ancient Rome, emphasized the rationality and responsibility of man to create order and law through Republican government. The new Renaissance architecture also copied Roman forms that emphasized symmetry and geometric proportion through the use of columns, arches, and domes. This architectural style reflected the idea that man could create order in the world. Some of the best examples are the masterpieces of Brunelleschi, such as the great dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. To achieve this dome, Brunelleschi studied the dome of the Parthenon in Rome to rediscover the lost secret of building massive domes, which demonstrates the power of man to use science and technology to achieve architectural miracles.
The civic humanist idea that man is a vital part of the state was physically embodied in Renaissance architecture through the inclusion of the mathematics of human proportions in architecture and the new focus on constructing spaces and structures that served a public purpose and demonstrated an aesthetic advancement modeled off classical architecture.
Civic Humanist thinkers placed importance on what man was capable of creating on earth. This philosophy helped revitalize interest in classical art and informed the arts of statecraft and architecture during the Renaissance. Civic Humanism influenced men to create states with the utmost care and thought; this in turn influenced men to be ambitious and construct great buildings to, in Kunstler’s words, create a state “worth caring about.”
– SD
Ok, but you could expand the notion of civic humanism. And including Italy in a thesis about Italian architecture is a good idea. One must locate the argument in space.
Kunstler’s argument that the public realm is a physical manifestation and of what society values applies to Renaissance architecture in Italy in four ways. In this case, society valued the ideals of civic humanism, borne out in their architecture: the structure and appearance of buildings were indicative of their function, an effective urban environment combined domestic and commercial architecture with balance and harmony, architecture was based on the ideal human form and its true proportions, and architects drew on classical models and methods but valued their individual creative processes. Both the state and businesses funded public architecture, emphasizing the agreement across broad swaths of society on civic humanism’s application to the physical city.
-CG
The ideas of civic humanism influenced the architects and city planners of the Renaissance to embrace classical Greek and Roman architecture, but more importantly to create spaces that facilitated public human interaction. The framing of city squares with loggias and welcoming businesses to draw crowds is a concept espoused by civic humanism that was implemented to great effect, as such areas became gathering spots that welcomed all citizens. -Reed!
Civic humanism informed Renaissance Italian architecture in two ways that reflected specific ideals of the humanist movement: Firstly, Renaissance architects began to design large open spaces, like loggias and plazas, primarily for man, not simply for the glorification of God, thus echoing the humanist concept that man is a marvel worthy of his own exaltation. Secondly, Renaissance architects used designs that were near, sometimes even complete, replications of Greek and Roman structures and thus manifestations of the Classicism that largely defined humanism.
Beginning with Filippo Brunneleschi’s completion of the dome on the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Renaissance architects began to use Roman and Greek architecture as models for their own projects. This not only led to a change in the way the buildings looked, but also in the public spaces that the buildings created. These public spaces became places where people would flock to for no better reason than that they enjoyed being there. More importantly, these public spaces gave the people a sense of loyalty to their home, a key aspect of civic humanism.
– DK
It’s not clear here how space instils loyalty. Is loyalty the essence of civic humanism anyway? What about concepts of an engaged citizenry?
The Renaissance marked a shift away from Medieval Scholasticism and the rise of Humanist ideology, which is based on the idea that man is able to shape his own destiny and the world around him. A core tenant of Humanism is engagement with one’s surroundings. It is no coincidence, then, that the architecture of the Renaissance so deliberately creates public spaces to facilitate interaction between citizens. Just as political theorists were scrutinizing and calculating the purpose and structure of the state, Renaissance architects were applying these same methods to the creation of public spaces. Renaissance architecture, and more specifically, its use of buildings to consciously create useful urban spaces, is the physical manifestation of the Humanist idea of “the state as art.”
Woody Atwood
Some explanation of the specific term ‘civic humanism’ might have helped you better frame the issue. But I do think you are dead on target with the central idea about creating space for active citizens. Be careful though not to conflate historical ideas: humanism is certainly a Renaissance concept, but ‘state as a work of art’ is an idea developed by Burckhardt in the 19th century.
Civic humanism manifested itself in renaissance Architecture by creating buildings that demanded human interaction with the surrounding environments. Through use of the Greek and Roman models, the architects in Italy created public spaces that were defined by the buildings that inhabited those spaces. the ideas of creating a forum (a Roman of an idea if I ever saw one) for people to socialize in and with the addition of the loggia to create spaced for people to interact with their environment stems directly from the ideas of civic humanism
The concept of civic humanism left artists believing that they could leave their marks on the world, and change the world in a real, not necessarily spiritual way. This philosophy led artists to sympathize with thinkers from the classical age, and the art in renaissance Italy was a demonstration of who the artists were, an incorporation of math and logic as proof of a real and earthly contribution, and a diversion from art that was caught up in the world of heaven and hell.
The Renaissance in Italy began as an intellectual movement to revitalize the classics, and they eventually became political influences. Central to the classical model was the idea that the individual was of paramount importance and could utilize knowledge to improve the conditions of the state—also known as civic humanism. This lead to an architectural style that not only imitated the Greeks and Romans, but also prioritized public spaces where the population could come together debate over the proper set up the state.
Civic humanism drove architects to create buildings and spaces that reflected the new attitude and ideas of the times. In keeping with the new school of thought, they designed open public spaces, made for interactions between citizens, with fountains and statues, emphasizing how each individual was a part of the state. They ensured every design was full of harmony and balance, displaying how the “new citizen” was expected to be a well-rounded and balanced person, one who was able to make intelligent decisions about many different topics. They showcased many different forms of columns, arches, and other classical components, showing the influence that era played on the current one.
I think you’ve nailed it here conceptually, but where does Italy appear in your argument? One should make a point of location your arguments in both time AND space.
Civic humanism involved the idea that the state was a work of art, and that the citizenry participated in the constant refinement of that work of art. The civic humanists saw architecture as representative of the condition of the state, and thus the entire population took great interest in the development of the buildings they lived in and around as another facet of the masterpiece that was their state. This public support provided a platform for the constant innovation that drove the advancement of architecture in the Renaissance
The concept of Civic Humanism hugely influenced architectural forms in Renaissance Italy, which were based on two things: the revival of classical forms— the Greco-Roman temple, pillars, and arches, and creation of ‘public space’; and the new emphasis on the individual and the world around him, as opposed to the medieval focus on God and his city.
– Josh Kerry
Civic humanism influenced the architectural forms of Renaissance Italy by espousing classical ideals and the classical concept of virtu, where man through political action could shape the state. Based on human proportions, forms like the classical temple, pillar, and arch were aesthetically pleasing structures that defined public space, just as their Roman predecessors had, and informed man of their purpose – to provide an arena for political activity where the man could actively shape the cityscape around him.
Civic Humanism during the Renaissance influenced architecture by putting emphasis on more pleasurable living due to the focus it put on the individual, a contrast to the Medieval way of thinking, proposed by Saint Augustine, in which focus was given more to the future in God’s Kingdom rather than earthly living.
This really doesn’t address the issue of civic humanism or provide a grounding in architecture. How is civic humanism connected to pleasure?
The revival of the classics that defined civic humanism influenced Renaissance architecture through a rebirth of Roman stylistic features such as symmetry and proportion. The creation of permeable public spaces encouraged active interaction between man and the city, reflecting the civic humanist idea of man engaging with the state. -CD
Does civic humanism only entail a revival of Classics? The content of Classical literature is, perhaps, more important than its rediscovery. I do particularly like your second sentence – it’s so important to apprehend the issue of man as an active agent of his city/state as fundamental to civic architecture.