French Renaissance Architecture: Gothic Roots and Italian Influence

Introduction: The Renaissance and Its Artistic Context

The Renaissance was a convergence of social, economic, and artistic forces in the middle centuries of the last millennium. A period characterized by the refinement and mainstreaming of classical artistic impulses, the Renaissance is said to have originated largely in Italian cities such as Florence and Venice. It was in these contexts that many of the greatest works of modern European art were forged. During the Italian Renaissance, a torrent of artistic inspiration resulted in countless groundbreaking works of iconic imagery that broke the mold both technically and creatively. Particularly in terms of compositional depth, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti gave symbolic life to some of the most intellectually searching moments in the Bible and produced emotionally compelling demonstrations of the human condition. In works by these artists, provocative coloring and symbolic composition help to distinguish the Renaissance as a period of great human expressiveness.

Much of the work produced during this era — and particularly after the accomplishments of Raphael — would be characterized as appealing to the terms of Mannerism. As we enter into this discussion, however, it is important to recognize that Mannerism represents a pointed departure from Renaissance expression. Mannerism is a style defined by its appeal to classicist artistic parameters, with practitioners engaged in perfecting form and function. The naturalist tendencies otherwise associated with the Renaissance were dispatched by the Mannerists in favor of art as a discipline. The premise of achieving natural representations of beauty was eschewed in favor of a more abstract and elaborate conception of beauty, and expression for its own sake began to expand the palette available to Renaissance artists.

For instance, "in Mannerist paintings, compositions can have no focal point, space can be ambiguous, figures can be characterized by an athletic bending and twisting with distortions, exaggerations, an elastic elongation of the limbs, bizarre posturing on one hand, graceful posturing on the other hand, and a rendering of the heads as uniformly small and oval. The composition is jammed by clashing colors, which is unlike what we've seen in the balanced, natural, and dramatic colors of the High Renaissance." (Art Movements, 1) This general discussion brings us to a more direct consideration of the so-called French Renaissance — the term used to describe the expressive movement in France during the time of the late Italian Renaissance. The characteristics of the Italian movement were clearly apparent in the French landscape, particularly in its architectural conceits.

Mannerism and French Renaissance Architecture

The architecture of France is an interesting area of focus with respect to the cross-section between Mannerism and Renaissance expression. Key examples of what is regarded as French Renaissance architecture — such as Tuileries Palace and the Loire Valley chateaus — suggest a clear connection to the features appealing to Italian Renaissance expressionists. This discussion addresses the degree to which such architectural examples are illustrative of the naturalist desires and impulses present during the Renaissance period. At the same time, the research demonstrates that it is inappropriate to characterize French Renaissance architecture as a subset of Mannerism.

When we consider the elegance and detail of the chateaus and estates produced during this time in France, it is possible to recognize some aspects of Mannerism — most specifically in the narrow and delicate height of such works as the Chateau de Fontainebleau and in the stately gables that shadow the Chateau de Blois (Cupola Consulting, 1). In the respect that these works conform to a certain aristocratic pretension, their appeal to Mannerism is important to their respective facades. Where the architecture itself is relatively straightforward, liberty is taken in fine etching, grand sculpting, and mysterious arches — all features suggestive of the technical complexity associated with the Mannerist tradition.

However, it would not be accurate to characterize these elements as qualifying such examples as a subset of Mannerism. To the contrary, the French architecture that emerged and populated France — both urban and rural — through the Renaissance era would instead conform to the ambitions of the Renaissance aesthetic. The stateliness of natural beauty and the straightforward representation of form would remain central values of the architectural tradition. Such prominent structures as the Tuileries Palace are demonstrative of the decadent symmetry associated with the High Renaissance tradition. The famous Louvre courtyard, the expanses of natural greenery, and the lines of identical windows and central dome at the Tuileries all reflect the Renaissance impulse toward environmentally compatible grandeur.

The French Gothic Foundation

It is essential to dismiss the claim that Mannerism could serve as an umbrella term for the architectural production of the French Renaissance by understanding the tradition that actually yielded that production. As already noted, Mannerism would play a part in the aesthetic impressions on the facades of France's Renaissance chateaus. However, its impact was superficial when compared with France's own architectural traditions, which would remain dominant in the structures of the era. The whole of this discussion is precipitated upon the invasion of Naples by the conquering French king Charles VIII in 1496 (Gordon, 1) — the juncture at which France came into direct contact with the artistic output of Renaissance artists and the Mannerists. Their influences would be profoundly felt in the artistic, literary, and architectural patterns of the time.

Nevertheless, these influences would not erase the categorical impulses of French tradition. It would be the French Gothic tradition that had the most pervasive effect on the French structures of the succeeding artistic periods. With the addition of Italian Renaissance influences, the approach took on new and important features. Accordingly, in many of the French chateaus that emerged during the Renaissance era, "Italian decorative elements were superimposed on Gothic principles. The earliest example is the Chateau d'Amboise (c. 1495), where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years. The Chateau de Chambord (1519–36) is a more elaborate marriage of Gothic structure and Italianate ornament." (Gordon, 1)

This observation serves as an effective counter-argument to the contention that French Renaissance art should be regarded as a subset of Mannerism. To accept that view would be to diminish the relevance and dominance of French Gothic tradition in the Renaissance expressions of the following era. A clear and logical sequence exists by which the cathedrals of the Middle Ages gave way to the chateaus and palaces of the Renaissance.

Conclusion: A Uniquely French Architectural Tradition

This convergence of Gothic and Renaissance influences brings us back to the initial question concerning Mannerism. We can consider an array of chateaus in France that may demonstrate some aspect of the Mannerist tradition. That artists such as da Vinci bore an influence on France is suggestive of the inevitable impact such a movement would have had on the country. However, to remark that French architecture was merely a function of Mannerist influence is to disregard the clear evidence of a consistent Gothic tradition and a sustained commitment to the principles of the High Renaissance in French architecture.

Ultimately, the architectural output of the French Renaissance belongs to a linear tradition in which some of the impulses of the Gothic era were refined and in which the influence of foreign movements — most specifically that of the Italians — had a significant impact on the aesthetic values thereby represented. Even if the tradition of architecture is the sum of its parts, it does represent a fully unique tradition identifiable by its own category. French Renaissance architecture is neither a mere offshoot of Italian Mannerism nor a simple continuation of Gothic building. It is, instead, a distinct and coherent synthesis that deserves recognition on its own terms.

Works Cited

Art Movements. (2008). Mannerism. Art Industri. Online at http://www.artmovements.co.uk/mannerism.htm

Brown, Elizabeth A. R. & Michael W. Cothren. 1986. The Twelfth Century Crusading Window of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 49.

Crosby, Summer McK. 1970. The West Portals of Saint-Denis and the Saint-Denis Style. Gesta, Vol. 9, No. 2.

Cupola Consulting. (1998). Renaissance and Mannerist Architecture. Cupola. Online at http://www.cupola.com/html/bldgstru/renaissa/renais01.htm

Davis, Michael T. Mar. 1998. Splendor and Peril: The Cathedral of Paris, 1290–1350. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 80, No. 1.

Frankl, Paul. 1962. Gothic Architecture. Penguin Books.

Gordon, A. R. (1997). French Art and Architecture. Groller Media. Online at http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Art/DF_art4.shtml

Murray, Stephen. Jun. 1998. Notre-Dame of Paris and the Anticipation of Gothic. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 80, No. 2.

Seymour, Charles Jr. 1939. Notre-Dame of Noyon in the Twelfth Century: A Study of the Early Development of Gothic Architecture. Yale University Press.

Stoddard, Whitney S. 1972. Art and Architecture in Medieval France: Medieval Architecture, Sculpture, Stained Glass, Manuscripts, the Art of the Church Treasuries. Westview Press.