Book Description

The Renaissance architect and builder Andrea Palladio is arguable the most influential architect in Western history, and certainly the most beloved. His sixteenth-century villas in the Italian Veneto revolutionized the course of architecture, and the principles on which he based his work are still felt today. For the past several years, Italian watercolorist Giovanni Giaconi has devoted his talents to creating exquisite large-format pen-and-ink watercolor renderings of all thirty-two of Palladio’s villas. Each drawing captures the timeless beauty of Palladian architecture and provides a detailed record of these masterpieces. Together with brief descriptions of each villa, samples of Giaconi’s preparatory sketches, and where available, Palladio’s own woodcuts, these works of art leave a deep impression of Palladio’s oeuvre and give the reader an opportunity to compare the original designs with the actual buildings and their present state of conservation. This beautiful book is a must-have and the perfect gift for architects, travelers, and lovers of Italy and Palladio’s architecture. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

"Palladio is the Bible," Thomas Jefferson once said. "You should get it and stick to it." With his simple, gracious, perfectly proportioned villas, Andrea Palladio elevated the architecture of the private house into an art form during the late sixteenth century -- and his influence is still evident in the ample porches, columned porticoes, grand ceilings, and front-door pediments of America today.

In The Perfect House, bestselling author Witold Rybczynski, whose previous books have transformed our understanding of domestic architecture, reveals how a handful of Palladio's houses in an obscure corner of the Venetian Republic should have made their presence felt hundreds of years later and halfway across the globe. More than just a study of one of history's seminal architectural figures, The Perfect House reflects Rybczynski's enormous admiration for his subject and provides a new way of looking at the special landscapes we call "home" in the modern world. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Utterly engaging
Rybczynski has written a book that is part social history, part art history, and part travelogue, as he describes his journey through Northern Italy visiting and discovering the remaining country villas created by the great architect Andrea Palladio.

Rybczynski manages to write about the "art" side of the architecture in a way that is both scholarly and accessible; however, the best feature of this book, from my perspective, is the insight he brings to architecture and the role of the architect in creating spaces for living. How did the Pisani family live in its villa? How did Palladio integrate the main house of the Villa Badoer with its farm buildings? How did Palladio himself interact with his clients? Above all, what did it feel like to live in buildings that were both magnificent designs and truly "home" to their owners?

The book is so vibrant and Rybczynski's passion for his subject so profound you will want to jump on a plane tomorrow to see what he has seen!

Ever Thoughtful and Lucid
Witold Rybczynski is the best contemporary writer on architecture as a mundane philosophy, and the genius of this quiet book is to merge travelogue and andecdotal memoir with the more monumental history of art and place in which studies of Palladio usually traffic. Rybczynski's dilatory and patient, witty and earthy prose is, in my view, the writerly equivalent of the best buildings architecture has to offer. Like the best buildings, his writing creates a "comfort zone" we as readers would gladly inhabit. I encourage anyone to read this book who has an interest in--but vague suspicion or fear of--architecture as a discipline. Through a subtle yet finally forceful style, Rybczynski demonstrates how the demotic and practical dimension of the architectural "science" always trumps the obscurantist and elitist postures of those who make--as well as those who can actually afford to buy--a designer building.

Very good book. Needs more illustrations.
Excellent prose. Fantastic selection of villas. It would be helpful if subsequent editions had more illustrations. I found myself constantly flipping back to try to determine what the author was mentioning. All in all, though, a worthwhile read.

Palladio - The Shakespeare of Architecture
Witold Rybczynski does it again. This book is definately up there with Home, A Clearing in the Distance and One Good Turn. Rybczynski's travelogue style suits his subject matter perfectly, turning a potentially dry academic subject into a gripping read for anyone remotely interested in history or architecture or both. In this hard-to-put-down book Rybczynski describes the genius and creativity that was Palladio, a man who is to architecture as Shakespeare is to the English language. Rybczynski uses this one telling comparison to make a clear point that as we walk through our world of 2001, echoes of Palladio are all around us. I'd recommend new readers to Rybczynski to follow this up with Rybczynski's One Good Turn.

The Most Influential Architect
Who is the greatest architect who ever lived? It's an impossible question, of course. Perhaps one that might get closer to a real answer is, Who is the most influential architect who ever lived? Witold Rybczynski has an answer, and it is a convincing one: Palladio. In _The Perfect House: A Journey with the Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio_ (Scribner), Rybczynski looks at the villas Palladio produced around the mainland of Venice in the sixteenth century, not as historic monuments but as useful and beautifully architectured homes. He places Palladio firmly within his times, but drawing on the classical architecture of Rome and drawn on by Inigo Jones, Thomas Jefferson, and countless others. It is hard to disagree with Rybczynski's conclusion about Palladio's influence, and after this book, a reader is likely to see Palladian themes not only in grand homes, but in diminished form in modern suburban ones as well.

Palladio was merely the son of a miller or maker of millstones; the historical record is not clear. He was trained as a stonemason, and early showed enough talent that Count Giangiorgio Trissino, of an old Vicenza family, noticed his ability. This was his introduction to higher things, especially his ticket to Rome, where the ancient buildings proved a continuing inspiration for his villas. He designed about thirty of them, several of which never were started and if started were not completed; clients of architects then and now faced over-optimism and reversals of fortune. Seventeen survive, some in excellent preservation and some a bit seedy. They are Palladio's main legacy, and remain beautiful and durable; most are still lived in. Rybczynski gives a wonderful introduction to the tools at Palladio's disposal - pediments, porches, entablatures, apses, and more. These were all juggled and adjusted in each specific case. And while there is a unity to the composition of the villas, Rybczynski demonstrates that there is no such thing as a "typical" Palladian villa: "Some of his designs incorporate temple fronts, some do not; some have pedimented windows, some have plain openings; some porticoes are supported by elaborate Corinthian columns, others by unadorned piers. His fertile imagination brimmed with ideas." Architects and artists have been learning from Palladio ever since. The book has the author's line drawings of each of the buildings, and some reproductions of Palladio's sketches or plans, but they are really not sufficient to understand the massings of space Palladio so expertly managed. When I read the book, I checked up on various websites to get fuller pictures.

Rybczynski has lived for a short time in one of the villas, and his words on what make them special are worth reading, although no one will fully be able to explain it. He gives enough examples from all over the world (in America, Monticello, the White House, local courthouses and countless southern mansions are Palladian buildings) to make entirely sufficient his argument about the architect's influence. It is easy to catch Rybczynski's enthusiasm. Those who don't know Palladio will find this book, which is a capsule biography, travelogue, and architectural appreciation, a fine introduction. Those who are already Palladians will rejoice in the clear descriptions and the first hand accounts, coming from an experienced observer and an entertaining storyteller. ... Read more

Book Description

In the serene Northern California town of Calistoga, a splendid villa is fronted by stately wrought-iron gates and a small sign reading “Carlo Marchiori, Maestro d’Arte.” Ca’toga, as the Palladian-style villa is named, is the home and workshop of Carlo Marchiori, a world-renowned Venice-born artist. In FESTA VENEZIANA A CA’TOGA, Marchiori serves as tour guide, leading us room by room through this live portfolio, providing deeply personal and mysterious explanations for the wonders that abound in his gallery-like residence. Sixteenth century–style frescoes hang in the main salon, hand-painted stone floors accent the library, and antler and bone sculptures embellish the Native American room. Roman ruins, Thai temples, a seashell-encrusted grotto, and an open-air theater sit in archaic splendor on this dreamscape-turned-landscape. A spontaneous and creative expression of his life and work, Ca’toga is Marchiori’s artistic utopia—a work in progress that is a brilliant spectacle to behold. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The magical fantasy of Carlo, Maestro d'Artes
What a joyous occasion it becomes to whirl through the new book on Venetian-born Carlo Marchiori, a master of many arts, who now lives and works in Calistoga, Ca., the northern-most town in Napa Valley. The book not only presents his life and work in a colorful, well-photographed journal, but it has the magical touch of Carlo's own imagination for the styling of the photographs, layout, and storyline. Now his mastery of arts includes book design as well as painting, drawing, sculpture, construction, architecture, and costume design!

A self-proclaimed great illusionist, he nontheless informs us of the historical references in his art while capturing our imaginations on an illustrated magical journey back through time. The book is storybook, history, and journal, all rolled into one, and written with Carlo's great sense of humor and gusto for life. From the moment you turn the first page, you are captured by Renaissance man Marchiori's presentation, all colorful, fun, and fantastic. It is a delightful glimpse into his most beautiful imaginings, and they are bountiful. You laugh, smile, ooooo, and ahhhhh, and see life above the mundane, as does Carlo!

It is interesting to note that he allows tours of his home, and has a shop and artist studio in Calistoga, where various pieces of his art are sold. These are extraordinary experiences not to be missed while in Napa Valley. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Palladio's buildings in glorious black-and-white
This sturdy paperback is a complete catalog to the buildings of 16th Century architect Andrea Palladio. It includes descriptions, floor plans, and black-and-white photos of Palladio's buildings throughout the Veneto region. The descriptions are a bit dry, but the book is a "must" for serious architecture buffs with a passion for Palladio.

Durant Imboden, Venice for Visitors, http://govenice.miningco.co ... Read more

Amazon.com

This comprehensive volume on the most influential architects inWestern history is meant to be, in the words of its author,"user-friendly." Bruce Boucher suggests that Andrea Palladiomight "fit comfortably into a suitcase or a backpack for a trip toVicenza," the city west of Venice where the 16th-century architectPalladio lived and where most of his villas stand.

For art historians and architects, Boucher effectively synthesizes themore than 30 years of research that has been accomplished since JamesAckerman's seminal 1966 work on Palladio. Boucher's style is balancedand highly readable. In discussing the architect's bridges, heparaphrases Palladio's advice that "an even number of piers shouldbe used because nature endows every creature with an even number oflegs to support its weight." "This last observation,"Boucher writes, "is typically Palladian in its appeal to thenatural world as a justification of what was simply an aestheticpreference."

Thanks to the extraordinary photographs of Paolo Marton, you will findyourself dreaming of an Italian vacation even before you begin readingBoucher's text. Marton's pictures make the exteriors of Palladio'svillas, churches, bridges, and palaces look as if they were appearingbefore us, bathed in fresh spring light and set against a startlinglyblue sky. His interior exposures are minutely sensitive to shadow aswell as to light, and Marton precisely captures the soaring, airyvolumes of Palladio's incomparable spaces.

This perfectly designed book also includes photographs of the originalfloor plans and elevations, as well as several helpful addenda, such asmaps showing the locations of Palladio's buildings, a glossary, and achronology. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must-read for students of architecture and the Renaissance
Architecture, no matter how interesting, can be a rather dry topic to read about. For that reason alone this book is worth having, since the writer Boucher deftly handles the material in an engaging and fluid style. However, the real strength of this tome is the way Boucher is able to get into the head of Palladio without ever resorting to speculation. This is accomplished through analysis not only of Palladio's as-built works, but also early versions of the plans and designs, rejected proposals, and a study of the architect's own vastly influential book, the Quatro Libri. Boucher chooses to discuss his structures by type (religious, villa, palazzi, civic) rather than chronologically, which requires frequent checking of the chronology section in the back to follow along. Although this format requires a bit more mental investment on the part of the reader, in the end it is a more illuminating way to understand Palladio's creative genius.

My only complaint about the book is the lack of modern ground plans. Boucher relies on Palladio's own woodcuts but few of these accurately reflect the actual buildings. Ground plans are usually the least colorful part of an architectural discussion, so having to rely solely on one's mental images for these passages is too abstract. The illustrations are good, especially considering the difficulty of photographing architecture in the cramped quarters of certain northern Italian cities, but I didn't find them to be as spectacular as did those who wrote the editorial reviews above. Nothing wrong with the quality of the photos, it's just that they are often printed small or taken from (necessarily) oblique angles. It is also recommended that one has at least a rudimentary understanding of classical architecture to get full value from this book. Scholars and informed fans of classical and Renaissance architecture are sure to benefit the most.

... Read more

Book Description

An exploration of the design procedures and methodology of Andrea Palladio, arguably the most influential Renaissance architect.

Even when Modernism dimmed interest in classical architecture, Palladio's opus never ceased to attract attention. This book sets him in his context; discusses the theory of the orders, proportions, space composition, and facade design; and presents this material for practicing architects and students, so that the ideas can be applied in their architectural work today. 200 illustrations, 16 pages of color. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

'Tavernor has done a first-rate job'
Sir John Summerson, reviewing the book in Architecture Today, 18 December, 1998 wrote: 'Andrea Palladio, probably the most famous architect in the western world, stands at the beginning of the movement called Palladianism. So successful was the Palladian formula that it was consciously revived outside of Italy and in other times, first by Inigo Jones at the court of Charles I in the early 17th century, by Colen Campbell and Lord Burlington in the early 18th century, and by Thomas Jefferson and others in the New World. In each case, what was appealing about Palladianism was more than a matter of style: it was the fact that it expressed a way of life and a humanist philosophy, deriving ultimately from ancient Rome but enriched by the thinkers of the Renaissance and the Augustan Age. In comparison to James Ackerman's The Villa, and Paul Holberton's Palladio's Villas 'Tavernor's book is the most erudite and the best written of the three books....Tavernor has done a first-rate job. His study is the most up-to-date Palladian book currently on the market....Rudolf Wittkower would, I know, have admired Tavernor's book as much as I do.' ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

remarkable photographs reveal the beauty of 29 masterworks by Palladio and 37 British and American structures that embody the Palladian heritage. Captions, text by architectural history Henry Hope Reed.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent Introduction to the Life & Works of Palladio
I became acquainted with the works of Palladio after taking an art history class that focused on the relevant time period. I was impressed with his designs but a little surprised that Palladio is not given much recognition by those outside of the world of architecture. This book helps, at least in some ways, to set things right.

This book includes a brief biography on Andrea Palladio with insight on his _The Four Books of Architecture_. It also mentions the introduction that many Americans have to Palladian architecture-Thomas Jefferson. The scope of his influence on Jefferson is evident simply by looking at Monticello and the University of Virginia.

The authors divide Palladio's works into three categories: villas, palaces and churches. They also include Palladian designs in England, Scotland and America. Each design is profiled with pictures and given roughly 2 - 4 paragraphs of description. The information provided is easy to read but not so simplistic that it seems superficial. The photographs are excellent and often show fascinating detail. Unfortunately though, all photos are b/w and sometimes color would have been helpful. That reason and the basic nature of the text caused me to rate this at four stars rather than five. Experts and scholars should look elsewhere unless they are only after the illustrations. For students and casual observers, this book is a fantastic way to begin learning about Palladio. ... Read more

Book Description

Andrea Palladio (Padua 1508-Vicenza 1580), Italian architect of the late Renaissance period published L’Antichità di Roma (1554). Between 1560 and 1580 he constructed several churches in Venice.including the churches of San Francesco della Vigna, San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore. His last great work was the theatre in Vicenza for the Academia Olimpica. Palladio cultivated his own interpretation of Roman motifs, and combined many of the elements of the classical style. However, he shared in the Renaissance quest for harmonic proportions. Palladio was the first architect to systematize the layout of the private rooms of a house, and the first to use the ancient Greco-Roman temple front as a portico on residential buildings. ... Read more