A Guide to Iconic Architectural Masterpieces: From St. Peter’s to Eros and Psyche
San Lorenzo
The facade of San Lorenzo features relatively coarse stonework, particularly in the facade, which was never clad in marble as initially planned. However, the structure maintains a perfect harmony, showcasing the different heights of the central nave, the side aisles, and the chapels. At the back stands the slightly pointed dome crowning the crossing.
Inside:
The interior features a Latin cross plan articulated with three naves and side chapels, a transept, and a main apse flanked by two vestries. The nave is twice as wide and taller than the sides and is separated by Corinthian columns supporting an entablature with broken arches. Above, a wall features numerous windows corresponding with the openings of the lower arches. The aisles and chapels also have arches with circular windows.
The plan includes a coffered ceiling in the central square and hemispherical dome shells at the crossing. The entire church is designed with lines of perspective converging at a single point: the altar. From the viewer’s perspective, one aisle appears as a mirror image of the other, demonstrating the architect’s emphasis on mathematics, symmetry, and the harmony of the square and circle. The result is an interior filled with light and a sense of transparency.
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel covers a ground area of 36 x 13 meters. The vaulted ceiling is divided into 10 painted arches, or faixons, while 9 transverse sectors are subdivided into three registers by intersecting faux cornices. In the central square, a simple landscape background complements various scenes, with characters placed against a monochrome background. The artist compensates for the lack of perspective through a masterful understanding of human anatomy and volume, depicting strong and muscular figures.
A prime example of this is the creation of Adam and Eve, where Michelangelo achieves an incredible magic, capturing one of the most important moments in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In the lunettes, figures emerge from the scene, floating with confidence and energy. Characters are depicted in various planes, foreshadowing Mannerism and the Baroque movement, creating tension and reinforcing the drama of the scene. This is further emphasized by the expressiveness of their faces, particularly the terrifying visage of Christ.
Stylistically, the color palette highlights violet and green (the liturgical colors) in the vault and ocher incarnations of naked bodies. In 1564, the Church demanded that the most intimate parts of these figures be concealed, but they were restored in the late twentieth century, returning the artwork to its original state. The restored frescoes exhibit vibrant and luminous colors.
St. Peter’s Colonnade
St. Peter’s Colonnade includes an initial straight section with two diverging boundaries, creating an interior space divided into terraces that follow the slope of the terrain. This is followed by an elliptical space composed of two circles with centers separated by 50 meters. Two small fountains flank the obelisk, marking the true focal point of the ellipse.
The colonnade begins with a portico of Tuscan columns, arranged in four rows (296 total) and more slender than usual. These columns form three parallel corridors, with the central corridor wider than the sides. Above the columns, an Ionic entablature is crowned by a balustrade holding 140 statues of saints and martyrs designed by Bernini. The colonnade offers a captivating interplay of light and shadow. From the outside, the white columns contrast with the dark intercolumni, while the view is reversed from within.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane features two floors, each divided into three streets created by the combination of smaller columns and giant order columns. The two levels are separated by an entablature that echoes the undulating rhythm formed by the interplay between the streets and the main and lateral axes.
On the lower floor, a niche with the image of Saint Charles Borromeo under the wings of cherubs stands out. On the upper floor, another niche takes center stage. Both the medallion and the giant order columns enhance the feeling of lightness and verticality.
The plan can be understood as a central octagon with corrugated sides, to which two semicircular elements (the lobby and chapel) are added along the longitudinal axis. In elevation, 16 composite order columns support doors, niches, and chapels located in the intercolumni. An entablature follows the capricious shapes of the plan, maintaining the four quarter-sphere laps covering the main chapels.
Among these, four articulated shells define a large oval dome, spectacularly decorated with geometric coffers that diminish in size according to perspective. This deliberate effect increases the feeling of interior space, further enhanced by the white light emanating from the lantern crowning the dome.
Eros and Psyche
expressed rigor of neoclassical art, showing the male and female beauty deal of the time. Compositivament two bodies form a saltire formed by the wings of Eros and of both lower extremities, the heart of which lies closer lip kiss between ambues figures.Cànova frame from the co-placement of embrace him grabbing her and her head that covers it. This makes the viewer subconsciously focus your eyes at this point.