Research essay · Renaissance × post-war Modernism
Infusing the cultural space of Ghirlandaio’s Renaissance paintings into 1950s post-war Modernist architecture.
Two contrasting expressions of art and design, from two different eras: the cultural space of Domenico Ghirlandaio’s Renaissance paintings, and the post-war modernist architecture of 1950s Germany. What happens when the first is brought into the second?
Florence · 15th century
Ghirlandaio painted elegant religious scenes and portraits. Classical motifs, balance and proportion, with a keen interest in naturalism and scientific observation.
Germany · 1950s
Clean lines, minimalist forms, a focus on function. Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, of the Bauhaus movement, rejected the ornate forms of the past for buildings that were simple, efficient and technologically advanced.
stories
The case
Post-war modernism in Frankfurt am Main reshaped the city’s cultural, social, economic and urban landscape. The rebuilding produced landmarks such as the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and helped the city grow into a major centre of finance, trade and culture.
At the design office of Jourdan Müller Steinhauser, the project lead was fascinated by Ghirlandaio’s paintings. The colours these frescoes use to express space, he was convinced, would pair well with the interiors of the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (LRB) in Frankfurt: a 1950s post-war modernist building being renovated and extended, its original seven stories growing to eleven, with the whole core re-planned and refurbished.
The brief
The team’s perspective on the interior design is an amalgamation of research and analysis gathered over several years of planning, with a focus on the spatial characteristics best suited to the project. A series of implicit guidelines emerged, each tailored to this building.
Seminal components of this 1950s building, they embody a seamless integration of exterior and interior. White-bronze window frames, natural-stone parapets and plain white columns carry the outside in, from the entrance foyer through the corridors to the terrace under the Flying Roof on the new eleventh floor.
At the core of the project, drawn from a specific set of Renaissance paintings: their language, form, proportion and above all their rich colour palette. The Skin is the canvas that contains the message. The palette appears as pixels, stripes, surfaces, volumes and objects, translated into frames, wall panels, furniture, railings, light fixtures, artwork and artifacts, until every space feels like a scene from the paintings.
3 · Space of the paintings
Within the formal space of the painting, the Common Area is built from a few strong strokes.
A vibrant sculptural central element in two contrasting colours is the focal point.
A bold perspective line links the formal and informal meeting spaces.
4 · Ghirlandaio’s painted spaces
Ghirlandaio was renowned for painted spaces that are both lifelike and otherworldly. Columns, arches and ornate frames convey depth; light and shadow, careful detail and mastery of anatomy give a naturalism the Renaissance prized. His painted spaces are not only depictions of the physical world but carry allegorical and symbolic weight.
Painting 1
The painting uses architectural elements to convey both realistic and symbolic space. The temple’s facade, with its columns, arches and ornate frieze, creates a sense of depth and perspective and stands for the spiritual realm and the moral teachings of the church. The figures in the foreground are arranged in a triangular formation, and light and shadow add to the sense of space. The background refers to Brunelleschi’s design for the Spedale degli Innocenti, and two palaces mirror the lines of the temple. Ghirlandaio’s attention to the city’s urban fabric stresses the significance of place and context in the creation of architectural space.
Painting 2
Architectural elements and colour create a realistic and symbolic sense of space. The birth chamber, with its vaulted ceiling, columns and moldings, adds depth and perspective, and the triangular formation of the figures adds to the sense of space. The architecture represents the sanctity of the event. Contrasting complementary colours give the clarity that marks Ghirlandaio’s work, and the attention to detail in the room lends the scene a sense of grandeur.
Painting 3
Architectural space creates depth and hierarchy within a traditional triangular arrangement of figures. The spacious room with a vaulted ceiling and decorated walls adds grandeur to the visitation, while linear perspective draws the eye to the central figures. The right wall of the Tornabuoni Chapel uses converging lines to convey depth, and a paved road and a servant figure connect the painting to the story of Saint John the Baptist on the opposite wall. On the left, a group of women is a variation of a single type, which is typical of Ghirlandaio’s work.
Two eras. Two ways of making space. One cultural landscape.
Despite the differences in their aesthetics and goals, both Renaissance painting and post-war modernist architecture played a crucial role in shaping the cultural space of their eras. Painting, with its emphasis on harmony and balance, reflected the ideals of the Renaissance and set a new standard for beauty. In Germany, post-war modernism reshaped the cultural landscape and set a standard that has influenced building for decades.
Both continue to influence art and architecture today.