Carlo Maderno
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Carlo Maderno
Carlo Maderno (1556 – January 30, 1629) was an
Italian-Swiss architect, born in Ticino, who is
remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque
architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's
Basilica and Sant'Andrea della Valle were of key
importance in the evolution of the Italian Baroque. He
is often referred to as the brother of sculptor Stefano
Maderno, but this is not universally agreed upon.
Biography
Façade of St. Peter's Basilica.
Born in Capolago, Ticino (an Italian-speaking canton
of Switzerland), Maderno began his career in the marble quarries of the far north, before moving to Rome in 1588
with four of his brothers to assist his uncle Domenico Fontana. He worked initially as a marble cutter, and his
background in sculptural workmanship would help mold his architecture. His first solo project, in 1596, was an
utterly confident and mature façade for the ancient church of Santa Susanna (1597–1603); it was among the first
Baroque façades to break with the Mannerist conventions that are exemplified in the Gesù. The structure is a
dynamic rhythm of columns and pilasters, with a protruding central bay and condensed central decoration add
complexity to the structure. There is an incipient playfulness with the rules of classic design, still maintaining rigor.
The Santa Susanna façade won the attention of Pope Paul V, who in 1603 appointed him chief architect of St Peter's.
Maderno was forced to modify Michelangelo's plans for the Basilica and provide designs for an extended nave with
a palatial façade. The façade (completed 1612) is constructed to allow for Papal blessings from the emphatically
enriched balcony above the central door. This forward extension of the basilica (which grew from Michelangelo's
Greek cross to the present Latin cross) has been criticized because it blocks the view of the dome when seen from the
Piazza, often ignores the fact that the approaching avenue is modern. Maderno would not have had liberties to design
this building as much as in other structures.
Most of Maderno's work continued to be the remodelling of existing structures. The only building designed by
Maderno and completed under his supervision was the little Santa Maria della Vittoria (1608— 20), where
Maderno's masterwork is often ignored in favor of Bernini's Cornaro Chapel and its Ecstasy of St Theresa and where
the churches' public façade is not by Maderno.
Carlo Maderno
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The façade of Santa Susanna, Rome.
Even Maderno's masterpiece, the church of Sant'Andrea della
Valle, is not entirely his. There he designed the façade and
executed the dome, the second largest in the Roman skyline.
The church itself had been designed for the Theatines by
Giuseppe Francesco Grimaldi and Giacomo della Porta in
1540: it follows a familiar Jesuit plan, cruciform, its wide
nave without aisles, with chapels beyond arched openings.
The crossing contains the high altar, lit under Maderno's dome
(frescoed by Giovanni Lanfranco 1621—25) on its high
windowed drum. The earliest design is of 1608; construction
took from 1621 to 1625. At Maderno's death, the façade
remained half built; it was completed to Maderno's original
conception by Carlo Fontana. In this façade, the standard
formula established at Il Gesù is given more movement and
depth—in the varying planes of the frieze and cornice—and
increased chiaroscuro —as in the whole columns embedded
in snug dark recesses that outline their profiles with
shadow—, and in similar elements that are re-grouped for a
tighter, more sprung rhythm.
His other works include the Roman churches of Gesù e Maria, San Giacomo degli Incurabili, Santa Lucia in Selci
and San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (where he is buried). In addition, he worked on the Quirinal Palace, the Papal palace
in Castel Gandolfo and the Palazzo Barberini and for the Barberini Pope Urban VIII (1628 and completed 1633;
much remodeled since). In the Palazzo Barberini at Quattro Fontane, Maderno's work is overshadowed at times by
details added by Bernini and Borromini. His design of palaces is best represented by his design of Palazzo Mattei
(1598–1616).
Maderno was called upon to design chapels within existing churches, the Chapel of St Lawrence in San Paolo fuori
le Mura and the Cappella Caetani in Santa Pudenziana.
He designed the base supporting the Marian column in front of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, which later served
as a model for numerous Marian columns in many Catholic countries.
References
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Hibbard, Howard (1972). Carlo Maderno and Roman Architecture 1580–1630.
Chris Nyborg, "Churches of Rome: Carlo Maderno" [1]
Vitruvio site: [2] Carlo Maderno
Wittkower, Rudolf (1993). Pelican History of Art, Art and Architecture Italy, 1600-1750. 1980. Penguin Books
Ltd. pp. 110–115.
• "Carlo Maderna" [3]. Catholic Encyclopedia.
Carlo Maderno
External links
• Works by or about Carlo Maderno [4] in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
http:/ / romanchurches. wikia. com/ wiki/ Carlo_Maderno
http:/ / www. vitruvio. ch/ arc/ masters_02/ maderno. php
http:/ / www. newadvent. org/ cathen/ 09512b. htm
http:/ / worldcat. org/ identities/ lccn-no2001-77059
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Article Sources and Contributors
Article Sources and Contributors
Carlo Maderno Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=418595520 Contributors: Afernand74, Attilios, CARAVAGGISTI, Cate, Docu, Dsp13, Ghirlandajo, GoingBatty, Gurch, Ian
Spackman, JASpencer, Jamelan, Jan.Kamenicek, Lagalag, Mattissa, Omegastar, Opie, Panairjdde, RogDel, Snoopydance, Stalwart111, The dinkelous, Thewayforward, Ultimate Destiny,
Unyoyega, Valaqil, Vald, Veledan, Warpflyght, Welsh, Wetman, 11 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image:Facciata di San Pietro (febbraio 2005) resize.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Facciata_di_San_Pietro_(febbraio_2005)_resize.jpg License: GNU Free
Documentation License Contributors: User:Urby2004
Image:Santa Susanna (Rome) - facade.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Santa_Susanna_(Rome)_-_facade.jpg License: Creative Commons Sharealike 1.0
Contributors: User:Panairjdde
License
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