A period so long ago that it brings back memories of history classes. But what did the wind from Italy bring to the Loire Valley? And what can we see of Renaissance architecture in Blois today?
Thanks to the excellent “Renaissance” booklet published in 2013 by Villes d’Art & d’Histoire. We bring you the best extracts in this article.
You can download the entire booklet at the end of the article.
A bit of Renaissance history
It refers to an intellectual and artistic movement that emerged in Italy during the Quattrocento, the 15th century, characterized by the rediscovery of ancient texts, the desire to imitate them, and at the same time to engage in scholarly criticism. For the general public, the Renaissance is synonymous with the châteaux of the Loire Valley. But this is a restrictive view: firstly, there are Renaissance châteaux all over France, especially in the Île-de-France region, starting with Fontainebleau, the main building site at the end of François I’s reign; and secondly, the presence of the Renaissance in the Loire Valley is not limited to the great châteaux.
Churches, public buildings, manor houses, private mansions, etc. were all built in the Loire Valley.
The contribution of the Renaissance to the arts
In the arts, the period was characterized by a desire to represent space convincingly, as evidenced by the invention of atmospheric perspective in Flanders and geometric perspective in Italy… In art and architecture, artists looked to Antiquity and imitated not only its forms but also its constructive principles.