Donato Bramante
A biography by Zachary Strimling
Basic Information
Born: 1444 in Urbino, Italy
Died: March 11,1514 in Rome, Italy
Lived and worked in Milan 1477-1499 and in Rome from 1499 to his death in 1514.
Education
Apprenticed to Piero della Francesca, of Urbino, in the early years of his life but very little else is known about the beginnings of his career.
Lifestyle
At the begining of his life Donato Bramante was the son of farmers and liveda rural lifestyle towards the end of his life, however, with the patronage of the Pope, he lived the lifestyle of the rich and had a large house and office.
Works of art
Donanto Bramante was a prominent architect during his lifetime. Some of his most well know projects were
The tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio
This is a piece of architecture that Bramante designed while he was under the patronage of Pope Julius II. It was commissioned in 1502, completed in 1512, still exists, and is located in Rome, Italy.
Importance
Historically Donato's works, particularly this one, reignited the use of proportion, scale and geometry within architecture as well as reviving the use of columns , arches, and domes.
I find this building particularly interesting because it uses circles constantly and has very few right angles, which is certainly in contrast to the modern architecture I am familiar with.
Classicism
Donato was heavily influenced by classic architecture as this building shows. The tempietto in San Pietro in Montorio has numerous and columns, which goes back to classicism. However, the most apparent example of classicism is that there are very few right angles and a dome is used, both of which are hallmarks of classicism.
Citations
"Donato Bramante." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
"Donato Bramante." International Dictionary of Architects and Architecture. Gale, 1993. Biography in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.