FRANCOI MANSARD

In the first half and middle of 17 th century France is experiencing a "rebirth of the Renaissance. " The most outstanding personality of this period is, without doubt, Francois Mansart.

Mansart not only left samples of architecture, which became very soon the object of worship and pilgrimage for architects. He was still secured in the art that the tone of creative thinking that goes from the masters of the Renaissance. The combination of polished taste and rationalistic method of creative liberties with a casual game and relaxed ease will then be a feature of architectural classicism XVIII century.

François Mansart was born January 23, 1598 in Paris. His grandfather was a bricklayer, and his father - a carpenter. He died when François was only twelve years old. In his creative development Mansart experienced some influence of the architect Salomon de Bros, with whom his fate would have it reduced.

The main customers Mansart were initially secured enough men around the king. Young architect not only create designs of buildings or their adjustment, but also supervised the construction work. Contemporaries passed word Mansart on one of his first clients - he has more money than the Sultan of Turkey.

Career as an architect Mansart began in 1623. He started with the works of "soft", whimsical and not particularly distinct, such as his first job - the facade of the church of the Order Feuillants in Paris. Another of his early work, the palace in Ballerua in the department of Calvados, launched in 1626.

However, the wizard is gradually moving toward a clear layout, the concept of transparency, rigor and plastic detailing. Mansart reached artistic maturity in the thirties.

Photo — «Francoi Mansard»

Despite its relatively small size, the Paris church of the Order vizitandinok (1633) represents a significant milestone in the process of gaining maturity. The most impressive feature in it - this bleakness wall surfaces are not hidden jewels and dissected very sparingly. Using dramatic, grotesque acuminate separate ways, the architect enters them into a balanced, clear context. There are no "landmark" features classics such as porticos, but the bulk composition as a whole is extremely rational, balanced and austere.

However, no church buildings Mansart played for various reasons, the role of key monuments of the epoch and the national school. His creativity was the most vivid expression in other works.

In the palace complex of Blois Mansart built in 1635-1638 years of housing for the Duke of Orleans - the brother of King Louis XIII. This building represents only one side of the unit square, which was conceived by the architect. Alas, for reasons beyond the control of him, large-scale project was only partially implemented. But in this version of the architectural image was fairly solid. One or another warrant a facade strictly corresponds to the level of the same warrant opposite facade. Before Mansart even so much a master as S. de Bros, admits the difference in level of floors of different facades of the palace and applies different warrants for the same floor of different facades.

Alignment of orders on the horizontal level, passing through the entire volume of the building, shows not only the ongoing ordering of architectural thinking in general, but also about the specifics of the master′s talent. Architect definitely thinks its building as a strictly holistic architectural level, having a uniform internal structure, visibly impressed in the articulation of facades.

Photo — «Francoi Mansard»

Thus, within the limits of architecture, which can not be considered a classic, ripens a certain principle of thinking, which can be called a rationalist imagery, expressed through the architecture of.

In the case of the castle of Blois Orleans there is another sign of the approximation of a qualitatively new stage of development of French architecture. Know what role in this development is the transition from acute "Gothic" roof to a single horizontal line of the roof. It was at Blois Mansart radically rejects the traditional roof, manifold and pointed, and makes a common roof for the entire building, thereby eliminating the jagged silhouette. Architect resorted to attic ceiling. It was so named after Mansart, although it is now established that by building in Blois was not the inventor of this type of roof, and was among the first who approached him after Pierre Lescot. Not to mention the fact that from a practical point of view than attic and a peaked roof and a flat "Italian" roof, it still introduces the appearance of the building additional horizontal division. In addition to the ridge of the roof part of the division performed by a fracture of the roof. Such authorization different tasks - practical and artistic - with a single admission also felt resourceful rationality of thinking.

Of course, in style and artistic point of figuratively no product Mansart in any case not limited tendencies directed toward the classical values. The structure of his images is complex. It connects with the architectonics of a rational and balanced integrity of their decisions and these are qualities that can not fail to recognize the irrational, antiklassicheskimi. The magnificent staircase is covered with floating Blois double vault, and there used mysterious, "magical" effect of the hidden illumination.

Photo — «Francoi Mansard»

In the same period Mansart builds a Paris hotel for Lavrilera Philip, a royal official. Architects constantly strives to reveal a ladder to free space. In this hotel it was created an open stairwell. The idea to attach the stairs to the walls of the high and does not dismembered inside the premises also conducted in the castle Ballerua.

Mansart summarized and fully embodied the principles of his mature art in the palace Maison (1642-1651). He began to call the Maison Lafitte in the XIX century, the name of the new owner.

Holistic architectural volume, organized around a central rod of the pavilion, is a continuation of one of the major typological ideas of the master set, for example, already attributed to Mansart Castle Ballerua.

The architect transformed the palace in the center Maison vast ensemble. Palace literally reigned over the surrounding plain, free from development. With regard to the architecture of the palace Maison, then struck a strict regularity in solving architectural problems. No less important is the fact that the architectural image is imbued with a kind of friendliness and openness with all its monumental power. Even the moat surrounding the Maison Lafitte on three sides, does not prevent this. He never filled, and could not be filled with water, because it has the windows open to the basement and pit, thus redefined as an element of terracing the soil.

Registration of portals, entry hall and stairs and is mostly "generosity" of the architecture, its willingness to accept the person entering the building. One of the achievements Mansart was to develop a new type of ladder. Free from internal partitions stairway allows interference-free cover level of smooth and bright light from windows on all floors.

Photo — «Francoi Mansard»

Hence, the deduced structure of the staircase of the palace Maison. Her flying upward, along the walls high, spacious and bright staircase. Spans in no way supported by the right side and protected here only penetrating balustrade complex picture. They generously covered both of the windows, and from the upper canopy.

Art Mansart is based on sophisticated intellectualism and deep attention to the human perception, to the well-being in the face of architecture. Based on these principles, the architect could any number of resort to any curved surfaces, irrational lighting effects. While they serve as the main problem, subject to the main principles, they remain, so to speak, creatures of the private baroque, in the service of the classical approach to creativity.

Mansart not hesitate to use the cross-cutting curved colonnade in the courtyard of the castle of Blois, or those concave sections of the walls that seemed to suddenly and without apparent reason, appear on the sides of the one-story "Terrace" palace Maison. Architects like to play with forms, but this game is based on an unshakeable consciousness of the structural clarity and coherence of the architectural body in general. Confidence in these principles of architecture and helps to master, perhaps, to avoid pedantry and dogmatism. He is not afraid to distort the individual parts of a whole, and it allows more keenly aware of the overall clarity and elegance of the image.

Art Mansart, with his development of structural plastic qualities and imaginative richness was at one time a few isolated phenomenon. Direct and immediate continuation, it did not have, but the principles and foundations of his artistic thinking played a pivotal role in many respects to the masters who worked in different styles and keys, and have different individual characteristics.

Photo — «Francoi Mansard»

Due to its success Mansart amassed a lot of envy and enemies. They accused the architect of excessive extravagance and dishonesty. In 1651, appeared angry pamphlet "Mansart". Said that he wrote the enemies of the Prime Minister, Cardinal Mazarin, for whom Mansart also worked. But the attacks did not affect the creative activity of the architect.

In 1661 the French throne a new king, Louis XIV. In 1664, Louis decides to rebuild the Louvre. The Minister and the Superintendent of the construction, Jean Baptiste Colbert Mansart requests that a draft restructuring of the eastern wing. Architect working hard on the project, but in the end that was not approved.

In 1665, Colbert gives Mansart new order to rebuild family chapel of the Bourbons in SAINT DENIS. But here Mansart was unable to implement their plans. This paper completes his relative - great-nephew, Jules Hardouin Mansart.

Art Mansart is a deeply personal version of creativity, does not fit into the framework of styles and eras, and connecting them to a free and prudently, witty and logical. These qualities are embodied in addition to buildings in the architectural graphics masters, especially in his later projects, made shortly before his death - the National Library in Paris and the National Museum in Stockholm.

François Mansart died Sept. 23, 1666.