Proportion Of The Secret

In Renaissance, the mathematics of Pythagoreanism, universal view of Platonism and geometry of Euclid, were all used in architectural theories. The thoughts added together to Vitruvius and became the very important historical origins of architectural style in Renaissance. Renaissance architects were influenced deeply for their concept and creation. Architectural view of Vitruvius is concentrated on a comparative study and based on proportions of body. Theories in Renaissance restored the tradition. Namely, a demand which became universally accepted on Vitruvius authority, we have already seen that the architect is by no means free to apply to a building a system of ratios of his own choosing, that the ratios have to comply with conceptions of a higher order and that a building should mirror the proportions of the human body, the proportion in architecture have to express the cosmic order.The thoughts and architectural tradition of Greek and Roman stimulated the architects in Renaissance. Alberti established the standards of the classical tendency for his contemporaries. No matter the theory or the practice, he was the real leader. There was a lively conversation between architecture in Renaissance and Greek, which was determined by the comprehensions of architects in Renaissance for the tradition. They applied classical model into their own creations and used basic principles of classical architecture for brand-new contents.In Renaissance, immortal characteristics of architecture demonstrated in distinguished types. The appearance of centralized church became the most important. Alberti was the first man to convey the lucid thoughts of centralized plans in his book. Alberti’s survey of desirable shape for churches begins with a eulogy of the circle. In centralized plans the geometrical pattern will appear absolute, immutable, static and entirely lucid. Without that organic geometrical equilibrium where all the parts are harmonically related like the members of a body, divinity can’t reveal itself. The applications of geometrical pattern and proportion are also embodied in the models of public space and private residence. There are same principles between secular and religious building, for they have the uniform sequence and regular space, rigorous layout, symmetrical composition and clear dividing.Proportion is the law which establishes the order of the architecture, architects in Renaissance should hope to understand the secret of the inner order of the world through proportion. It is just the application of proportion theory, we can find an approach to recognize the space. Proportion is not only the mathematical meaning, but also has a widened meaning. Compatibility, integrity and creativity are related to proportion. Besides, the relationship between proportion and musical consonance, the reflection which proportion has on psychology, added together to the external and inner meaning of proportion. After Renaissance, we didn’t attach great importance to proportion. Academic circle began to treat the relationship between proportion and architecture again."Proportion is endless"——this terse statement is still indicative of our approach. That is the reason why we view researches into the theory of proportion with suspicion and awe. But the subject is again very much alive in the minds of young architects today, and they may well evolve new and unexpected solutions to this ancient problem.