Throughout history, Classical ideals of the ancient Greeks and Romans have been prevalent in all facets of art. In architecture this is especially true. A few of the Classical ideals employed in architecture are colonnaded porticoes, domed centers and symmetrical designs. Architects such as Andrea di Pietro, Christopher Wren and Thomas Jefferson used these Classical design elements in their respective works. These highly regarded individuals were architects of the Mannerist, Baroque and Neo-Classical Ages respectively. They each used Classical design elements in their architecture to portray a sense of simplicity and harmony in their work, as well as to reflect Classical ideals of order and mathematical proportion.Andrea di Pietro, an architect of the Mannerist Age, employed the elements of Classical design in his works to achieve simplicity and harmony. The preeminent architect of the Mannerist style was Andrea di Pietro, known as Palladio(Matthews And Platt 340). The work that Palladio is most synonymous with is the Villa Capra, also known as the Villa Rotunda. The Villa Rotunda, based on the Classical design of a Roman farmhouse, was built for a wealthy Venetian (Matthews and Platt 340,341). The Villa highlights Classical principles of architecture in a number of ways. Palladio employed the use of colonnaded porticoes in the Villa, a covered porch supported by columns, which is typically located at the front of the building. The Villa Rotunda has four of these colonnaded porticoes. The porticoes provide a smooth transition between the entrance of the building and the surrounding grounds. In addition to the porticoes, Palladio used the domed center on the Villa, not only for aesthetics, but also to create a central point in the building. The symmetrical design of the Villa is visible from this central point. The symmetry of the Villa reflects the Classical ideals of order, as well as mathematical proportion. These e...
