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This week, I explored the fascinating fusion of Christian and Moorish art in Spain, known as "Mudejar," during the Spanish Renaissance. Key historical moments, like the 16th-century expulsion of the Moors, reshaped Spanish art, leading to the vibrant Plateresco and more strict Desornamentado architectural styles. This period was influenced by Moorish design, Early Christian art, and Italian Renaissance styles. Iconic landmarks from this time include Granada's Alhambra, a masterpiece of Moorish architecture, and El Escorial, a grand palace symbolizing Spain's power and moral principles. Granada's Alhambra  El Escorial The Spanish Renaissance also transformed interior furnishings. Elaborate wrought ironwork, colorful tiles, and carved wood furniture, like the sillón de frailero (monk’s chair) and vargueños (decorated cabinets), brought warmth and elegance into homes. Artisans showcased unique techniques, such as intricate inlay work with materials like bone and mo...

The Italian Renaissance was literally a time of rebirth and historical revival. The Italians took methods and styles from previous eras, like ancient Greece and Rome, and modernized them for new uses and purposes. The Early Renaissance developed linear perspective, which creates a sense of three dimensionality. The High Renaissance had icons like Raphael who developed naturalism, Leonardo with Sfumato and Chiaroscuro, and Michelangelo with classically inspired realism. The Late Renaissance came up with the Three C's: color, crisis, and competition. Overall, this era was filled with lots of change and improvements in design and architecture. As stated above, the Italian Renaissance was heavily inspired by eras that came before. Specific examples of this include Gothic and Romanesque furnish interiors. Ancient Rome also inspired life and arts during this time, as well as the style and details of buildings. Another change in culture from previous eras to the Renaissance was the religi...

THE AMERICAS Pre-Columbian Americas had no knowledge of the Old World, and contact was only made later between these two areas. Once these worlds collided, the people had stone points, fishing nets, sleeping mats, and pottery for storage and cooking purposes. Some of their homes were sunken into the earth, underneath cliffs, or made of various materials. Over time, different cultures and types of design made its way across the land, creating new techniques and ideas. Urban civilization was a very important and pivotal development of the Americas, creating a new perspective on life. MEXICO Pre-classic: San Lorenzo and the Olmecs Classic: Teotihuacan, the Toltecs, and the Maya Post-Classic: The Aztecs Teotihuacan Mexico's most impressive structures were pyramids. One place where this is exemplified is in Teotihuacan, in two significant pyramids. They are surrounded by lower temples, platforms, and palaces and residential areas. It is built around a central axis, with one end includin...

The Gothic period is heavily influenced and inspired by the Romanesque era, and it is the final part of the medieval period. It also marks the beginning of the Renaissance. In this Gothic era, urbanism made its return. New towns were built with rectilinear structures and organizational traits like defensive walls, gates, and streets. They had narrow facades because of limited space. Also, in terms of urban government development, buildings of specific purposes, like schools, libraries, and town halls, were created. ST. DENIS Gothic churches follow the model of the chevet of St. Denis. A chevet is a form of the Early Christian apse, and St. Denis highlights three main elements that make up architecture and design of the Gothic era. These elements are Gothic arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses. GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE Arches tend to meet at a point to maintain consistent heights throughout the building. Gothic roofs use these arches to create design, rather than just practical structur...