Artist Birthday: Francesco Borromini

Francesco Borromini was one of a trio of Italian architects (along with Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) and Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)) who helped define the Italian Baroque style in architecture. He was an individualist who constantly pursued innovative and unusual plans for interior spaces.

Artist Birthday for 25 September: Francesco Borromini (1599-1667 Italy, born Switzerland)

Francesco Borromini, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, 1638-1641 Image © 2025 Dr Ron Wiedenhoeft / Saskia Ltd. (MIB-0361)

San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, named for an intersection containing four fountains, was commissioned by the order of Trinitarian friars, an order founded in France in the 1100s. The order had declined in prominence by the 1400s, but a resurgence in enthusiasm occurred in the late 1500s after the Reformation had taken hold in Europe.

In the 1580s the Trinitarians had established a small chapel on land that once contained two houses. These were demolished in 1612 to make way for the monastery, however, the plan was trapezoidal since the two streets did not cross at right angles.

In a city dominated by the works and reputation of Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), the friars took a risk in hiring Francesco Borromini to design both church and monastery. It was his first major commission and his first major building in Rome. He had previously worked under Bernini and Carlo Maderno (1556-1629). Borromini rose brilliantly to the occasion of designing for the cramped, trapezoidal plot of land. Borromini's daring at defying Renaissance perceptions of balance and serenity earned him his reputation in his design for San Carlo.

The narrow facade of San Carlo alternates between concave and convex surfaces, giving it a vitality and drama. This push and pull of oval forms continued on the interior of the church, which is somewhat like an elongated oval. It is basically a centralized rather than a basilican plan. Centralized churches were based on the Greek cross shape, a cross of four equal arms. The Greek cross was the symbol of the Trinitarians.

Background

The Baroque period in western Europe was a period when the Roman Church's power had waned significantly, and it was a period when great nation states with strong rulers emerged. These great nation states -- Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Germany, among others, began to expand their spheres of influence to other parts of the world.

Imports from conquered lands enriched these nation states and developments in the arts flourished. The restrained, classically-inspired balance and simplicity of the Renaissance style gave way to the overblown, dramatic, and sometimes theatrical Baroque style.

Baroque architecture is distinguished primarily by richly sculpted, animated surfaces. Whereas Renaissance architects preferred planar classicism (flat surfaces veneered in classical elements, for example), Baroque architects freely molded surfaces to achieve three-dimensional sculpted classicism. The surface of a Renaissance building was typically divided into symmetrical sections, in accordance with classical clarity and order. Baroque facades were conceived of as a continuous whole.

Although Renaissance buildings often consist of numerous similar sections, the modesty in scale and ornament do not create a dramatic impact. Baroque structures often feature profuse decoration, undulating sections of walls, sculpture programs and blind arcades, all on a monumental scale. In Italy and Germany, churches and palaces were the most archetypal Baroque architecture.

Borromini was born near Lake Lugano in (present day) Switzerland as Francesco Castelli. He was the son of a stonemason, a profession in which he worked until he was 20. He moved to Rome in 1621 where he first worked with his relative Maderno on the modifications to Saint Peter's as well as the Palazzo Barberini. After Maderno died Borromini was, for a time, under the supervision of Bernini, which elicited a lifelong jealously in Borromini.

In Rome he came under the influence of the Mannerist elements in the architecture of Michelangelo (1475-1564), as well as the overblown forms of ancient Roman architecture. These influences contributed to his unique, unconventional personal style.

Correlations to Davis programs: Discovering Art History 4E, Chapter 11,11.1; AP Art History, Unit 3: Early Europe and Colonial Americas