Bernardo Vittone

Bernardo Antonio Vittone (1702 - October 19, 1770) was an Italian architect of the Rococo period, active mainly in his natal region of the Piedmont.

Biography

Born in Turin, he was the most prominent pupil of Filippo Juvarra. Vittone studied in Rome and won a first prize in the Accademia di San Luca in 1732. He traveled briefly to Turin in 1733. Returning to Rome, he published the papers of Guarini's "Architettura Civile" in 1737.

While a pupil of Juvarra, and far less known than his master and the earlier luminary of Piedmontese architecture: Guarino Guarini, Vittone is described by Wittkower as:

an architect of rare ability, full of original ideas and of a creative capacity equalled only by few of the masters...What little we know of him suggests that his was an obsessed genius. This is also the impression one carries away from reading his two treatises, the "Istruzioni elementari" of 1760 and the "Istruzioni diverse" of 1766. The earlier treatise is one of the longest ever written, and the later consists to a large extent of appendices to the first. But the published work is only a small part of his literary production. Large masses of manuscripts existed which have so far not been traced...the extraordinary thing about his treatises is that basically he has not moved far from Alberti's position ... (while) Alberti wanted to elevate and inform the mind, Vittone wants to delight. He also incorporates recent research -but for what purpose? ...Proportion is the one and all of these treatises, and Vittone's terms of reference are precisely those of Renaissance theory.

As an example, Wittkower cites that Vittone attempted to mathematically prove the correct classic proportions of buildings, and that he used the recent discoveries of light by Newton to address questions of architecture; and yet, he ends the book with a dedication to God and the Virgin Mary. It is "Enlightenment" theory of architecture as only Baroque Italians could furnish; a hybrid of science and decoration, never rid of the inveterate and inherited subservience to a classic heritage, and accompanied by the patina of piety.

Vittone's most memorable works are religious and remote from the main cities. They include the sanctuary or Cappella della Visitazione at Vallinotto (1738-1739), near Carignano, erected for agricultural workers of the town. The pagoda-like dome recalls some of Guarini's designs, and initially suggests a simple provincial structure. However the hexagonal interior has the geometric elaborations of the interior recall Juvarra and Borromini, with alternating convex and concave chapels. In the dome, the elaborately decorated ribs and panels form an alluring design that intersects in ever appendixed webs of complexity, which during daylight is playfully lit by hidden windows. Unlike the more stark sober architecture of Neoclassicism, Vittone weaves a web of eccentric delight.

Another masterpiece is the church of Santa Chiara at Bra (1741-2); with a central dome that recalls Borromini's Sapienza but encrusted with rocaille niches. He also designed the Ospizio or Albergo di Carita (1744-9) at Carignano (for the indigent homeless) with its central chapel; the parish churches of Grignasco, Borgomasino, and Borgo d'Ale; the choir of S. Maria di Piazza and church of Santa Chiara in Turin; the church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Alba, and the church of Santa Croce (1755) at Villanova di Mondovì. In 1766, he completed the church of San Bernardino at Riva di Chieri with help of pupils Andrea Rana and Pietro Bonvicini.

ources

*cite book | first= Rudolf|authorlink=Rudolf Wittkower|last=Wittkower| year=1993| title= Art and Architecture Italy, 1600-1750| pages= pp. 424-432| publisher= Penguin Books |year=1980

External links

* [http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/dbcourses/publicportfolio.cgi?view=2046#| Photos of churches by Vittone]
* [http://web.tiscali.it/enricoforasacco/Vallinotto.htm Churches of Vallinotto]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9075583/Bernardo-Antonio-Vittone Encyclopedia Britannica entry (subscription required)]