The 'Art' in Artillery Fort
The
artist who carried the concept of the new fortifications out
of Italy into northern Europe was Albrecht Dürer upon his return
from his studies in Italy. He published a refinement of his military
thoughts in 1527. Although he illustrated outmoded notions such as
the rounded bastion (“roundel”), his was the first printed work on
permanent fortification and was seized upon by soldierly minds, in
particular, the Dutch.
Dürer
was not the only artist of the time with a strong interest in
defense innovation and architecture: there was of course Leonardo DaVinci and, surprisingly, Michelangelo Buonarotti who in 1545
vented this acidic remark to
Antonio da Sangallo the Younger: “I don’t
know very much about painting and sculpture, but I have gained a
great experience of fortifications, and I have already proved that I
know more about them than do you…” (This from the man who
sculpted David and the Pieta, painted the Sistine Chapel and spent
the final 12 years of his life as the primary architect for the new
St. Peter's in Rome.)