After centuries of war, regime changes, and revolutions, eighteenth century Europe was reestablishing national boundaries and was seeking national pride in each country. One way European nations built this pride was through the search for national styles of architecture. By the early nineteenth century, two attitudes about finding a national, historical style arose, pluralism and revivalism. Those with a pluralist view believed that it is appropriate to build contemporary cities using different styles depending what the building’s purpose was, for example, a Gothic style church and a Classical bank building. Revivalists, on the other hand, felt a nation should choose a shared style which draws on the history of that particular nation. This led to disagreements in many European nations as to what style best fit their national history and would evoke pride among its citizens. Two distinct styles came about during this era, the light and highly decorated Gothic Revival, and the simpler and firmer Romanesque Revival. Philosophy of Aesthetics and Gothic Revival During this period, the Enlightenment thinkers rationalized and codified about everything, including architecture referring to the Greeks and Romans, identified as the Classical Revivals. At the same time, the new philosophy of Aesthetics contradicted the Enlightenment and brought a different view on arts and beauty, presented by thinkers like Alexander Baumgarten, Edmund Burke, Immanuel Kant, and William Gilpin, that searched for answers on sensibility or “responsiveness to stimulation of the senses.” Seen by many as a justification of the Medieval revivals and an opposition to the Enlightenment theories that define the idea of beauty around Vitruvius’ emphasis on proport... ... middle of paper ... ...ition and political theories went along with people and consequently the Romanesque style was revived in the United States about the same time as in Germany due to many German immigrants. (Kathleen Curran, The Romanesque Revival, USA, 2003. Pg. XXV) It’s popularity was due partly to the fact that it was referential to history, while providing more flexibility and variety than Classical styles. The style was also more economical than the more ornate Gothic Revival, especially due to the less decorated windows. The most influential architect of the nineteen century was Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886), who designed Romanesque style public, educational, religious, private, and commercial buildings and in different states across the USA. America eventually adapted the style into their own through Richardsonian Romanesque, which had a rougher, more rustic stonework.
The 18th century is well known for its complex artistic movements such as Romantism and Neo-classical. The leading style Rococo thrived from 1700-1775 and was originated from the French words rocaille and coquille which meant “rock” and “shell”; used to decorate the Baroque gardens1. Identified as the age of “Enlightenment”, philosophers would ignite their ideas into political movements1. Associated with this movement is England’s John Locke who advanced the concept of “empiricism”. This denotes that accepting knowledge of matters of fact descends from experience and personal involvement1. Locke’s concept assisted the improvements of microscopes and telescopes allowing art students in the French academy to observe real life1. Science and experience influenced painting more so in Neo-Classicalism. Locke fought for people’s rights and the power or “contract” between the ruler and the ruled. Reasoning that “the Light in Enlightenment referred to the primacy of reason and intellect…and a belief in progress and in the human ability to control nature”1. Hence, the commence of experimental paintings such as Joseph Wright’s (1734-1797) oil on canvas painting: Fig.1 An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump. This image was developed through science by placing a bird in glass container and pumping air to see the effects it would have on the bird (White cockatoo)1. Throughout the late 18th and early 19th century in Western Europe, Neo-Classical art became the “true Style” and was accepted by the French Revolution under Louis XIV. Neo-Classical art was a reaction to Rococo’s light hearted, humour and emotion filled pieces.
Gothic elements are used to show suspense, symbolism, and drama, while also setting dark and twisted tones about the story and its characters. In the passage "The Fall of the House of Usher" the author uses Gothic elements to entice the reader with details of ominous character persona and setting.
Throughout history, architecture has been employed in the service of politics, as symbols of the state. Architecture is therefore shaped by the national traditions in the pursuit of projects of identity, modernity, power, and prestige. A building is not merely a walled structure, but a metaphor for national ideology as it embodies the civic life of the citizens that it houses, as well as the ideals of the nation within which it resides. This paper will explore three varying architectural periods and examine the interaction between nationalism and the building styles that developed either as a means to express it.
I had done some fashion work in St. Paul and I had principally gone to Chicago to shoot fashion, but I found myself doing more and more work on the south side, the poverty stricken areas where the blacks lived. That is what got me a Rosenwald Fellowship, the first one ever given in photography. At the time, Jack Delano was in Chicago and he encouraged me to come to the Farm Security Administration.
The Gothic style evolved from that of Romanesque, building on concepts and ideas that led to the creation of larger and grander structures. Today, mankind looks in awe at the structures that were built hundreds of years ago without the assistance of modern technology and equipment. These architectural styles are indisputably different, but equally profound. They made use of differing techniques to become tangible structures that can still be seen
There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodies this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure from its previous predecessor. The Romanesque architecture style, which occurred during the late 11th century to the middle 12th century, literally means “roman-like” architecture. The Romans, who were inspired by the Etruscans, used barreled and groined vaulting.
One of the great things about America is the fact that it echoes previous centuries in ways that not many people would expect. Due to its diversity, it is thought of as a melting pot because it is filled with all kinds of culture and people from all over the world. But instead of this stereotypical metaphor, America can be thought of as the place where world architecture has not died, but instead has continued to thrive in a way that makes it suitable towards modern expectations. Greek architecture has been one of the most commonly used within this context. Although it emerged almost 3,000 years ago, the application of their architecture is still widely used today in places that aren’t Europe. We can see evidence of this through America’s government and financial buildings such as the Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce, the Capitol and even more commonly known, the White House. The White House is a major symbol of the United States and when bystanders observe its white walls, they not only a building of high status among the American people, but they also catch a glimpse into the past of centuries worth of influential architecture.
“Philosophers, writers, and artists expressed disillusionment with the rational-humanist tradition of the Enlightenment. They no longer shared the Enlightenment's confidence in either reason's capabilities or human goodness.” (Perry, pg. 457) It is interesting to follow art through history and see how the general mood of society changed with various aspects of history, and how events have a strong connection to the art of the corresponding time.
Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment The Enlightenment was a time of great innovation and evolution. One of the most significant movements which owes at least the majority of its beginnings to the Enlightenment is the architectural and artistic movement of Neoclassicism. This Neoclassicism of the mid eighteenth to mid nineteenth centuries is one that valued ancient Greek, Roman, and Etruscan artistic ideals. These ideals, including order, symmetry, and balance, were considered by many European generations to be the highest point of artistic excellence. Although many movements in European art were largely devoid of classical characteristics, they were always looked to as sources of inspiration and were revived as significant movements at least three times throughout European history, in the twelfth century, during the Renaissance, and during the age of the present topic, the Enlightenment, with its development of Neoclassicism.
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally
Philosophies of Art and Beauty Edited by Hofstadter and Kuhns, (Chicago: University of Chicago press, 1976) chapters one and two for an overview of the aesthetics of Plato and Aristotle.
Through the modern era technologies evolved and avant garde was not just a matter of being ahead in you design concepts,. but also in the materials that you use. Modernist designers, in an obsession of moving forward, where always looking to enhance their ideals with new materials. When the modernist bubble burst the post-modern views came forward, embracing styles and techniques of history, architectures where liberated to be able to blend and combine techniques from throughout history. Contemporary architects, in various forms, continue on with the post-modern legacy of taking inspiration from history and seek out to use traditional building methods not only for convenience but also economical, environmental, contextual and symbolic reasons.
...s considered modern at that time, it still contained references to Classicism and neo-Renaissance. This resulted in his modern architecture arguments not to be completely distinct and leave the traditional architecture of the past. John Ruskin decried the type of restorations employed by Viollet-le-Duc stating that it is “a destruction out of which no remnants can be gathered, a destruction accompanied with false description of the thing destroyed” (Viollet-le-Duc 35). Because Viollet-le-Duc refuted the challenge of his own ideas, he continued to design buildings in eclectic styles. Both Wagner and Viollet-le-Duc did not succeed to completely avoid using traditional architecture as reference to modern architecture. The preservation movement widely rejected Viollet’s methods because it threatened the autonomy of the observed historical past.
From the time of the ancient Greeks all the way to modern day, some part of humanity has almost always been interested in the past. For the ancient Greeks, it was discovering Mycenaean ruins and composing stories about them. Today, inspiration is still drawn from classical architecture. One has to look no further than the U.S. capitol building, or even the University of Michigan's Angell Hall to see remnants of this architectural style. This raises the question of why does it still persists? Logically, the best way to answer this is to examine the origins of classical architecture, and what it represented then and now. Furthermore, the study of ancient architecture can show insights into past civilizations which otherwise would have been lost.
In chapter one of Frampton’s writing, “Cultural Transformations,” he describes how changes in society create new architectural styles due to new cultural needs. Frampton starts by explaining the relationship between man and nature in different architectural styles. Man and nature were distinct entities; however, for the sake or ornamentation in architecture, the two were constantly combined. This idea soon changes with Baroque architecture where man and nature started to be distinctly separate, and this later leads to the Neoclassical style which shows an increased desire for man to have control over nature (Frampton 1). Neoclassicism essentially stems from a new cultural formation that grew from the life styles of declining aristocracy and the rising bourgeoisie, and this transition leads