Behind every architectural work there is an architect, whether the architect is one man or woman, a small group, or an entire people. The structure created by any of these architects conveys a message about the architect: their culture, their identity, their struggles. Because of the human element architects offer to their work not just a building is made, but a work of art, a symbol of a people, a representation, is also created.
“The history of the world’s great architecture is the astonishing story of how individuals and groups have taken that basic necessity of building and transformed it into possibly the greatest manifestation of the human spirit—more profound, more lasting, more inexhaustible than any other art, a vital and truly wonderful expression of the experience of mankind, in every part of the world (Nuttgens 9).”
As Nuttgens eloquently expressed, architecture is a “vital…expression of the experience of mankind.” It is more than just buildings used for storage, housing, religious purposes, simple functionality; it is a great manifestation of the commonality of man, the great connecting factor of humankind. However, it can be argued that the ancient and classic forms or architecture are in essence more “profound…lasting… [and] inexhaustible” than those of their modern counterparts, because of some key differences in the ways ancient and modern architecture are practiced.
Ancient architecture: the beginning of a great art form; the source of simple techniques; the harbinger for all architectural works; a beautiful, incredible, and almost unimaginable era of artful richness in architecture; beginning with the very first construction of man to (what is argued to be) the early twe...
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...ructures, continuing to revolutionize the field and art of architecture, keeping it the ever-changing art form that makes it so distinctive among other creations of humankind.
Works Cited
Allsopp, Bruce. The Study of Architectural History. [New York]: Praeger, 1970. Print.
Arend, Nicolaas Van Den. “Architecture: Ancient and Modern.” The Swanee Review Jan. 1909: 14-25. Print.
Borden, Daniel. Architecture: A World History. New York: Abrams, 2008. Print.
"Modern Architecture." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Neal, James. Architecture: A Visual History. London: PRC Pub. Lt., 2001. Print.
Nuttgens, Patrick. The World’s Great Architecture: From the Pyramids to Modern Times. New York: Excalibur, 1980. Print.
Rowe, Hayley A. "The Rise and Fall of Modernist Architecture." RSS. Student Pulse, 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
(Image taken from Tranchtenberg, Marvin, Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity. Second Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey: 2002.)
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