London 1908 - The Court of Honor
By day it is a vision of dazzling whiteness, with its tiled court and plashing cool waters, its pointed arcades and lattice windows. At night it is equally effective with its thousands of lights and the rainbow colours of the cascade.
~Robert W. Carden,
Architectural Review July, 1908
Despite varied opinions about the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition, an event designed to confirm the friendly relations between France and Britain as described in the Entente Cordiale, there was collective praise for the Court of Honor. The full grandeur of the Court can hardly be felt by an image. As visitors entered from the main gates of Wood Lane, the Court of Honor was their first impression of the fair. The largest in Britain to date, the Exhibition occupied 140 acres of Shepherd's Bush in west London, an area now known as the "White City" due to the white plaster of the fair's structures.
The court surrounds an artificial lake measuring 400 by 100 feet and crossed in the middle by an ornamental bridge. Various small pavilions protrude into the water, each with an octagonal plan and topped with a dome. These wooden framed structures are covered in layers of canvas and plaster. Artists molded the delicate lattice work, sculpture, and detail with additional plaster. The bridge and pavilions of the Court are influenced by Oriental architecture, an oddity for a Franco-British Exhibition. Matching buildings surround the lake on four sides. The large structure toward the upper right-hand corner of the postcard is mirrored by a pendant building on the opposite side of the lake. These were the Palaces of French and British Industries. At the far end of the lake and obstructed from view in the postc...
... middle of paper ...
...ions and events. "White City" became a pleasure/amusement park, and the stadium's functions ranged from training Olympic athletes to the site for greyhound dog races. The stadium has since been demolished, and the fair grounds now hold the Daytona Raceway, an amusement "karting track," as well as the administrative buildings for the British Broadcasting Company (Grose).
Works Cited
Carden, Robert W. "The Franco-British Exhibition." Architectural Review 1908 July, v. 24, p. [32]-37 ; 1908 Sept., p. [108]-111
Dumas, F.G. The Franco-British Exhibition: illustrated review. Chatto & Windus. London, England. 1908.
Greenhalgh, Paul. "Art, politics and society at the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908." Art History 1985 Dec., v.8, no.4, p.434-452
Grose, Tim. "White City Stadium." UK Running Track Directory, 2001. (http://www.runtrackdir.com/uk/london(wc).htm
Findling, John E., Historical Dictionary of World's Fairs and Expositions, 1851-1988 New York: Greenwood Press, 1990 Komendant, August, "Post-Modern on Habitat", Progressive Architecture 1968 March vol.49, p.138-147
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
William H. Thompson, the chairman for the fair's committee on grounds and buildings, established a thirteen-member team to arrange the fairgrounds. Gilbert was assigned to this commission and served as chairman of the committee that devised the site plan. He had a unique knowledge of the grounds as he had recently studied the adjoining grounds for the competition to design nearby Washington University.
Third Impressionist exhibition in Paris, held in 1877. Currently displayed in the Art Institute of
...he building would not be designed the way they are now in the city. The fair allowed Chicago to be the great city it is today and have the magnificent downtown envied by many other cities.
Hitchcock, Henry Russell. Early Victorian Architecture in Britain Volumes I and II. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954.
Sue Malvern, 2004,Modern Art, Britain and the Great War, New Haven and London, Yale University Press
The viewbook was compiled by the Architectural Commission for the fair, with the text by Allen D. Albert, an honorary secretary, and forward by Rufus C. Dawes, the president. The book, approximately nine by twelve inches, and consisting of 64 pages of vibrant images of the fair, depicts the major buildings, exhibits and attractions. These images are mostly watercolors, sometimes enhanced photographs or cartoons. Th...
The “White City” was a vast collection of architecture and arts that were put on display in the year 1893. The Chicago World Fair, also called the “White City”, was a major event in American history that impacted America’s culture, economic, and industry. The Chicago World Fair was held to honor Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The real reason why it was made was to proudly have back their wealth and power. Larson said, “the tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel…”(15). To accomplish this, architects led by Daniel Burnham and John Root made numerous buildings and beautiful scenery
Cothren, M. & Marilyn Stokstad. (2011). Art History, Volume 2, 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Learning Solutions.
world at the fair, and remained on the grounds until 1895. It wasn’t all dark
The Exhibition Hall built by Stephen Kemp, is the oldest and most unique hall on the fairgrounds; it was the first hall to be built (Wynn). Only used “from (1850-1860), the innovation octagon style was used for hou...
The “superstar” museum gained this status by considering every important detail during its establishment and initial phases of conversion from royal palace to museum (Gombault, 2002). As the purpose of the building changed, each room addressed new functions with new requirements. Although the function of the Louvre is different from the building’s original intention, the building is still appears dignified and important enough to display priceless artifacts and painting (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). This consideration was applied in designing the Met. The Met looked towards the South Kensington Museum (Victoria and Albert) and the “ideal role model” due to its extensive collections and international reputation (Heckscher, 1995). The Met found itself in a similar situation to the South Kensington, because it did not have a building or a collection to start with (Heckscher, 1995). When designing museums, architects strived to create monuments that “prepare and educate the mind of the visitor (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998).” Education is an essential function of a museum. Acquiring, preserving, and properly displaying materials, permits a museum to fulfill this duty (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). For instance, lighting is a factor that affects the manner in which artwork is viewed and can be properly appreciated. When determining the proper lighting for the Louvre, Comte d’Angiviller, strongly believed that natural, overhead lighting was the most effective solution (McClellan, 1994, p. 72). The same determination impacted the decision to add skylights at the Met. During the initial phase, architects Vaux and Mould, added skylights to the upper floor, and windows to the lower floor that provided a natural light solution (Heckscher, 1995). Additionally, glass-roofed courtyards provided “unimpeded light” for displaying
A smaller pool lays adjacent to the building on the opposite side enclosed by a wall of marble. Mies designed the pavilion to blur the lines between inside and outside space. There are parts of the walls that seem to be missing which creates a flow between the two main spaces. The pavilion’s thin sweeping roof is supported by eight cruciform columns clad in chrome. This created an open and free space where he lined the outside of the building with glass. He then carefully placed a thin slab of onyx in the middle of the open volume.
Barnett, Peter. “The French Revolution in Art”. ArtId, January 7th 2009. Web. 5th May 2013.