Architecture can express in artistic images a person's ideas about the world, time, greatness, joy, triumph, loneliness and many other feelings. That's probably why they say that one of the architecture features is that it is frozen music.
Architecture Characteristics
Architecture is the art and science of construction, the design of buildings and structures, as well as the very ensemble of buildings and structures that create a spatial environment for human life and activities. Architecture creates a materially organized environment that people need for their life and work, according to their aspirations, as well as modern technical capabilities, aesthetic and artistic visions.
In architecture, the functional (purpose, use), technical (resistance, durability), aesthetic (beauty) properties of objects and their artistic and figurative meaning are interconnected. The artistic significance and specificity of architecture as art are best expressed in the classical Vitruvian triad: strength, use, beauty (Latin: Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas). Later, this formula began to be interpreted extremely broadly, as three worlds, or three "kingdoms" with which the architect deals.
Architectural works are often conceived as works of art, as cultural or political symbols. Historical civilizations are characterized by their achievements in architecture. Architecture allows the fulfillment of the vital functions of society, at the same time that it directs the processes of life. However, the architecture is created according to the capabilities and needs of the people.
The theme of the work with space is the organization of a populated place as a whole. This task was highlighted in a separate direction - urban planning, which covers a set of socio-economic, constructive and technical, architectural and artistic, sanitary and hygienic problems. For the same reason, it is difficult to give a correct assessment of an architectural structure without knowing urban planning.
One of the major international architecture prizes is the Pritzker Prize, which is awarded annually for the most outstanding achievement in the field of architecture. By decision of the XX General Assembly of the International Union of Architects (UIA), held in Barcelona (Spain) in 1996, the international professional festival of architects and connoisseurs of architectural masterpieces, World Architecture Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday October.
types architecture
There are three main types of architecture: volumetric structures (religious, public, residential and other buildings); landscape architecture (viewpoints, bridges, fountains, squares, boulevards, parks); urban planning (creation of new cities reconstruction of the old). Building complexes and open spaces make up architectural ensembles. An architect must take care of the beauty, utility and strength of the structures that are created, that is, the aesthetic, constructive and functional qualities of architecture are interconnected.
In different historical periods, a variety of building materials and technologies were used, which influenced the creation of architectural structures. The modern level of technological development, the use of reinforced concrete, glass, plastics and other new materials make it possible to create unusual forms of buildings in the form of a ball, spiral, flower, shell, etc. Architectural structures reflect the artistic style of the time, just like works of any other art form. Architecture differs from simple construction by its artistic side.
ancient architecture
The concept of "ancient art" appeared during the Renaissance, when the beautiful creations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were considered exemplary, classic for the entire European culture; the art of Ancient Greece, as well as those countries and peoples of the ancient world, whose culture developed under the decisive influence of the ancient Greek cultural tradition - the art of the Hellenistic states, Rome and the Etruscans.
Ancient Greek architects made an invaluable contribution to world art. They created a precise and imposing type of temple in the form of a rectangle, bordered entirely by columns (periphery), and a strict and logically justified system of relations between the support and the parts of the building (order). The monuments of ancient Greek art give us aesthetic pleasure and a vivid idea of the unity, synthesis of architecture and sculpture.
romanesque architecture
Characteristics of Romanesque architecture are massive structures with round arches for windows and openings. Sacred buildings such as churches, monasteries and castles were built in the Romanesque architectural style. The Romanesque era began in Germany in the Middle Ages (XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries) and was replaced by the Gothic style of construction and art.
The features of Romanesque architecture are massive, dark structures with thick walls, small windows of simple facades, and semicircular arches for windows, doors, and masonry openings. This architectural style was applied in sacred buildings such as castles, monasteries and churches. The design of the Romanesque churches was characterized by long buildings with a transept and plans in the shape of a cross with a cross (square part of the room).
Famous Romanesque buildings are St. Martin's Cathedral in Mainz, Rhineland, Germany; the Church of Our Lady of Notre-Dame d'Étretat, Normandy, France; Basilica San Clemente al Laterano, Rome, Italy; Saint Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy; St. Martin's Cathedral in Mainz, Rhineland, Germany; the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, France; the Church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, Paris, France; Pisa Cathedral, Tuscany, Italy; the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Genoa, Italy.
Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture was an artistic style that emerged in the mid-XNUMXth century in France and spread throughout Western, Central, and partly Eastern Europe. He turned to the highest divine powers, eternity, the Christian worldview. The characteristics of Gothic architecture are composed of filigree, elevated structures with pointed arches, tracery and buttresses. The Gothic style was used in sacred buildings, city gates, and castles.
Components and design elements in Gothic are filigree buildings, openwork exterior walls with finely structured windows, pointed arches, vaults, external buttress for building stability, ornamental gable over portals and windows, tracery (filigree design element on the geometric shape of the windows), colored glass windows and rosettes, Fíala (thin flanking turret), Crab (element in the form of folded leaves along the pinnacles), Gargoyle (to drain rainwater)
Famous Gothic buildings are the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rouen, Normandy, France; the Cologne Cathedral, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France; Freiburg Cathedral, Germany; the Milan Cathedral, Italy; the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Genoa, Italy
renaissance architecture
The Renaissance was seen as the rebirth of antiquity. The architects and builders thought to combine the harmony of balance and proportions. Roman architecture was considered as a model and constructive elements from ancient Rome were taken up again. Beginning in Italy in early modern times (XNUMXth century), the Renaissance era followed the Gothic and was replaced by the Baroque style of construction and art.
The architects and builders of the time were oriented towards Roman architecture. The constructive elements of ancient Rome were taken up again. However, Romanesque and Gothic style elements were also found in Renaissance architecture. Clear geometric structures, symmetry and harmonious proportions were sought in the Renaissance architectural style to achieve a perfect balance. Numerous buildings were built according to the golden section ratio rule.
Basic symmetrical forms, ancient column orders (for example, order composed of Ionic scrolls and Corinthian capitals), barrel vaults, arcades (round arches, supported by slender columns), rustic masonry, frieze and cornice (horizontal design elements of wall and facade surfaces).
Famous buildings of the Renaissance in Italy are the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Basilica San Giorgio Maggiore, the Il Redentore Church in Venice. In France the Château de Fontainebleau, the Southwest Wing of the Cour Carrée in the Louvre. In Germany St. Michael's Church in Munich.
baroque architecture
It was the artistic style that prevailed from the end of the XNUMXth century to the middle of the XNUMXth century in the art of Europe. This style originated in Italy and spread to other countries after the Renaissance. The main characteristics of Baroque architecture are splendor, solemnity, dynamism and life-affirming character. Baroque art is characterized by bold contrasts of scale, light and shadow, color, combination of reality and fantasy.
It is especially necessary to note in the Baroque style the fusion of various arts into a single whole, a high degree of interpenetration of architecture, sculpture, painting and decorative arts. This desire to synthesize the arts is a fundamental feature of the Baroque. Among the characteristics of Baroque architecture, its spatial scope, fluidity of curvilinear forms, fusion of volumes in a dynamic mass, rich sculptural decoration and connection with the surrounding space are distinguished.
The design elements that are part of the baroque are curved concave and convex components, colossal order, double pillars, pilasters (columns without static function for the visual structure of walls and facades), Cantilevered Gable (open gable in the middle to design facades) , colonnades (porch with straight beams), cartouches (decorative design element), volutes (decorative design element in the shape of a snail), sculptures, stuccoes, frescoes, large and curved stairs on the outside.
Famous buildings of Baroque architecture in Italy are the Church of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, the Church of Santa Agnes in Agony in Rome, St. Peter's Square in Rome. In France the Church of Saint Sulpice in Paris, Palace of Versailles. In Austria Church of St. Charles Borromeo. In Germany the Zwinger Palace, the new Potsdam Palace (Neues Palais)
modern architecture
In the history of architecture, modernism denotes an architectural era that cannot be delimited in general. One often refers to the internationally used design language, which developed within the field of art known today as classical modernism in the early XNUMXth century and is sometimes still used today, as a distinction from classical architecture according to Vitruvian. Likewise, trends from revolutionary architecture and classicism
In the period around 1800 it was called modern, just like more recent and contemporary movements, so it is only possible to identify which term is meant in the respective context. Postmodernism or current neo-historicism can also be described as modern, depending on the context.
In the 1895th century, modernism with the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain in the late 1906th century and with Art Nouveau (circa 1918-XNUMX) is generally assumed to have developed throughout Europe and developed the first theories and experiments in the Deutscher Werkbund. Real modernity began after the First World War in XNUMX and includes several currents that often cannot be clearly delimited from each other.
They can be arranged roughly chronologically as follows: Expressionism, Bauhaus, Rationalism, New Objectivity, Constructivism, Functionalism, and, since the end of World War II, Postwar Modernism, within which Brutalism and Structuralism can be demarcated.
A common feature of many works of this time is the execution as solitary buildings or uniform groups of buildings, in residential construction also as loose settlements, in contrast to the common method of closed construction (often block perimeter development). With postmodernism and deconstructivism, organic architecture and other currents such as New Urbanism, there was a first departure from the concerns of modernity from the sixties and seventies.
expressionism in architecture
Expressionism began to prevail in architecture after the First World War, that is, around 1918, at a time when it was already waning in art and literature. There were some architects who initially created expressionist buildings but later switched to the New Objectivity, for example the founder of the Bauhaus, Walter Gropius. Hans Poelzig and Hans Scharoun also built expressionistically first, then objectively. The best known architects of expressionism were Erich Mendelsohn and Bernhard Hoetger.
Round and jagged shapes are characteristic of expressionist architecture. While the New Objectivity rejected ornaments, Expressionism liked to use them, on the one hand in angular and pointed elements, on the other hand in sculptures that designed the facades. Most of the building was made of bricks. In northern Germany and the Ruhr area in particular, these buildings were built in their typical red brick.
Bauhaus architecture
Bauhaus design revolutionized architecture. His guiding principle was: form follows function. Functional architecture of high practical value. Characteristics of Bauhaus architecture include good design for all and affordability. Rational and clearly structured. Art, architecture and design combine the Bauhaus style. They experimented with prefabricated components and central heating systems were already installed, a great technical achievement at the time.
The advancement of machine production made it possible to use new materials and build no frills, open floor plans, lots of light, the connection between inside and outside. Topics that are still of great interest to those who want to build a house today. The modern prefabricated building in wood panel construction excellently implements the ideas of the Bauhaus: industrially prefabricated houses, aesthetically sophisticated and affordable.
Neues Bauen (Rationalism)
The Neues Bauen (New Building) was a movement in architecture and urban planning in Germany in the period before World War I until the Weimar Republic (from 1910 to 1930). The objective of the new building was to develop a completely new form of construction through rationalization and typification, the use of new materials and functional and simple interior equipment, in which social responsibility was of vital importance.
Art Deco
Art Deco describes a movement between 1920 and 1940. It predominated in France, from where it conquered the United States. Art Deco developed rapidly there. The Chrysler Building is an example of Art Deco architecture. There is even an Art Deco district in Miami Beach. However, Art Deco did not only exist in architecture, but in all areas of applied arts, jewelry, furniture, everyday objects such as porcelain and clothing.
Characteristics of Art Deco architecture were clear, smooth, graceful shapes and bright, contrasting colors. In contrast to Art Nouveau with its asymmetry and floral elements, symmetry was once again in demand. Graduated shapes were very popular and contrasted with the curves of Art Nouveau. In the 1930s, streamlined shapes became fashionable. It was used not only in buildings, but also in cars.
Stainless steel, lacquer, aluminum and chrome were often used as materials. Precious woods were also popular and extravagant fabrics such as sharkskin were also used. Designers were also happy to draw inspiration from Egyptian motifs, which became popular after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. Borrowings from the Greeks, Romans and Aztecs were also taken. The motif of the sun's rays was also popular.
Here are some links of interest: