Abstract This paper considers the origins of the 18th century Rococo style of art. It also considers the similarities and the differences in French and Italian Rococo styles, the changes that occurred as the style spread to Germany and Austria, and the end of the Rococo form of artwork.
From the Paper "As is true of so much of artistic enterprise, Rococo art began as a reaction to what had come before it, and so it is impossible either to appreciate or to understand Rococo art without understanding at least in some measure the Baroque aesthetics that Rococo artists set themselves up against. While the Baroque covers a range of different sub-styles and competing schools, Baroque art (especially painting and sculpture) as well as architecture was distinguished by a general sense of vitality and an emphasis on creating the illusion of movement."
Abstract In the mid 19th century, Le Corbusier designed buildings that relied upon the raw concrete and the use of light to emphasize the beauty of the structure. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of one of his structures, Notre-Dame-du-Haut, a chapel set high above the village of Ronchamp, and an excellent example of the nontraditional use of light and raw concrete. The paper discusses the location of the chapel, its functionality as a church, and its strange shape. The paper also includes diagrams, sketches, and photographs of Notre-Dame-du-Haut.
From the Paper "Le Corbusier's sketchbook was in fact the genius of his design. With unconscious thought and process he drew out his interpretation and concepts of site, religion, and the ever so precious pilgrimage to Ronchamp, gathering his own personal view of the world. His sketches are far more significant and go far beyond the origins of typical reference sources. He even went as far as to publish his drawings arranged in a small book. This book and these sketches provide for a broader understanding of the construction and thought process that went into Ronchamp."
Abstract The paper explains that Trinity Church (1876) remains a historical wonder of religion and beauty, but the John Hancock skyscraper is both aesthetically unpleasant and structurally unsound. The author points out that the Trinity Church heralded the signature "Richardsonian Romanesque" style of its celebrated designer, H. H. Richardson, and presented a bold, fresh, new face and feeling for ecclesiastical architecture in America. The paper relates that neighboring the Trinity Church is the modern minimalist John Hancock skyscraper (1976), by far the tallest building in all of Boston, with a facade of blue reflective glass that makes it look like a giant test tube, a bizarre juxtaposition in style and purpose.
From the Paper "The original Trinity Church in Boston was built by John Indicott in the 1700?s. However, in 1860 the Vestry voted to move the church to a new location. In January of 1872, a 24,800 square foot plot of land was purchased in Boston, having been carefully chosen as the site for the church, and soon after committee meetings began to review architectural plans for the building. Gambrill and Richardson, a firm of H. H. Richardson, was commissioned to design the church. Additional funds were set aside for the building, allowing an additional plot of land to be purchased, adding nearly 15,000 feet to the original plan. The church is surrounded on all sides by streets, not other buildings that would restrict the view of the church. In April of 1873, engineers began driving wooden pilings, most of which were completed from July to September of this year. However, the Vestry became discouraged by the building cost estimates -- ranging from a soaring $355,000 to $640,000 -- and they halted work on the building until Richardson revised his plans, capping off the new estimates around $400,000. In November of 1876, the building was finally complete, and it was paid in full by February of 1877."
Abstract The writer of this paper identifies the key aspects of Gothic cathedrals with a few examples and comparisons of the cathedrals. The paper explains how Gothic cathedrals are some of the most beautiful and enduring buildings in Europe. It looks at how they have survived for centuries as testaments to the workmen who created them and the architects who designed them. The ornate buildings are as impressive today as when they first grew on the skyline, and they represent a high point in the culture and society of the Middle Ages.
From the Paper "Gothic architecture, perhaps one of the most famous and ornate forms of architecture of any period, began in northern Europe as early as the twelfth century, and spread throughout Europe. It gradually replaced the Romanesque Style of architecture, which had grown in popularity throughout Europe beginning at about the millennium year of 1000. Romanesque buildings offered many of the same intricate details as the Gothic cathedrals, because building practices had evolved, and better tools, such as the stone saw (Calikins 100). Romanesque buildings incorporated intricate arches and vaulting, along with repetitive bay systems, flat and round ribs, but they did have their limitations. One architect historian wrote, "Reliant on the sheer power of mass to abut and restrain the tremendous outward thrust of thick nave barrel vaults, Romanesque architecture could not open up to the light" (Roth 288)."
Tags: middle, ages, architecture, ornate, christianity, church
Abstract More than any other architect of the 20th century, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe represents the ascendancy of Modernism in its most Minimalist incarnation. While this emphasis on the importance of spare lines and lack of fussiness is understandable, given what had come before in terms of both architecture and decorative arts, this does not necessarily make it more palatable from the perspective of the 21st century. This essay focuses on two specific buildings by Van Der Rohe: the 1930 Tugendhat house in Moravia and the 1929 German Pavilion that he designed for the International Convention in Barcelona, Spain, as a way of delineating the strengths of his work, as well as serving as a reminder of the distinct limitations of Minimalism within the realm of architecture.
From the Paper "When we look at Tugendhat House what we see is a building that rather aggressively protrudes from the hill to which it is anchored. Mies set the building apart from the hill both in terms of color ? it is gray and black, entirely lacking in the greens and earth-tones of the surrounding hillside ? and in terms of form. The hill is rounded, gently sloping, its curve emblematic of the ways in which water and geological stratigraphy and wind shape the earth. The building's exterior is none of these things: It is not only rectilinear (as are most structures in the modern world) but it flaunts this rectilinearity. Its solidity emphasis the human-constructed nature of the structure: We would never (no matter from what distance we viewed this building or from what angle) confuse this with something created by nature."
Abstract A paper that briefly explains how Gaudi's work of art is an example of Gothic architecture. The paper provides a systematic study of the way in which Gothic architecture generally influenced the aesthetic principles of the modernist architect, Antonio Gaudi, specifically in his construction of the church, "La Segrada Familia".
From the Paper "Antonio Gaudi's architecture reflects many elements of Gothic architecture in its design and construction and certainly one of the best examples of exactly this sort of connection can be viewed in his monumental ecclesiastical structure, Le Segrada Familia, which is in Barcelona. Gaudi's structure reflects the Gothic ideals on creating structures that ignore more specific formal concerns in an attempt to focus on appearing monumental and infusing the viewer with a sense of sublimity and awe. "
An historical and architectural overview of the Roman Pantheon, focusing on the builders, the techniques, and the scientific and mathematical symmetry of the building.
Abstract This paper tracks the origins of the Roman Pantheon from its conception in antiquity to modern-day times. It describes its purpose and functions, changes in architectural structure, and its unique building techniques. The latter part of the paper describes its novel uses throughout time in mathematical and scientific innovations.
From the Paper "The period of antiquity now viewed as Ancient Rome was privy to a plethora of building construction. The glory of the Forum, the vastness of the Coloseum, and the intricacies of the Baths of Caracalla are now considered marvel relics, but all pale in comparison to the architectural wonder of the Pantheon. The building brings together the grandeur of the world and the wonder of the cosmos; adhering the two in a cutting edge and unique manner. The stately and overbearing monument has undergone many transformations through antiquity, often changing both shape and function. The function of the Pantheon is still a source of current debate among scholars, with arguments ranging from a temple to Augustus to an intricate sundial. While the controversy might never come to a conclusion, the exact scientific and mathematical precision of the Pantheon illustrates the intention of the building as a feat of engineering."
Abstract This paper describes the work of 16th century Italian artist and architect Filippo Brunelleschi and how the innovation and brilliance of his work prepared the Florentine art community for Leonardo da Vinci's reception. The paper focuses specifically on the design and construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and how this structure emphasizes most explicitly Brunelleschi's collaboration between science, technology and art. The paper further discusses Brunelleschi's spirit of rivalry and competition that was characteristic of his career and his reputation and the lasting impact these qualities had on the Florentine art community.
From the Paper "The inscription on his simple, marble tomb slab reads, "here lies the body of the great ingenious man Filippo Brunelleschi of Florence." Though laid under the south aisle of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the epitaph makes no explicit reference to Brunelleschi's role as its architect. Perhaps the Florentines thought that such information belonged elsewhere, or that it would be obvious to the millions of tourists who stream into the cathedral each year. More likely, the Florentines recognized Brunelleschi as a man who transcended simple vocational categorization, a man who could not be pinned down by a title like "architect" or even "artist," because his work was so manifold."
Abstract This paper describes the Roman Pantheon as the most significant representation of Roman architecture of the Hadrian period. It explores the structure's main architectural features, its purpose and use in ancient Rome. It also explores the values that the architecture reflects.
From the Paper "The above inscription is over the entrance to the Pantheon although the first Roman Pantheon built by Augustus Caesar's architect and minister Marcus Agrippa was destroyed in the great fire of A D. Rebuilt ..."
Tags: Roman, Pantheon, Architectural, Rome, Concrete, Architecture, Hadrian, Political, Religious
Abstract This paper is an essay using examples of modern technology to argue in favor of function following form, even though there can be cases when form and function are one.
From the Paper "The debate about form and function is an ongoing one. Some argue that form follows function; others like architect Frank Lloyd Wright, believed that form and function are one. However, in contemporary society, there is ample evidence that function follows form, for without an understanding of form, we cannot derive function. Even so, there are some cases when form and function are one. Body In Leach's 'Rethinking Architecture' (Umberto Eco) provides an example of form and function via a story about an elevator."
Abstract This paper looks at 'green design' and how environmentally-conscious building is now becoming the new trend in architecture and design in America and spreading to China. The paper explains that Europe has had this form of development for many years because energy costs are so much higher there, but America is starting to catch on and is turning 'green.'
From the Paper "'Green design' is gradually working its way into the Architecture community's consciousness and environmentally-conscious design is becoming less an option and more a requirement in the design business (Weeks). Much of the success of the movement in the United States is due to the efforts of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Rating System, which provides certification to validate green initiatives by designers and gives clients a selling point. LEED does not only influence building standards..."
Abstract The paper defines what postmodernism in the field of architecture is by looking at the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. The paper begins by looking at what postmodernism is in general, defining the term and movement. Then the paper looks at what postmodern architecture is, in relation to modernist design. Finally, the paper examines it in the light of Calatrava's 2001 building.
From the Paper "The cool kids call it "po-mo." The literate among us toss the term around at wine-and-cheese parties. The academics who tower over us apply it to children's cartoons and sketchy literature and nauseating paintings, as if they know some secret, tucked away in some ivory tower that the rest of us are missing. The rest of us, in the meantime, wonder whether there is a hyphen, a space, or nothing at all in the term that we all know as "postmodernism." The prefix "postmodern" has been used to describe, analyze and tag just about every work of art or academic pursuit during the past half century."
Abstract This paper explains that Pharaoh Ramses II was a powerful ruler, a successful diplomat, a masterful publicist and prolific builder. The author points out that Ramses II, whose throne name was "Usi-ma-re Setepenre" ("Strong in right is Re, Chosen of Re"), was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty. The paper includes a section of "Epic Poem of Pentaur" in which Ramses II describes the battle as a personal triumph under insurmountable odds against the Hittites. The author describes Ramesseum, a mortuary temple in Thebes, built by Ramses II as a memorial to praise forever his military and diplomatic achievements, and Pi-Ramses, modern Qantir, the great capital city. The paper relates that one of the major discoveries in Pi-Ramses occurred in the early twenty-first century when archaeologists unearthed a glass making workshop.
From the Paper "Ramses II set out to recapture Kadesh, a strategically located city in Syria. Ramses II took his troops into the area of Kadesh. While traveling toward the city, he and his first two military divisions became separated from the remaining two divisions that lingered behind him. Two men who had met up with the Egyptian army provided intentionally false information to the Egyptians as to the location of the Hittite army. Believing that the Hittite troops were farther off than their actual location (while waiting for his remaining divisions to arrive) he moved his troops near the city and began to set up camp."
Abstract This paper compares the music of Josquin, a composer of the Renaissance, to the architecture of the same time. The author examines how architecture and music expressed the new ideas that permeated the world during this period in history. A broad examination of both the music and architecture is included.
From the Paper "The renaissance was a time of rebirth and renewal. All over Europe, people were looking back to times they saw as better, instead of towards the unpredictable future. Specifically, the people looked back to the ancient worlds, and found the humanitarian values of the ancient Greeks and Romans very inviting. The arts were reborn from classical ideas, and a new focus was placed on individuals and the natural world (Wright 80). New inventions and wonders filled Europe. This was the era of both the printing press and telescope's birth. New ideas permeated the world, remolding the way people thought. Music and architecture were no exceptions to this rebirthing."
Abstract A look at changes in architectural design. The author focuses on the way architecture reflects culture with focus on the Horyuji temple in Japan which expresses the culture of the time in which it was built.
From the Paper "Throughout history, architectural design has undergone progressive changes in style based on a variety of factors. One of the most significant transitional phases in Japan includes the Asuka period in which Buddhism dramatically influenced the essence of the dialectic between form and function. A prime example of this profound style is the Horyuji Temple. Although the relationship between Buddhist philosophy and architectural design is unquestioned throughout this period, the origins of this relationship are intriguing. What factors led to the development of the Buddhist influenced structures? How significant are the features of the Horyuji in creating allusions to Buddhist ideology? To what extent is the Horyuji Temple "Japanese" versus Buddhist?"
