Architecture

Architecture is the art and science of constructing the built environment. The discipline that deals with the design, construction and ornamentation of fine buildings.

"Architecture and eloquence are mixed arts whose end is sometimes beauty and sometimes use."

Architectural types and styles classify architecture in terms of form, techniques, materials, time periods, contexts, region, climates, etc. The Oxford English Dictionary defines architectural style as, "A definite type of architecture distinguished by special characteristics of structure and ornament"... The language of ornament employed throughout a building frequently identifies the architecture of a particular period.

Greek architecture

The Parthenon.

Greek architecture arose on the shores of the Aegean Sea and flourished in the ancient world. The most important works of Greek architecture were produced between 700 BC and 146 BC. Architects Callicrates, Mnesicles, and Ictinus flourished, and the Parthenon (Its most famous monument) and other great works were produced. The Parthenon was built using the golden proportion (0.618 : 1); there is a replica of it at Nashville, Tennessee.

Greek architecture has a strong influence on Western Culture even today.

Roman architecture

Art in Roman Architecture appears in such varied purposes. The Romans were the first people to treat architecture as a minister to the numberless needs of a great nation. Before them, except in the Greek theatres, it had served the gods, the royal families, and the dead, alone. [1] Some examples of Roman Architecture are: The Pantheon, The Colosseum, The Hadrian's Wall and The Antonine Wall

Middle Ages architecture

Architecture in the Middle Ages or Medieval architecture can be seen in the majestic churches built during that era. There were two main styles: Romanesque and Gothic.

Romanesque Architecture

Basilica, Paray-le-Monial, France.

Romanesque architecture was a continuation of the Roman tradition of building. This architecture is characterized by thick walls, rounded arches and small windows. Some examples of this period are: San Miniato al Monte, Firenze, Italy, 1018-1062, Notre Dame le Grande, Poitiers, France, early 12th century, The Basilica, Paray-le-Monial, France, 1090-1110, and Ste. Marie, Souillac, France. c. 1130.

Ste. Marie, Souillac, France.

Gothic Architecture

Burgos Cathedral, Spain

Gothic architecture, consisted of taller, perpendicular structures with long windows, pointed arches and "flying buttresses" (stone supports on the outer walls of churches); the pointed spires of this style is said to reflect the desire of people of the Middle Ages to grow closer to God, reaching towards heaven and away from the earth. Spires were a source of pride for churches, and stressing the limits of architecture resulted in frequent collapses of church buildings - much like miniature Towers of Babel. Tall windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the interior, unlike Romanesque architecture, in which windows were small and interiors were dim. A particularly stunning example of Gothic architecture is the Notre Dame in Paris, on which construction began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and was completed about 200 years later in about 1345. The Notre Dame features a beautiful stained-glass "rose window," which is another distinguishing characteristic of Gothic churches.

Renaissance Architecture

Dome of S. Maria del Fiore in Florence by Filippo Brunelleschi

This period goes from 1400 to 1600 AD. This architecture was inspired by artists' works of classical Greece and Rome.

Some famous architects were Giacomo da Vignola, Andrea Palladio, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Filippo Brunelleschi.

The Louvre, by Pierre Lescot, at Paris, is a good example of this period.

Le Louvre by night.

Baroque Architecture

Church of St. Charles Borromeo at Antwerp

Some examples of this period are: Piazza of St. Peter's, by Bernini, at Vatican City; The Palace of Versailles, by Andre Le Notre, Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun, Robert de Cotte, and Ange-Janques Bagriel, at Versailles, France; The Christ Church, by Nicholas Hawksmoor, at Spitalfields, London, England; The Opera, by Charles Garnier, at Paris; Church of St. Charles Borromeo, by Pieter Huyssens, S.J., at Antwerp; Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, by Bernini, at Rome, Italy; Laurentian Library, by Michelangelo, at Florence, Italy, and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, by Giuseppe Mengoni, at Milan, Italy.

Palace of Versailles, France.

Modern Architecture

In this period several styles have appeared, like: Deconstructivism, Formalism, Modernism, Expressionism, Neo-expressionism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, Functionalism, International Style, Brutalism and The Bauhaus school. (Bauhaus is a term coined by Architect Walter Gropius and means house for building).

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  Gustave Eiffel

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  Le Corbusier

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  Jörn Utzon

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  Mies van der Rohe - Philip Johnson

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  Richard Neutra

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  Frank Lloyd Wright

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  Antonio Gaudi

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  Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano, and Gianfranco Franchini

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  Luis Barragan

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  Victor Gruen

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  Cesar Pelli

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  Norman Foster

See also

• Pantheon, Paris
• World treasures
• Leon Battista Alberti
• Obelisk
• Empire State Building
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Architect of the Capitol

External links

Benares' temple in India, considered one of the Shakti Peethas (places of strength- worship).

• Periods and Styles
• A Menu of Architectural Types
• Renaissance and Baroque Architecture
• GREEK REVIVAL DOMINATED AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE FROM 1818 TO 1850
• Architecture Timeline
• HISTORY OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
• History of Landscape Architecture
• Great Buildings Collection
• Oriental Architecture
• Chinese Architecture
• Asian Historical Architecture 19 Asian countries included.
• Buddhist Art and Architecture
• Architecture Links on the World Wide Web

The bell tower, Gyeongsang, Korea

References

Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Htilominlo Temple, Myanmar.

Villa Adriana, Tívoli, Italy.

Wherever man exists, he finds the need to redesign, to recreate the world. A more beautiful world, purer, sweeter smelling and more colorful. A garden is probably the spot where the hopes for civilization are best captured. THE ENCHANTED GARDENS OF THE RENAISSANCE.