History Of Architecture - Book Report/Review Example

The History of Architecture s Tuesday, September 23, - Baroque On this we studied about Baroque. Here, we learnt that Baroque which lasted between 1600 and 1750 marked a very significant stage in the history and development of architecture. It originally began in Rome, Italy in which it was mainly used by the Catholic Church to establish emotional feelings and communicate its religious doctrines and themes that it wanted to impart on its faithful. Later, the use of baroque architecture spread to all the other parts of Europe such as England and France. This period was marked by increased anxiety for representation and meaning. This followed interests in mathematics and science that was really changing people’s perception of life and the society. In Germany, it was popularized by people like Zwinger, Dresden and Ludwigsburg Palace. In England, it was a result of the efforts of Sir Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh. The popularity of baroque architecture was also encouraged by the contributions of the aristocrats who used it to impress their guests and demonstrate their power and control over their territories. For instance, in France, the autocrat used the technology to construct the fabulous St. Petersburg which stood out as an admirable building in France. As this happened, its use spread to many other places. Later, it was used in the design of town plans both in Europe and Latin America. In fact, the use of baroque architecture in town plans introduced a new style characterized by radiating avenues with intersecting squares, unique kind of shapes that had never been seen before. Actually, the introduction of baroque design revolutionized architecture. With its use, different kinds of buildings could be constructed. These had different features as compared to the ones already in existence at the time. Baroque buildings were characterized by sweeping curves and white colors. At the same time, they had elegantly appearing decorations resembling the shell-shapes of vines and scrolls. This milestone was achieved especially after the coming up of the Rococo architecture around the year 1700. Moreover, they had delicate geometric patterns. These unique features made the structures constructed using baroque architectural technology to be quite appealing to the people at all times. This explains why it was embraced by the aristocrats and the Catholic Church to communicate their messages and demonstrate their dominance and powers over the rest of the society. Some of the buildings constructed using baroque architectural designs are shown herein: Augustusburg Palace, Cologne Trevi Fountain, Rome Wilanów Palace, Warsaw, Poland Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria church, Rome Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment On this day, we learnt about the development and dramatic changes that took place in architecture during the neoclassical and enlightenment periods. Just like the Baroque period, renaissance, which was a period of reason, individualism and analysis, introduced knowledge that replaced traditional religious dominance. The entire renaissance period took an expansive time between 1650 and 1780s. After originating in Florence, it later spread to Italy, France, Germany, England, and Russia then to other parts of Europe. Changes had to be introduced to architecture to reflect those that had been advocated for by the philosophers like Descartes Rene, David Hume, Piere Bavle, Baruch Spinoza, Immanuel Khant, John Locke and Isaac Newton who had introduced new scientific ideas in their numerous publications. On this day, we were also introduced to the neoclassical period which essentially meant post-classical period which had been experienced before. On its part, neoclassical period occurred between the year 1730 and 1925. It was a significant stage in the history of architecture. This period was heavily influenced by renaissance ideologies which were reflected on architecture. After its introduction by Andrea Palladio, neoclassical architectural designs spread to Britain, USA and other parts of the world. The structures built using neoclassical design were however influenced by the Roman and Greece architectural designs. This was evidenced in the manner these structures were in a somehow resemblance of the Roman and Greece architecture. Thursday, October 2, 2014 - Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment During this time, we were taught that architecture changed from the Romantic styles to a more progressive form during the renaissance period. It followed the Gothic architecture characterized by proportion, geometry, symmetry and regularity of the parts. Such structures were also characterized by the orderly arrangement of the lintels, plasters and columns. These are new changes that would later be introduced in buildings constructed in the society. They made the houses look amazing and appealing to those who had opportunity to see them. The neoclassical period was evidently a useful period that introduced all the highlighted changes in the field of architecture. Reconnaissance period introduced several changes in the field of architecture. These included the use of semicircular arches, aedicule and hemispherical niches and domes. On the other hand, neoclassical period introduced the use partitions in buildings. Such partitions were made in line with the classical orders that heavily borrowed from Greece and Roman architectural styles. Such neoclassical buildings complied with the principles of Five Orders of Architecture propounded by Giacomo da Vignola. It also heavily borrowed from Andrea Palladio who had put his architectural ideas in his book called the Four Books of Architecture. This publication became so popular with many architects who used it as a point of reference while thinking their designs. Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - Neo-Classicism (18th Century Architecture) Since neoclassical period lasted between 1730 and 11925. Meaning, it covered the entire part of the 18th century. On this day, we learnt about the impacts of the neoclassical architecture during the 18th century. It was used in building churches and those used by the government at the time. The design was appropriate for such structures because it marked a shift from baroque period in which structures had to be asymmetrical. Thus, the 18th century structures were symmetrical and so elaborate. This made them to be so aesthetical and appealing to the eyes of a good number of people in the society. All the buildings constructed in the 18th century using this design became so popular. The use of conical pillars in buildings made the houses as shown in this cathedral: The Cathedral of Vilnius Geometry and balance are some of the most important factors that were considered during the construction of such buildings. This explains why they were constructed using columns in the exterior part. It made the houses to be stronger, balanced and more aesthetic than they would otherwise be. Just like in such neoclassical structures, the columns and arches still remain as popular elements of architectural design today. Tuesday October 9th 2014 Neo Classicism (18th century) This was the last day in which we discussed about the history of architecture. After summarizing the main aspects of architecture, we ended the lesson by studying about the features, uniqueness, contributions and influences of neoclassical architecture during the later parts of the 18th century. Given that it was a very novel and revolutionary design, neoclassical architecture really influenced the building of structures world wide. As a result of gaining a significant amount of popularity, neoclassical architecture prominently featured in the building of cathedrals and government buildings. This was necessary because these were massive structures that required being strong and large. The other important aspect of neoclassical structures is that they were so attractive. In their design, the architects considered the aesthetical aspect of it. Everything was to be done to ensure that they appealed and got acceptance of everyone in the society at the time. This explains why neoclassical architecture is still used in many buildings in all parts of the world. Woburn Abbey Interior of Château de Malmaison Sir William Chambers Somerset House, London Cathedral of Vác Read More