Thursday, May 7, 2020

Let's review the outstanding architectural styles and trends in the history of architecture from Antiquity to the present day.

History is often taught linearly. This style of teaching often omits major historical narratives and focuses primarily on the Western world.

However, people also know that to understand how one phenomenon leads to another, history can provide an overview of what humanity has created over the years. In the history of architecture, it is interesting to understand the central movements and sanctified styles that emerged over time as an epochal response, continuous or discontinuous, in relation to the What has been created so far. Therefore, this article presents some of the most influential architectural styles and movements in history, from its characteristics and distinctive features.

Ancient

The ancient architecture was built in the period of Ancient Greece from the middle of the seventh to the fourth century BC. It is known for its stone temples, designed from the principles of columns, symmetry, geometry, and the law of near and far. A notable feature of its expressiveness are the principles of the "architectural columns": Doric, Ionic, Corinthian. The greatest achievement of Ancient architecture is the Parthenon, built in Athens in the 5th century BC, the Parthenon exhibits outstanding features such as: a volume built on a foundation. bearing the continuous force of the columns and the top of the columns, in turn bearing the force for the triangular gable of the temple.

Romanesque

Developed in Europe between the 6th and 9th centuries, this architectural style is closely related to its historical context. In a time when the nations of Europe were at war and worried about defending against invasions, the buildings of this period were inspired by the ancient Roman empire, identified by their paintings. thick and heavy walls with small openings from the arcs. The main examples of this style are the churches built during this period, and one of the most important is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It was built during the Crusades, and is the finest product of this style.

Gothic

What we know of early Gothic architecture has been named Opus Francigenum, or "works of the French", born in the late medieval period, between 900s and 1300s. During the Enlightenment, the name Gothic is referred to as the upright and majestic architecture created during this period. The main Gothic works are related to ecclesiastical buildings, churches and cathedrals with pointed arches and framed arches. Most of the Gothic buildings are considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Reims Cathedral.

Baroque       

Beginning in the 16th century under the monarchy in Europe, Baroque architecture can be found in religious buildings. The use of ornaments and elements seeks to establish a dramatic feeling—especially by the contrast between light and shadow. Baroque architecture looks at structural elements as forms for decoration. One of the examples for this style is the Gesu Church in Rome, which boasts the first true Baroque facade.

Neoclassical

From the eighteenth century onwards, neoclassical architecture sought to revive the works of ancient Greece and Rome. Its expression is closely related to the economic and social context. The Industrial Revolution in Europe and the time when upper-middle-class students started the Grand Tour tradition – traveling around the world and getting access to ancient works. The revival of the cradle of European culture has brought about an architecture towards rational symmetry as a response to Baroque architecture. This trend continued until the 19th century and was expressed in many different countries.

Beaux – Art

This academic style originated at the School of Fine Arts in Paris in the mid-1830s. It established a language referring to other periods, such as French Neoclassical, Gothic and Renaissance architecture, however, it also uses contemporary materials such as glass and iron. Although it appeared in France, the style influenced American architecture and served as a reference to architects such as Louis Sullivan, the father of the skyscraper. Works from this movement show sculptural decoration mixed with modern lines. In Europe, an important example is the Grand Palais in Paris and in the United States the Grand Central Terminal New York.

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau originally served as a guide to a number of disciplines from architecture to painting and interior design to lettering. As a response to the eclectic style that dominated Europe, this style expressed itself in architecture in the decorative elements: the buildings, filled with curving curves, continued ornaments Get inspired by organic shapes such as trees, flowers and animals, both in terms of design and use of color. The first works of this style were designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta, however, the most representative examples were created by a Frenchman named Hector Guimard.

Art Deco

Art Deco emerged in France just before World War I and like Art Nouveau, it influenced several areas of art and design. Blending modern design, handcrafted elements and luxurious materials, this movement represents a moment of great faith in social and technological progress on the continent. Auguste Perret, a French architect and pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete, designed one of the first Art Deco structures. Perret's Theater of Champs-Elysées (1913) incorporated features of the movement and marked a departure from the previously proposed language of Art Nouveau.

The Bauhaus was born at the world's first design school in the early 20th century. It is embedded in a discourse that spans from furniture design to plastic art and avant-garde approach in Germany. The relationship between industrial production and product design is critical to the school's architectural recommendations, which adopt a rigorous rationalization perspective on the design process. One of the founders, Walter Gropius, took a revolutionary approach to teaching and applied these principles in practical work.

Modern

Modernism was born in the first half of the twentieth century. It could be said that it began in Germany with the Bauhaus, or in France with Le Corbusier, or the United States with Frank Lloyd Wright. However, Le Corbusier's contribution to the understanding of Modernist architecture is most remarkable, especially his ability to synthesize the morals he applies to his work, design and performance. language. An example is the 1926 manifesto of the “5 points of new architecture”, also known as the 5 points of Modern architecture.

Postmodern

From 1929 on, with the onset of the Great Depression, a string of criticisms of Modernist architecture began and continued until the late 1970s. Postmodern architecture considers a number of central principles. the heart of Modernism, from a historical and neo-creative perspective. Both in discourse and in construction. For this, different strategies for questioning are devised, sometimes using irony, others by a deep interest in popular culture. The book "Learning from Las Vegas" is one of the quintessential works of Postmodern thought.

Destructuring

Deconstructionism originated in the 1980s and questioned the limits and processes of design and incorporated strong nonlinear lines into the design. Deconstructionism involves two main concepts: deconstruction, a literary and philosophical analysis that requires rethinking and discarding traditional modes of thinking; and constructivism, Russian artistic and architectural movements from the early twentieth century. A landmark event for deconstructionism was the 1988 MoMA exhibition curated by Phillip Johnson. It brings together works by Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi and Wolf Prix.