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Gothic architecture symbolism
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Introduction The aim of this report is to explore Georgian architecture and design, its history and its status. The Georgian architectural period has been referred to as the “long century” as it covers from August 1714 when King George I [figure 1] came to power right up until the death of George IV in June 1830. The Georgian style arrived to the world in 1714 and was the style that succeeded the Stuart Period. The image of “Highclere Castle” [figure 2] is a great example of the famous Georgian style with the door centred in the middle; numerous large windows on the main floors and the buildings symmetry is a key example of what makes the Georgian style so significant. Colen Campbell was the most important architect in influencing, leading …show more content…
Colen was born in June 1676 and died in September 1729. He was a Scottish architect, writer and has been credited as the founder of the Georgian era. Author of the “British Architecture” or “Vitruvius Britannicus”, this was his major contribution to the Georgian era and the book was published numerous times between 1715 and 1725. The book contained detailed drawings of buildings from all angles frequently from the elevation and plan views. It contains over 300 drawings including interior designs, perspective views and intricate ground plans of buildings. Colen took his inspiration for Vitruvius Britannicus from a younger Scottish architect called James Smith [c.1645-1731]. Colen praised the young architect in the second edition of the Vitruvius Britannicus by referring to him as “the most experienced architect of that kingdom” [page 10 Vitruvius Britannicus: “it was defigned by the molt experience’d Architect of that Kingdom, Mr James Smith, Anno 1692.] From 1712 until 1729 when he died, Colen Campbell had over thirty architectural structures built. His first was the Shawfield Mansion in Glasgow [refer to Figure 9] where we can clearly see the Georgian features such as the centred door, the large windows on the main floor and chimneys on either of the house coming to life. With the huge success of the Vitruvius Britannicus, a banker at the time “Henry Hoare” wanted Colen to …show more content…
Years later, this Ducart design would be referred to as “Newton Perry”. Excluding Dublin, the Limerick Georgian area is the largest collection of Georgian houses and other buildings still surviving and in daily use. Some of the most well known landmarks built in Limerick during this period include Colbert Train station, Taits Clock monument, Sarsfield Bridge and the Dominican Church in Glentworth
Hitchcock, Henry Russell. Early Victorian Architecture in Britain Volumes I and II. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954.
It was a don of a new age, belief, conviction, and devotion were felt throughout the period, and it was the time of the Romanesque churches. This was the time to view these boundless, monastic complexes, majestic cathedrals, and painted artifacts; the churches were beaming with activity and life. With the assembly of nuns, monks, and local town folks, these structures offered safety, a simpler way of life thru thought, simplicity, and reflection, which than sparked an overall energy and spirit throughout the air, it was the age of faith. In this period of time a massive building project had begun, within a short time span of 150 years, the construction of more than 1000 monasteries, and abbeys were built throughout Western Europe. Some of the main architecturally features and designs were the massive towers pointed heavenward and seemed as if they were touching the sky, it made the church visible from great distances and became the center point of the towns where they were built. The stone portals separated the nonspiritual, from the divine realm and dramatized the entrance door, as the gateway to salvation. The Gothic style of architecture, or Gothic cathedral began in the seventeenth century and was born in France, Over 580 Gothic & cathedrals class churches were built and constructed between 1170 to 1270; they were often large enough to house the entire population of the town. Two dominant architectural designs and styles emerged Romanesque and Gothic; there were differences and some similarities between the two. If the Romanesque church constituted a rural retreat for monastics and pilgrims, the Gothic cathedral served as the focal point for the urban community physically dominated the town, the design of the to...
When one sees the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral in person or in pictures they are likely to be awestruck. The twin towers of the western façade rise high into the sky, seemingly in an attempt to scrape heaven. Spiky arches seem to grow out of the sides and claw at the ground. Inside it is cavernous with colored light filtering in through the large, intricate stained glass windows. All of these physical qualities make Notre Dame a prime example of Gothic architecture. It does not stand alone in that distinction. One is also likely to see several hundred examples of this style on varying scales throughout Europe. Because, despite its humble origins, Gothic architecture became the standard for religious buildings in the early 11th century thanks to innovative use of new and old design techniques which resulted in majestic buildings that symbolized the builder’s version of heaven.
The history of Kenwood House in Hampstead stretches far back in history; however, the bulk of what is published and considered rests upon the architecture of the Adams brothers, and particularly Robert Adam. It is said that the original house on the property was "probably built by John Bill (1576 - 1630), the King's Printer, soon after 1616. (Summerson, p. 5)" Apart from a few scant references to its prior history, the bulk of published material begins with the Adams, having started and completed a remodel of the house in 1766 and 1774, respectively. A few key questions being asked in this examination of Kenwood are: why has this building been extensively written about?
(Image taken from Tranchtenberg, Marvin, Isabelle Hyman. Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity. Second Edition. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey: 2002.)
Stylistically, it is a very important piece of architecture. Although the Glasgow Building was built during the heart of the Art Nouveau period, its style gives a strong indication of what is to come for the future in architectural style. The Art Nouveau period was frequently organic with elaborate decoration. There were often undulating curves and twists which combined into an unpredictable picture of mental knots. The Glasgow Building did not boast many of these features making its style more difficult to pinpoint. It is a style between styles. In fact, it presents several features which will become much more prominent in the years to come.
The variety of articles, books and opinions pertaining to the New Palace of Westminster are quite interesting. While it is well known that there is confusion around the roles and work of Barry and Pugin on this famous piece of architecture, the range of opinions and supporting resources are intriguing. Robert Dell published an article filled with supporting resources that really supported the fact that A.W.N. Pugin was the “true” architect for the Houses of Parliament, while Roland Quinault defended quite the opposite, barely mentioning Pugin in his work.
Oliver, P. (Ed.). (1997). Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (Vols. 1 - 3). New York, NY : Cambridge University Press.
The strength of a gothic building is made to reside in a finely organized framework rather than in its walls. This framework, which consists of perfectly placed piers, arches and buttresses, frees up any unessential impediment of walls and presents a light feeling. The stability of the building depends only on inert massiveness in its outermost parts, whose opposing forces counteract each other in a perfect stability of thrust and counterthrust. Gothic architecture is an artistic, strategic system of engineering, schemes for building were followed for elevations, termed quadratum (four sided) and triangulorum (three sided). 2 This system allowed them to raise their ideal structures according to symbolic measure and numbers reflecting the geometry of the New Jerusalem and its prototype, the Temple of Solomon. (Figure 1.1)
The essence of modern architecture lays in a remarkable strives to reconcile the core principles of architectural design with rapid technological advancement and the modernization of society. However, it took “the form of numerous movements, schools of design, and architectural styles, some in tension with one another, and often equally defying such classification, to establish modernism as a distinctive architectural movement” (Robinson and Foell). Although, the narrower concept of modernism in architecture is broadly characterized by simplification of form and subtraction of ornament from the structure and theme of the building, meaning that the result of design should derive directly from its purpose; the visual expression of the structure, particularly the visual importance of the horizontal and vertical lines typical for the International Style modernism, the use of industrially-produced materials and adaptation of the machine aesthetic, as well as the truth to materials concept, meaning that the true nat...
The reason for this piece is to attempt a comparison between two architectural examples that employ classical design from different stylistic eras of architectural history. The two styles I've chosen to discuss are the Renaissance and Baroque periods. An understanding of classical architecture needs to be made, as it is the fundamental style of any period that developed architecturally
In the process of development of human society, architecture and culture are inseparable. Cuthbert (1985) indicates that architecture, with its unique art form, expresses the level of human culture in different historical stages, as well as the yearning towards the future. According to his article, it can be said that architecture has become one of the physical means for human to change the world and to conquer the nature. Consequently, architecture has been an important component of human civilization. Since 1980s when China started the opening and reforming policy, a variety of architectural ideas, schools and styles have sprung up. Accompanying with a momentum of...
Throughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).
The book as a description of modern architecture, its styles and influence succeeds but falls short as a prescriptive methodology. His work is still recalled for the need by modernists to categorize everything into neat little boxes, not necessarily for the sake of uniformity, but for sake of some ambiguity. The ambiguity may be the triumph of this book as post modern architecture era is supposed to create more questions than the answers.
There are many different types of architecture, but they all somehow relate back to the ancient Greek’s architecture. Greeks developed their distinctive building types, and these forms, once established, remained remarkably consistent. (W.B Dinsmoor 1927) Characteristically, they combined the functional elements with close attention to the overall aesthetic effect of a building. Thus the ancient Greeks constructed glorious architectures. The Greek Architecture is divided into three main periods; the Geometric and Orientalizing periods (1100 B.C to 650 B.C), the Archaic period (660 B.C to 475 B.C), and the Classical period (475 B.C to 323 B.C). (A.W Lawrence 1957). Along with the different periods of Greek architecture, the Classical period had two main styles; Doric and Ionic.