How does Le Camus de Mézières define decoration (or ornament) and distribution? What roles do ornament and distribution play in the architectural representation of social rank?
As Le Camus de Mezieres said, “Where a building is pleasing from the outside, we must see to it that the interiors are equally so; these are the parts in which we live, and for that reason they are all the more precious to us” (Mezieres, 102). With this in mind, Mezieres stated that while the exterior of a building is important, it serves the role of preparing our minds; “they convey an initial impression” (Mezieres, 102). Later in the essay, Mezieres mentions how the ancient Romans and Greeks emphasized their use of decoration and distribution; how to take advantage of the climate offered and utilize it so that it could be “pleasing to the eye and to the mind,
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In all, Mezieres defined decoration as a way of it being “possible to go further and give the whole its proper character”(Mezieres, 124). Simply, Mezieres’ believes that ornament in architecture is to seize every opportunity given to improve quality and the “ease of service” (Mezieres,124). Likewise, Mezieres defined distribution as the “harmony and rapport of architectural proportions wisely employed” and that overall, the purpose of distribution of a given space is to “bear a relation to the whole” (Meziere, 127). Moreover, ornament and distribution each play a significant role in the architectural representation of social rank. An instance of this can be seen in Mezieres’ work of comparing the apartment of a rich man, Magnate, Minister, Courtier, and Prelate (Meziere, 129). In doing so, he essentially implies the greater the space and its
In conclusion, although Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, do appear very different, come from entirely different geographic regions and were separated by thousands of years, they do have many things in common. When we consider subject, style, and function; perhaps other works of art have more in common than they appear to have.
Palace of Versailles is a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy during the reign of Louis XIV. It had raised France to supreme power and has made France a richest country in Europe. The palace and the gardens of Versailles are recorded into World Heritage by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) in 1979 and had become the ideal royal residence and government in Europe for over a century. The palace is significantly influenced by classical ancient Greek and Roman architectures and mythologies, particularly the surrounding gardens and decorative features including the sculptures and fountains. This essay aims to explore the garden designs and decorative features under the influences of Louis XIV, and how they are used to glorify the king and demonstrate the wealth and power of Versailles. Firstly, this paper will talk about the history of Louis XIV and how he has developed into an absolute monarch. Secondly, the essay will analyse how the site layout of Versailles and gardens are formed in relation to Louis as the Sun King. Lastly, within historical context, certain important features of the gardens will be discussed mainly on their purposes and how they are influenced by the mythology, politics and cultures.
Life has been defined as the property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism. Further, that very definition from the Webster's dictionary says nothing when it comes to the everyday experiences one faces throughout a lifetime. The experiences one faces makes, breaks, and shapes us into how we act and live. T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men" portrays a world in which humans lack connections to each other and to G-d. Similarly, the main character, Meursault, from the short novel The Stranger, by Albert Camus, represents a man who does not feel any condition to anyone or anything. Meursault seems not to have a sense of emotion for the occurring actions in his life, and as a result, Camus pictures him as a senseless man. Many people in society go through life-breaking crisis that takes them several weeks even months to get over, meanwhile Meursault goes through some of the most immense problems during his life, yet he shows little emotion to ward his reality.
The artworks of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Aegean cultures, and Ancient Greece have similarities that not only reflect objects and images, but also the media, style and representation. These countries were not always wealthy, clever, creative and powerful enough to gain supplies, but they all find a way to create art with what they had. They have all influenced on each other’s cultures and belief through their artistic values and ways, ranging from the materials and tools they use, position and representation of their monuments and their religious intent.
Castriota, David. The Ara Pacis Augustae and the imagery of abundance in later Greek and early Roman imperial art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1995. (P. 64)
“Form follows function.” Every great Modern architect thought, designed by and breathed these very words. Or at least, their design principles evolved from them. Modern architects Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pierre Chareau, and Rudolf Schindler to name a few believed that the function determined the space whether the space was solely for a particular purpose or they overlapped to allow for multiple uses. Form didn’t just follow function, function defined the space. By focusing on the relationship between the architecture and the interior elements, Chareau’s Maison de Verre expanded the idea of functionalism to include not only the architecture but also the space it creates and how people function within that space.
Palladio had an exceptional grasp of the use of proportion in classical architecture and believed beautiful architecture improved p...
It revives our humor and imagination and it gives us a visual reference. Ornamentation has an artistic intention and highlights architectural moments. In architecture, ornamentation can be divided into three main categories. Mimetic is the idea of imitating symbolic or significant forms and forms which have definite meanings. Applied ornamentation tends to add beauty to any structure. However, organic ornamentation focuses mainly on the functions and materials of any building. In the 20th early century, the anti-ornament emerged. Architecture today, is primarily about space. Ornament, on the other hand, has to do with non spatial figuration. The aesthetic functions of ornaments can be reduced to the practical details of a basic building. The entire building can be an ornament, there is no need to add ornament over. Also, today, other means of visual communication have replaced ornamentation which became a dead
Mies' well known theory of “less is more” is apparent by the spaciousness and functional quality of the Seagram building; everything serves a purpose, either for aesthetic appeal or functionality. “Less is more” is a concept used throughout the architectural world today. “Mies van der Rohe stands as a great moral force of the International Style. The essence of architecture, to Mies, lies in the expression of structure. And his precise, sophisticated, and consistent style of architecture sets an exam...
But these contrived differences give rise to esthetic difficulties too. Because inherent differences—those that come from genuinely differing uses—are lacking among the buildings and their settings, the contrivances repre...
In the short reading, The Cunning of Cosmetics, by Jeffrey Kipnis, he begins by explaining what architecture is reacting to and how it effects the direction it is going in. As a result from explaining this, he starts to ponder on his job on Herzog & de Meuron and question, “When did my infatuation with HdM’s work begin?”(Kipnis 23) he starts to realize that buildings have the “Ability to insinuate itself into my psyche” without forcing itself upon someone. He is able to analyze this in the magazine he was reading Arch- Plus by Nikolaus Kuhnert and see how he separated the magazine into two sections – Ornament and Minimalism, through this he able to explore prime examples such as Signal Box and Ricola Europ, explaining how the use of their materiality and modern ornamentation can give a “Erotic allure…the sirens of the Odyssey”. Overall he is clarifying that
To that end, he included ornamentation, allusion, quotation, irony, wit, mannerism, color, and decoration to his architectural repertoire. Fundamentally, Venturi never forgot who architects design: people. He placed meticulous effort on architectural scale, variety, and visual detail to make buildings meaningful and vivid for humanity. Venturi applied these theories in practice in the Vanna Venturi House, a private residence he constructed for his mother. The project’s interior focuses on the individual needs of ordinary people, which epitomizes Venturi’s overriding ethos.
Roman art was also deeply influenced by the art of the Hellenistic world, which had spread to southern Italy and Sicily through the Greek colonies there. The Etruscans and Babylonians can also be seen as inspirations. “With the founding of the Republic, the term Roman art was virtually synonymous with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art” (Honour and Fleming,1999). During the last two centuries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art. In the last two centuries before Christ, a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and painting emerged. Indeed, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, “the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the...
In his book, Precisions on the Present State of Architecture, Le Corbusier breaks down the construction of the modern house. Following functionalist ideals, he states, “There is really not a square centimeter lost here; and that’s not a small job!” (Le Corbusier 130). This idea of making the most of every centimeter ties back to functionalist thought. In Le Corbusier’s house, there is no excess space, no grandiose rooms or decoration, and no elements that are not essential for living. Each centimeter has a purpose. Later in the passage, Le Corbusier proclaims, “Monsieur will have his cell, Madame also, Mademoiselle also. Each of these cells has floors and a ceiling carried by freestanding independent columns” (130). By reducing each room to simply a cell, Le Corbusier removes the excess of a dwelling; the inhabitants do not have designated rooms or spaces, but cells. Evoking ideas of prison cells, the rooms described by Corbusier appear only large enough to sleep. There will be few extravagancies. Combining the two quotes, functionalisms influence on Corbusier’s planning and thought become strikingly
Architecture is the concept of bringing structure, materiality, form and space together as a whole, provide people with enclosed atmosphere to experience. Considering this, it is important to identify that materiality and the purpose of details has been a key methodology to bringing architectural intentions into the design in an affective manner, more over producing an architectural expression. However, this position is rather declining in architecture, reducing tectonics and materiality to being secondary to form and space. With the start of modernism, the attempt to achieve minimalistic style has caused detailing to increasingly develop into a decorative aspect of a building, neglecting its individual contribution to architecture.