Visual culture studies and recognizes the predominance of visual forms of media, communication and information in the postmodern world. Basically, visual culture is the study of images and its meanings. The images I chose to write about are the Roman Pantheon and Geodesic dome. The Geodesic dome is a building coming from the modern times opposed to the Pantheon, which was build in ancient times. Those buildings are important for the visual culture because they became influential pieces of art for many architects and serve as examples of successful and strong architectural buildings. I was interested in learning more about the buildings because I saw Pantheon live couple of times and found it quite fascinating and beautiful building. The Geodesic …show more content…
Let’s start with the Pantheon. It is a building which looks like a half spherical dome with a triangular entrance and columns on the outside. It has an inscription on its entrance, and a round hole in the center of a dome. On the outside the Pantheon looks inconspicuous, but on the inside it has a lot of threading around the walls and the ceiling. I know that it is an ancient Roman building located in Italy. This is where my research starts, as my knowledge is limited. I went to the otis library and found a book “The Pantheon: design, meaning, and progeny” by William L. MacDonald. Also, I found an article about pantheon on the website smarthistory.org. The website is a credible source, because it is lead by specialists, who have degrees in the fields they are writing about. The article I am using The Pantheon (Rome) is written by Dr. Paul A. Ranogajec, who has Phd. in Art History and M.A. in Architectural History. The first thing I learnt from the book is that the architect of the Pantheon is unknown, though it belongs to the emperor Hadrian, but he is not an architect. There is an inscription on the entrance M. AGRIPPA L.F. COS TERTIUM FECIT, which according to the article mentioned above means “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, thrice Consul, built this.” This is where intertextuality comes in, as in order to understand why the Pantheon has this inscription, we need to know …show more content…
Geodesic dome is a spherical transparent dome made out of numerous triangles stuck tightly together. The look of the dome is very simplistic, but unusual compared to the most buildings I’ve seen. It is interesting, that I was familiar with the Pantheon before this paper, but have never heard about Geodesic dome, or its author Buckminster Fuller, though he is worldwide famous. When I looked at the picture of the dome for the first time, I saw it as a signifier and my instant association was the botanical garden or Biosphere 2, as I’ve been to the transparent half spherical botanical gardens before, and I’ve studied about Biosphere 2 recently, and it also has similar constructions. In the library I found a book “Buckminster Fuller : designing for mobility” by Michael John Gorman. Furthermore, I found a website called Buckminster Fuller Institute which specifies on research and promotion about Fuller and his inventions. The book states that Buckminster was not an actual architect, and would like to be seen as an inventor. Moreover, he thought his designs would be accepted only 50 years latter in the future. His main idea was to redesign the whole housing industry, as he believed that the transformation of people's environments would transform their behavior. Buckminster Fuller saw environment and behavior as part of syntactics, where changes in one are directly connected
With the Pantheon being built over 1700 years ago, it’s amazing that architects are still using features and techniques from this work of architecture in modern creations. The use of this type of classical architecture will continue to be used in works for public space due to its remarkable exterior appearance and it’s long lasting structural durability. When both Jesse hall and the Pantheon are compared it is possible to see their similarities from the types of domes that top each, their external facades, and their interior plan. While they share many similarities, the differences that Bell and Binder used in their creation make this work of architecture unique to many other public spaces.
Taller than the ancient pyramids in Egypt, large enough to hold the statue of liberty. 100 pounds of weightless stones, heavy enough to hold the Empire state building are the Great Cathedrals (PBS, 2011). Intrigued by the beauty in structure but puzzled by the very construction, without technology for building purposes has researchers mind wondering. In reference to the NOVA program, building of Gothic cathedral begin as a race of height, which over time this plan backfired because of the recent architectural discoveries in the foundation. The NOVA program pointed out that in this race of constructing the tallest building wasn’t the only concern between two rivalry cities in Europe; it purpose was recognized as a scared space for spiritual reasoning to bring ordinary someone closer to God (PBS, 2011).
Although Cordoba’s Mezquita and Rome’s Pantheon share similar architectural qualities, each of these buildings has their own unique characteristics. Cordoba’s Mezquita is an Islamic religious architecture where the community comes together for their daily prayers. Rome’s Pantheon is a temple used as place to display all the gods. A unique feature of the mosque is that some of the arches are horseshoe-shaped, a quality possibly originated from earlier Mesopotamian
As the timeline of humans progressed since the very first settlements, so did the way humans built structures. Human beings became smarter and the planning behind enormous structures became more intricate and marvelous. Further back in history, places of worship played an enormous part in the everyday lives of everyone in those times. Different civilizations have built great temples of worship that have expressed their love of a deity (or deities). These great buildings embody the very best that those people can offer: their best engineering, their best carpentry, their best architecture, their best decoration. Two great examples are the Romanesque Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy and the Gothic Chartres Cathedral. While these two structures are
The interior of the Pantheon is an open circular floor plan and, was painted blue and gold to resemble the vault of heaven (The Humanistic Tradition). The interior of the Pantheon was purposely meant to outshine the exterior. Unlike the Pantheons more interior design the Cathedral has a more exterior design. The interior of the Cathedral of Chartres has a network of open and closed spaces. The exterior of the Cathedral is lined with sculptures that are linked to the Old and New Testaments. Along with t...
Throughout the years, technology has changed the way live. This has included the way we build magnificent buildings. Old wonders like the Pyramids at Giza have fascinated people for years. There is another building concept that has attracted people’s attention for ages as well, domes.
I fumble for an explanation of Fuller--architect, philosopher, voice of a generation like Dr. Spock. I joke that I should bring in my Whole Earth Catalog so I can illustrate my remarks. I explain that Fuller invented the geodesic dome and when some in the class aren't certain what that is, I scrawl a bad drawing on the board. Finally someone saves me by mentioning Epcot Center, and we go off awhile on that. I mention that another dome much closer is in Downs, Illinois, ten miles down the road in a one-tavern town. Here is an essay possibility, the connection between Epcot Center and Downs, Illinois. But that's not the road to travel in this essay.
Pantheon and Hagia Sophia Pantheon and Hagia Sophia are two extremely outstanding architectural pieces of their times. They have been built according to the traditions of those particular times. The materials used to built these buildings and the purpose for which they were used are all very important aspects and have been briefly covered in this report. Pantheon The statesman Agrippa built pantheon in 27 B.C. Then it was completely rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. The dome was the largest built until modern times. The present structure was probably originally built as a temple for all the pagan gods. We do hear of it as being a law-court and a reception area for Emperor Hadrian meeting his quests too. Some say that the rotunda of the building was once a Roman bath. Due to all this mystery, the Pantheon is often referred to as the Sphinx of Rome. The visitor will probably not appreciate the construction as much as the Flavian amphitheatre, but it is still a great masterpiece of engineering and well worth a visit. Most Roman and Greek temples at the time of the Pantheon's construction were large, colonnaded, rectangular enclosures with sanctuaries situated in their centers. The Pantheon was different. It consisted of a large circular drum topped with a hemispherical dome. It is a masterpiece of both engineering and art a lasting memory of Ancient Rome’s might. Roman architecture is architecture of wall and enclosed tactile space. Individual column with entablature is no longer the basic architectural unity. Spatially, it shows a development from closed, simple space units and regular articulation to more complex spatial relations, more fluid interpenetrati...
The Jefferson Memorial is a testimonial to the past, present, and future of the United States. Its architecture, like most neo-Classical buildings, gives a sense of permanence. This permanence has a history far older than many would suspect. Centuries ago and thousands of miles away a building was erected that would later become the model for which many other buildings, including the Jefferson Memorial, are based upon. This building is the Roman Pantheon. Though the Jefferson Memorial borrows the basic form and elements from the Pantheon, the Memorial has distinctive differences from its predecessor.
As one of the greatest structures in Rome, the Pantheon was built between 118 and 128 CE. It is described as the most remarkable ancient building surviving in Rome. After being destroyed and rebuilt twice, it was renamed the “Temple of the Gods”. In 126 AD, the Pantheon was restored to its glory, by the architects who at that time has learned and mastered their craft in concrete construction in the Greek Classical order. They constructed a massive 25 foot thick walls which was to support the huge dome made of concrete to be placed at the top. The dome was the largest ever made of unreinforced concrete at 43.4 meters in diameter (Matthews, Roy and Platt pg. 5).
It appears that from the very beginning, Frank Lloyd Wright was destined by fate or determination to be one of the most celebrated architects of the twentieth century. Not only did Wright possess genius skills in the spatial cognition, his approach to architecture through geometric manipulation demonstrates one aspect of his creativeness. Forever a great businessman, Wright seemed to know how to please his clients and still produce some of the most innovative and ridiculed buildings of the early century. While the United States appeared to be caught up in the Victorian style, Frank Lloyd Wright stepped out in front to face the challenge of creating "American architecture" which would reflect the lives of the rapidly growing population of the Midwest United States. Howard Gardner in his book "Creating Minds" does not make any mention of Frank Lloyd Wright, an innovator who drastically influenced architecture of the twentieth century around the world.
There are seven most remarkable structures of ancient times and I’m going to write about four out of the seven. The statue of Zeus, which was created in 432 B.C., by Phidius, the lighthouse Of Alexandria that was created by Sostratus in 290 B.C. and took 20 years to complete. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus that was first created in 800 B.C. by Croesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus that was built around 353 and 350 B.C. These are only four out of the seven wonders I will be writing about who commissioned and created each one of them. How they were built, where they were located, when was it constructed, why they were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and what happened to them.
“Many European cities still bear reminders of the power of ancient Rome, and throughout the western world the influence of Roman power is still manifest.” “As the Roman Empire expanded Roman architects struggled to achieve two overriding aims: to demonstrate the grandeur and power of Rome, while also improving the life of their fellow citizens.” They held the Greeks in high regard for both their sculpture and architecture, learned stonework and pyramid architecture from the Egyptians, and absorbed important techniques from the Etruscans. To that end, the Romans perfected three architectural elements: concrete, the arch, and the vault. These three elements helped lighten the load carried by Roman structures while maintaining overall durability.
Rome, Italy’s capital, is a stretched, city with nearly 3,000 years of influential art, architecture and culture written to share to the world. Ancient Rome was one of the most advanced societies in its time. Ancient Roman culture lasted a long time in the history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. ancient Rome was a joint of the city of Rome which a lot of the activity’s happen. Ancient Rome is known for the prominent Colosseum which is the largest amphitheater ever built. , the , and the Pantheon.The Roman Pantheon is the most maintained and dominant buildings of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of ancient Rome. The city also had many other theaters, gymnasiums, and many taverns. most of the population in Rome lived in
All over the world people still come to admire the beauty of European cathedrals. Many of the cathedrals are fragile due to age, neglect, pollution, and insufficient funds available to restore these historical and beautiful buildings. Nevertheless, visitors to these architectural masterpieces are fascinated by the design and structure of these churches. The cathedral builders using their own ingenuity, expertise, and limited resources were able to defy the laws of gravity and time. (Icher 30)