Architecture

Architecture is the art and science of constructing the built environment. The discipline that deals with the design, construction and ornamentation of fine buildings.

"Architecture and eloquence are mixed arts whose end is sometimes beauty and sometimes use." ^[1]

Greek architecture

Greek architecture arose on the shores of the Aegean Sea and flourished in the ancient world. The most important works of Greek architecture were produced between 700 BC and 146 BC. Architects Callicrates , Mnesicles , and Ictinus flourished and the Parthenon and other great works were produced. Greek architecture has a strong influence on Western Culture even today.

Roman architecture

Art in Roman Architecture appears in such varied purposes. The Romans were the first people to treat architecture as a minister to the numberless needs of a great nation. Before them, except in the Greek theatres, it had served the gods, the royal families, and the dead, alone. [1] Some examples of Roman Architecture are: The Pantheon, The Colosseum, The Hadrian's Wall and The Antonine Wall

Middle Ages architecture

Architecture in the Middle Ages or Medieval architecture can be seen in the majestic churches built during that era. There were two main styles: Romanesque and Gothic.

Romanesque Architecture

Basilica, Paray-le-Monial, France.

Romanesque architecture was a continuation of the Roman tradition of building. This architecture is characterized by thick walls, rounded arches and small windows. Some examples of this period are: San Miniato al Monte, Firenze, Italy, 1018-1062, Notre Dame le Grande, Poitiers, France, early 12th century, The Basilica, Paray-le-Monial, France, 1090-1110, and Ste. Marie, Souillac, France. c. 1130.

Ste. Marie, Souillac, France.

Gothic Architecture

Burgos Cathedral, Spain

Gothic architecture, consisted of taller, perpendicular structures with long windows, pointed arches and "flying buttresses" (stone supports on the outer walls of churches); the pointed spires of this style is said to reflect the desire of people of the Middle Ages to grow closer to God, reaching towards heaven and away from the earth. Spires were a source of pride for churches, and stressing the limits of architecture resulted in frequent collapses of church buildings - much like miniature Towers of Babel. Tall windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the interior, unlike Romanesque architecture, in which windows were small and interiors were dim. A particularly stunning example of Gothic architecture is the Notre Dame in Paris, on which construction began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and was completed about 200 years later in about 1345. The Notre Dame features a beautiful stained-glass "rose window," which is another distinguishing characteristic of Gothic churches.

Renaissance Architecture

Dome of S. Maria del Fiore in Florence by Filippo Brunelleschi

This period goes from 1400 to 1600 AD. This architecture was inspired by artists' works of classical Greece and Rome.

Some famous architects were Giacomo da Vignola, Andrea Palladio, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Filippo Brunelleschi.

The Louvre, by Pierre Lescot, at Paris is a good example of this period.

Baroque Architecture

Church of St. Charles Borromeo at Antwerp

Some examples of this period are: Piazza of St. Peter's, by Bernini, at Vatican City; The Chateau de Versailles, by Andre Le Notre, Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun, Robert de Cotte, and Ange-Janques Bagriel, at Versailles, France; The Christ Church, by Nicholas Hawksmoor, at Spitalfields, London, England; The Opera, by Charles Garnier, at Paris; Church of St. Charles Borromeo, by Pieter Huyssens, S.J., at Antwerp; Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, by Bernini, at Rome, Italy; Laurentian Library, by Michelangelo, at Florence, Italy, and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, by Giuseppe Mengoni, at Milan, Italy.

Modern Architecture

In this period there are several styles like: Deconstructivism, Formalism, Modernism, Expressionism, Neo-expressionism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, Functionalism, International Style and The Bauhaus school. (Bauhaus is a term coined by Architect Walter Gropius and means house for building).