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| Billie Silvey |
| A History of Western Architecture |
| February 2007 |
| Classical 7th-3rd century B.C. Greek. Greek culture emphasized civic life. Greeks gathered to discuss issues in the agora, an open space surrounded by public buildings and temples. These stone temples were the homes of immortal and powerful deities who were limited by time and space. The Parthenon is an example of Classical Greek architecture, part of the temple complex on the Acropolis in Athens. A shrine to the goddess Athena, it shows Greek attention to clarity and detail. |
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| Roman. Romans were practical and well organized. Working in concrete and using the arch and vault, they built vast structures able to accommodate large groups of people. They were outstanding engineers, building roads and aqueducts. The Pantheon used a circular dome with no columns for support. The Forum included not just temples, but public buildings, basilicas and stores. |
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| Medieval 373-1400 A.D. Marked by the growth of Christianity and continuing warfare, the Middle Ages responded to a single God as the exclusive source of faith by constructing churches spacious enough to accommodate many worshipers and thick-walled castles for defense. . |
| Romanesque. The earliest style of medieval architecture featured barrel vaults, round Roman-style arches, thick walls and heavy piers instead of columns. Windows were few and small for defense and support for the stone vaults, making the buildings heavy and dark. Romanesque churches were cross-shaped with a nave, transepts, choir and altar. Thick, rounded walls resisted siege. Common buildings in the style include churches, monasteries and castles. The Romanesque style was made obsolete by the introduction of cannon. |
| Gothic. In contrast to the dark, heavy architecture of the early middle ages, Gothic architecture emphasized height and light. A graceful form, it featured pointed arches, ribbed vaults, buttresses and slender clusters of columns. Larger windows glowed with colored glass. |
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| Renaissance 1400-1600 A.D. In contrast with the heavenly center of Gothic architecture, the revival of classical Greek and Roman styles brought an earth-centered style. Characterized by clean lines, geometric shapes, the circle as primary form and a renewed sense of symmetry and proportion, Renaissance architecture featured columns, semicircular arches, vaults, pilasters and lintels. With the discovery of perspective, blueprints could be drawn and spaces designed to be grasped from a single viewpoint. Individual architects were recognized for their work. Brunelleschi, the first architect, won a competition to build the dome of the Duomo in Florence. |
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| Baroque 1600-1790 In a period of concentrated power and continual war, leaders wanted their buildings to make a statement about their wealth and power In the 17th and 18th centuries, architecture became ornate and theatrical, with irregular shapes, and massive size. Color, light and shade, and sculptural values produced emotional impact as churches, palaces and government buildings featured opulent |
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| ornamentation, including frescoes on ceilings. Architectural models allowed designs to be examined in three dimensions. |
| 19th Century In an era of revolutionary change, people longed for stability and tradition. Thus, as the Industrial Revolution led to the introduction of such new materials as cast iron, steel and glass, a rising middle class looked to the past for inspiration for their government offices, banks, hospitals, museums, factories, and commercial buildings . |
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| Gothic Revival. The Houses of Parliament in London are an example of the Gothic Revival style that triumphed from 1840-1900. |
| Art Nouveau. A heavily ornamented style with flowing lines based on organic forms such as shells, plants, and waves, Art Nouveau spanned the turn of the century. The Spanish architect Gaudi pushed the form to its limit. Art Deco. Growing out of art nouveau, the deco style flourished in the early decades of the 20th century. It placed greater emphasis on geometric forms than organic. Examples are the Chrysler Building in New York and Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles. Modern. The first distinctly American style, the skyscraper, was pioneered by Louis Sullivan. With his dictum that "form follows function," it led to a simple, unornamented form with curtain walls of glass and steel. |
| Neoclassical. After the excesses of Rococo, architecture returned to the balanced simplicity and purity of line of the classics, featuring tall columns, pediments and domes. Palladio was a major architect. An international style, neoclassicism is seen in the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and National Gallery in Washington, D. C. |
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| 20th Century During the 20th Century, new materials developed in the previous century were used in new forms, with skyscrapers racing to the clouds. |
| Frank at the Roman Forum |
| Billie and the Duomo in Florence |