rEading cOmprehension 4...

-- 1. Although each of the artifacts given are evidently different, there are also visible similarities within them all. The complexity and sophistication of details that are effortlessly seen represent not only the level of taste acquired by the owner but the amount of wealth also. This group of items characterizes symmetry on the y-axis because if folded in half vertically the two balanced halves would be identical. Noticeably, there is a large amount of repetition in the details, as well as, containments and geometric boundaries. Unmistakably, there is a sense of fluidity within these artifacts with their curved lines.

Spaces are designed to represent the differences in wealth, class or tastes. However, instead of discussing the differences between these particular spaces I’ll talk about the similarities. All five of these spaces make a dynamic statement in one way or another. This is accomplished by either using extravagant patterns to make vivacious textures and transitions from the walls, furniture or ceiling, like the Holkam Hall, or, as seen in Gunston Hall, singling out a particular design element and taking it beyond function to turn it into a statement. There is also a clear balance through repetition among these spaces. Specific visual elements and design elements which are repeated throughout help to achieve this. Large levels of contrast from dark to light are evident, in addition to, compartmentalization of definite features.

Buildings tell stories using their facades, choice of colors and design elements. These buildings in particular focus more on symmetry and geometry rather than how pretty they can look. Contrast, plus hierarchy, is evident by using darker and lighter colored materials. Color seems to be an important aspect in the language used because the repeating elements are all of similar colors. There is also contrast shown between the voids between columns or windows and the solids of the buildings walls. The entry ways are embellished to emphasize the centralized axis of these structures. The symmetrical balance of these arrangements creates a sense of harmony and lucidity.

Although the locations of all these artifacts, spaces, buildings and places differ, there’s one idea that remains the same, as Augustin Charles D’Aviler described in Roth, “those architects [who] consider their caprices to be ingenious inventions, and say that it is an error to constrain oneself by the rules, when one can make new ones,” (Roth; p. 397) the rules of ancient architecture have been recognized, and ignored.

-- 2. During the Noe-Palladian and Late Georgian periods the focus was on monumental proportions. They weren’t interested in straying much from the rules of classicism, but re-interpreting them. Within their structures it was not uncommon to see classical details such as ornamentation and certain types of materials in rich finishes. The focus was on structure and aesthetics as a couple. The Louis XVI and French Provincial periods were more about mathematical proportions and coherent arrangement. This brought more stability, minimal ornamentation on facades and precision. Emphasized toward the peasants and bourgeoisie located in rural areas, the French Provincial period in particular focused on local tastes and traditions in the architecture.

To me it would only make sense that the early American colonies copied designs from their founding countries in Europe. Architecture has a lot to do with starting with a foundation, or a prototype, and evolving it into something new and different. Europe was the prototype for the American colonies. They started with what knowledge they had, what they’ve already experienced, and built upon it to reflect their new society. The reoccurring design elements and principles were maintained; symmetry, repetition, contrast, lines, centrality, proportion, etc., but the use of materials changed as well as the stories told. Roth explained well how new social orders partake in the design realm by saying, “first, as in any period of artistic creativity in which the goal is to achieve a state of stasis, once that goal is reached, a reaction sets in.” (p.398) There’s always an attempt to perfect architectural character.

-- 3. Palladian villas were majorly based on symmetry and proportion. There was a reason why certain rooms were specific sizes. In a typical villa the rooms had a square or rectangular plan equal to either 1 1/3, 1 1/2 or 1 2/3 squares or at most 2 squares. They possessed a central vertical axis, a cube-like area capped with a dome over the center, a round salon and identical temple porches on all four sides. However, based off the music provided it made me think slightly differently. In my head I saw this villa without a dome and with two main entry ways rather than the four. The music to me sounded structural and not very free-flowing, so the movement throughout is slightly more linear, depending where you stand.

-- 4. The style of architecture in the Baroque time period can be described as an outlet for creativity to be seen by the masses, the breaking of limits, fluid and theatrical. In acting, the stage is used to captivate the audiences with what seems to be a perfect reflection of life. It encompasses the ideas of the ideal and reflects it back to society. Baroque theater evolved all art forms and meshed them together to become a unified whole to grant a multimedia experience to the spectators. All of these ideas about the theater can be spotted within the architecture of this period. The idea of one extravagantly decorated façade, as we talked about in class discussion, is similar to face paint or make-up used in performances on stage. Gathering different types of ancient architectural elements and ideas and fusing them together to create an entirely new idea was what it was all about during this time, acknowledging the rules then breaking them. How can you deny that the Baroque period stands as a form of social performance in the theater of the world when theatrum mundi, or “the world is a stage,” became the motto for the age. In Roth he described how “in baroque architecture and art, the line between three-dimensional reality and mystical illusion was increasingly blurred.” (p.404) Throughout this time architecture was about optical illusions and visual games, thinking outside of the box and straying away from tradition.