Reverberations: Unit Summary 2

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~classics/rome2003/updates/week7_8/1113vic35Web.JPG

The middle chunk of the semester focused on the reverberations in the design world after the rules were finally written down for architecture. In the East, the rules were established and afterwards a continuation of the same principles was encouraged. In the West, a new cycle was created between classical revivals and the subsequent breaking of the rules. Each cycle was discussed in a two-week section.

We began this unit looking at Medieval churches and then contrasting those churches with Gothic cathedrals and architecture and the exploration of architecture as frozen music. The keywords we created as we considered music and design included structure, order, repetition, rhythm, contrast, balance and unity. Using these forms we then moved onto the Renaissance, where the Gothic forms were rejected and the rules of good architecture were written down. Some of the rules included reviving the past using classical language, strive for order and harmony in all things, man is at the center, move forward the secular agenda along with the religious agenda, and expand your physical world. At the same time we looked at the rules set in place in the East, of which the major difference included maintaining continuity in the past and placing community needs before the individual while exploring the inner world.  Andrea Palladio’s Villa Rotunda (image at the beginning of this entry) and his book on architectural rules was a key concept during this introduction to the unit, as his work reverberates throughout the centuries.

Once the rules were established, the Baroque period was ushered in where the rules were challenged. An example of this is Boromini’s San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, with its undulating façade and oval shaped interior and dome, which was in direct contrast to the more classical geometric forms from the Renaissance.  Additionally in France, we looked at Versailles, King Louis the 14^th ‘s reimagined palace outside of Paris, and how the architecture of happiness article by de Botton illuminates interior spaces in their relationship with its inhabitants.

As technology changes, there is a continuity of classical influences and a re-establishment as classicism as the true roots of desirable architecture. The best example of this is in England, which was quickly becoming the dominating world power as France heads towards its Revolution. The colonial expansion during this time period increases the influx of people and ideas and the first roots of the United States, which draws on Palladian influences. The Unit concluded with a trip to Monticello and Fallingwater.

The establishment of the “rules” of architecture in the Renaissance has reverberated through design practices in the West since. Either by borrowing from Palladian architecture or by rejecting the classical style in favor for something more organic, this Unit has helped to define just how deep the classical roots run in Western culture.  These layers of history and significance have helped me understand more fully why “traditional” or “conservative” buildings hark back to classical architectural types. Additionally, I think looking forward into the complexities of styles in the modern world, knowing the rules has helped me understand how and why modern architects pushed those rules and often broke them. I think that the Reverberations Unit has really helped me apply context to the many concepts from the previous Foundations Unit at the beginning of the semester. Additionally, I feel better suited to delve into the complexities of architectural forms spawned from the Industrial Revolution.