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| 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 14th ‘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.
