“The most important aspects of classical art,” observed German historian and archaeologist Johann J. Winckelmann, “is its noble simplicity and calm grandeur.” As an archaeologist, Winckelmann became inspired by the ancient artifacts being recovered at the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In the late 1700s, the popular stylization in European art was baroque and rococo styles. To critics, these styles were vain and overly ostentatious to be truly considered art. Rococo art, for example, symbolized European aristocracy with its attention on great scale and themes of worldly pleasures. Likewise, baroque art became an institutionalized art because it often portrayed the grandeur and power of the Catholic Church, which supported the style. The new age of painters became disenchanted with this status quo. Occurring concurrent with societal and political shifts in Europe, neoclassical style was born. Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Home, Sweet, Home: A Look at Houses in Neoclassical Style
Neoclassical architecture, at its core, was an attempt to revive what architects interpreted to be a glory period for their field of specialization. It was a reaction to increased disenchantment with the popular architectural movements of their era that focused on excessive design and status, far removed from the simple and more imposing structures of bygone eras. Ironically, when one reviews the classical Greek and Roman architecture, such as the Parthenon or the Colosseum, that neoclassicism built itself on to imitate, one realizes that neoclassical designs still carried an aura of elitism that it sought to reject by the baroque and rococo architectural movement.
Specifically, the neoclassical style evident in cathedrals, arenas, or museums, for example, still served a function as a centerpiece for the purpose that it served and in the area in where it was built. That is structures of lesser significance in classical Greece and Rome have long decayed, whereas Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Timeless Forever: Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture that inspires today
As Karl Friedrich Schinkel was designing the Altes Museum in Berlin in 1825, he had an ambition to redefine the typology of museum architecture from thereafter. In doing so, he sought to construct a building that married elements of the past with components of the present and future – in essence, to build something timeless. Schinkel turned to the Greek Stoa in Athens as a model for the Altes Museum. Subscribers to neoclassicism recognized that the Greek revival movement was established to create an importance to their individual structures, just as classical Greeks did with their prized designs, and thus the function of buildings were an important qualification for whether neoclassical design was appropriate. Classical Roman architecture was similar to that of the ancient Greeks, particularly when one Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
In architecture, there is no such thing as an original design. Elements of the new are sourced to the old. Sometimes this credit to the past is given explicitly, such as was the case during the neoclassical movement which patterned itself after the past by recapturing the classic Greek and Roman architecture. However, even as the popularity of neoclassical architecture began in the mid-18th century and peaked by the late 19th century as the popular style, elements of this classical style still exists, even though categorized as a different genre. Indeed, neoclassical architecture has become so conventional that architects popularly label neoclassicism as “traditional architecture.” As a result, the influence of neoclassicism can be seen in modern architecture, and remains anything but extinct.
Though understanding the difficulties in assigning chronological orders of popular architectural movements, the first variants of the modern architecture developed in the early 20th century with the rise of profound technological and engineering developments. Modern architecture sought to reflect the engineering feats of humankind, as exemplified by Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
An investigation at the diverse functions of neoclassical buildings
It does not take the exhaustive lines of tourists, the stoic Royal Guards, or the exclusive gating to recognize that there is something capturing about Buckingham Palace. The elaborate and imposing exterior arrests the attention of visitors; there is universality, nostalgia, an imposing presence to the Palace that makes it stand out. Buckingham Palace was designed principally by John Nash and Edward Blore, and it serves as a commentary not only in the popular tastes of today, but the timeless and popular grip neoclassical architecture had in the 18th and 19th century.
While many may not be capable of defining neoclassical architecture or be able to elaborate on its features, a large majority are capable of discerning such buildings from a mass of structures. Neoclassical style intends for its designs to stand out as a Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
The spread and adaptation of neoclassical architecture in different countries
The neoclassical architectural movement grew out of a rejection of the popular architectural style of the mid-18th century, namely the rococo and baroque style of architecture. Seeking to revive the classical Greek and Roman style, neoclassicism spread rapidly throughout the world. However, like everything, even neoclassical architecture was to be subject to the filters of perspective. Individual countries and architects adapted neoclassicism to their appropriate context and for their appropriate function at their appropriate period. Though neoclassical architecture shares fundamental similar characteristics, the spread of neoclassicism throughout the world was by no means uniform and simultaneous. Indeed, the wide range of purpose that neoclassical architecture had throughout countries demonstrates why to group its movement into one singular era is not true to reality in the least.
For many years, neoclassical architecture, albeit without the title, existed as an extension of the excessive Baroque style. In England, in particular, architects such as Christopher Wren and William Kent designed buildings, such as Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
Even the most inexperienced and naïve of the world of architecture would be capable of identifying the architectural landmarks that define the neoclassical movement. Indeed, many that are standing today remain as visually impressive as when they were constructed. Descriptive terms such as ‘classical’ and ‘imposing’ are among the characteristics that immediately are identified with neoclassicism. This is altogether unsurprising. Neoclassicism, after all, as a movement was rooted in two things: first, a backlash against the newer schools of architecture that gained popularity in the early 18th century. Second, neoclassicism was a product of an aching nostalgia for a lost world of architecture that inspired pride and strength, namely the classical Greek and Roman architecture.
Visuals such as Capitol Hill in the United States or the Prado Museum in Madrid offer a window as to why neoclassical architecture may be the most identifiable style that exists in architecture, even if many cannot identify it by name. The buildings are elaborate, symmetrical, imposing, and timeless works. Though neoclassicism adapted itself differently in individual countries, this Continue reading to THE ARTICLE »
