Reading Comprehension 6: IAR 222

1.) Art Nouveau was seen widely across many countries, mainly throughout bigger cities. This form of architecture was specifically influenced by the fine arts of that time which was around the 1880's. Art Nouveau was seen in Spain during this time, specifically in Barcelona because this area was an industrial center. This style of architecture sports the line, whether curving or straight. The lines in Art Nouveau create dynamic movement throughout the inside and outside of a space, depending on where the main focus is. The buildings that showcase Art Nouveau in Barcelona so well are the buildings that include a lot of decoration on the outside by making the surface of that building interesting to look at, which makes you want to go inside.

http://www.spain-holiday.com/luxuryapartments-barcelona.html

http://www.universpain.com/Spanish/Barcelona.php

Another country that displays Art Nouveau well is Belgium. This style came about in Brussels because King Leopold wanted to change the city's

http://artnouveau.pagesperso-orange.fr/en/villes/brussels.htm

appearance with something fresh and new, but at the same time elegant. The main design goal I have noticed with this era of architecture is that it all seems to be integrated from the outside in to the lines all being cohesive with each other. Iron work also became very popular in Belgium on railings and just simply as decoration.

2.) Modern, to me, is clean simple lines, with little decoration, and the bare minimum needed for functionality. The idea of "machine for loving" is a great annotation for modernism, because many architects started designing buildings and homes with the idea of modernism. No evidence of historical style is typically present in modernism. Flexibility is also a key feature of modernism. When I think of modernism a specific chair comes to mind, which is the ZigZag chair. It shows how one material can be

http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/design-dealer-claims-rietveld-chairs-at-the-corcorans-modernism-show-were-knock-offs_b3673

used to make a useful and functional item, with only four lines needed. This is one of the best examples of "less is more" and form follows function.

3.) http://www.channel4.com/4homes/architecture/our-favourite-buildings/george-clarke-s-five-favourite-buildings-08-10-22_p_5.html

This interior was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. This is a spitting image of how our first thought of a modern interior consists of mostly black and white. Although it is appealing to the eye it does not look very livable but only by the most minimalists standards. The dividing wall is also a key aspect I think of when I think of a modern interior.

Reflections Summary

I absolutely love how to Anna, the reflections unit is all about bringing in a new style, overusing it, and then "eatting it" by this she means wanting it gone. This is true for many things in the world, such as fashion, dance, and hobbies. In this unit she explains that by architecture looking back to the older styles and then re-using them in a whole new way is how the world reflectd back to its roots and where the first forms of architecture took place. It may be something even as little as re0using the idea of the building and not only appearance elements, but the idea behind it, such as axial progression.

Kara focuses strongly on the American revolution and how we looked back at the classical styles, just as Anna said. The Americans looked back at what they already knew, and put a twist on it according to opinions. If the architect liked French design but already had a basis of English architecture, it is very obvious to see those elements in the plan and in the interior, such as Monticello. Kara provides good quotes just as Anna did. She challenges " Should we look forward, or look back?".

Jenni elaborates on the fact that the Americans used what they had, meaning they looked back at their roots and went from there to create their styles or architecture and design, with still having that presence of English Architecture, which is especially still noticeable in northern states till this day. Jenni sheds light on the fact that what was going on in America in past centuries is completely reflected in American architecture as well. I like her point that when women's rights were activated architecture seemed to start softening as if there was a woman's opinion present.

Alternatives Summary

In the alternatives section Michelle did a great job at explaining how during the Renaissance the horizontal aspect of a building was thriving. This is very true because everything about man being the main focus was centered around everything, and in this case architecture. She touched on the ideas of "having a presence, scaling to human size, and controlling the view" which all explain what a horizontal layout of a building does. Her alternatives summary is all about breaking rules and defining new possibilities, which is, in my opinion, what happened during the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque eras.

As for Nikki, her alternatives summary is also about rules and why we need them, or why we don't. She explains that the reason we have some of the most amazing buildings we have today is mostly because the designers of these buildings did not follow rules, but imagined and designed a space they felt would impress and make an impression, which they did. She explains that without breaking the rules we would not move forward, but would be stuck in a rut. I like idea about the Baroque period and how she feels that it was all based on classical and then "turned upside down". If you look at a building such as Amelianburg, this is very true because the structure itself has classical elements, but then is exaggerated to the extreme, but still in order. She says that Baroque is all about the movement and being in the presence of that movement while it is happening and classicism is about being symmetrical and somewhat of a still picture.

Dajana clarifies that this unit is rebellious, just like Michelle and Nikki do. She explains that Baroque was more rebellious than the Renaissance styler period by Baroque going beyond the limits and borders with no rules and appearing to be never ending. It brings the outside in by unifying nature with an interior of a building. She explains that the Renaissance has an overall idea of how to be perceived and breaks the rules of the classicism but still plays it safe. The Gothic period is whole other story because it is very obvious if a building was built during that time, by all of them keeping the idea of shooting towards the heavens and giving you a feeling of strength and power when you walk in. These buildings make you feel inferior and overwhelmed.

IAR 222 Reflections: Point

In this section we focused a lot on the aspect of revolution. When I think of the word revolution I think of the American Revolution, which has a great deal to do with the revolution after all the classical styles. The was to get away from all the ideas that had already been used, and create a new way of looking at things, a lot like the Americans did to create their own nation away from the British. Architecture portrays many things that are going on in the world at that time. His can be explained by the way people dress, for example, in the end of the eighteenth through the early nineteenth century, women wore very full skirts and dresses, so chairs were made armless and the sofa was typically used for only one person. To me, this created the revolution of armless chairs that are still used and popular today.

A house that created a revolution for its time was Monticello, designed by Thomas Jefferson. This house is the definition of beauty and function to me personally. Jefferson combined so many different styles into one house to create a revolution of his own. He took elements similar to Palladio to create his own “temple on a hill”. Jefferson also created a revolution when he designed the University of Virginia. The way we learn is translated through his design. The dome on campus is similar to the brain, while the lawn space is where graduation is still held. The residential areas are located on the perimeter of the courtyard. All the staff and students would stay in close quarters to stimulate learning. Now, many newer college campuses are designed similarly with the courtyards in the center and residential halls surrounding it.

There are many design movements that followed one another in the everlasting revolution such as the English Free Architecture Movement, also known as the Arts and Crafts movement. In this era a de-cluttered interior was the ideal space and to only have what was “appropriate” and actually needed in a space. Designers wanted to remove the excess and come back to the rules. The next movement within the Arts and Crafts period was the Aesthetic Movement. The philosophers of this movement believed that if you surrounded yourself with beautiful things, you would be beautiful. I feel as though this idea is still in use today in interior design. The Aesthetic movement believed that every surface in the space should be decorated, which also correlates with the Victorian period. This brings up the argument of surface versus substance. Is it more important to be around beautiful things, or have the “idea” of being surrounded by beautiful things in the sense that the atmosphere of the space is inviting and decorative? How you perceive yourself in a space was one of the main questions of that time. An example of this would be The Paris Opera building in Paris, France. The interior of the building is a show in itself, leaving you to question is the performance the opera singer? Or is the actual visual of the audience in this romantic space the performance alone? Or maybe even the fact of the people just circulating and using the space is an even bigger show. When you are in a space you act the way you feel you should in that space because of the atmosphere and the people surrounding you.

IAR 222: Reading Comprehension 5

Question [1.]

The object I have chosen to represent revolution is the Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. To me, this chair represents revolution because it goes outside of the box from all previous chairs. It has similarities to a couch and fools my eye to make me think more than one person could fit on this chair, although typically chairs are for one person. The chair is armless which adds to the "more than one person can sit here" feel. The bubbly texture and leather fabric adds to an interesting appearance, which now is not unusual to see. The reason this style of chair is not unusual to see if because I feel as though this chair revolutionized the idea of having a larger chair that is armless to contribute to the idea of endless possibilities.

Question [2.]

Place:

Granada is a city in Spain that reeks of Middle Eastern influence. The city itself has a closeness about it that resembles many Middle Eastern cities, in the sense that everything has a spot and is supposed to be there, nothing was just thrown into an area. Buildings may not match but somehow it all works together to unite as one. There is a lot of work with bricks in the buildings in Granada, as well as archways and the element of asymmetry. There is a lot of architecture including sculptures of animals, and the idea of screens being portrayed, meaning there is a criss cross pattern on a lot of buildings exteriors that render something similar to a fence. There is an ordered repetition about the buildings, and the same horseshoe arch seen in a lot of the other forms I have already discussed above.

Building:

This building, or palazzo, is called the Ca’ d’Oro which is located in Venice on the Grand Canal.It apes Middle Eastern design by the arches over the windows and the arches being held up by the colonnades. There are also repeating elements on the exterior of this building such as the stonework, the irregular, but regular geometric minarets lining the top of the building. The vaults on the lowest level also add to the eastern feel.

Artifact:

This is a Japanese inspired ceramic vase that speaks loud inspirations from the Eastern world. It has curved elements that balance out the contrasting and statement making design.The black and white colors attract your eye to the vase more than I think it would to a colorful vase. The curved lined mimic the curved and horseshoe shaped arches typically seen in Middle Eastern architecture. The two patterns alternate between the triangle shapes and then the curved lines, which is also a common element in Middle Eastern design, such as there are usually geometric shapes that are interwoven or interlocking in sequences on tiles or colonnades.

Space:

This is Arab Hall located in Lord Leighton’s home in Kensington, England. This is a great example of how the Western world is inspired by Eastern design. This hall is somewhat of a gathering space or ballroom. It sports many geometric tiles, motifs on the arches, sculptures on the columns, a big breezy room, and a color palette if red, blue, and gold. These are all elements of Middle Eastern design. The room itself is symmetrical and the tile work and paintings on the walls almost fool your eye to make you think it looks like wall sculptures. The hall was meant to display the tile work on the wall, which it does all too well, by alternating the different patterns on each wall which leads your eye around the room, and doesn’t make the space feel cluttered like it could if all the walls were the same. The furniture is kept to a minimum in the room because the decoration says it all, like in most extravagant Middle Eastern homes.