Architectural history
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Image:Table of architecture, Cyclopaedia, 1728, volume 1.jpg Table of architecture, Cyclopaedia, 1728 |
Architectural history is a discipline which records, studies and interprets architecture, its forms, purposes and evolution. Architecture has been observed and recorded since ancient times. In terms of the study of Western architecture study must begin in Mesopotamia at the founding of civilisation. Often, architectural history is derived only from the Graeco-Roman period onwards, and when using this period as a starting point confines itself to a history of styles and formal changes. A typical starting point in this approach would begin with classical authors such as Herodotus, writing in the mid 5th century BC, and move through the periods of history using works such as Vitruvius' books rewritten and recorded by Palladio.
An architectural historian may interpret architecture from a wide variety of viewpoints. Like any other form of historical study, architectural history is subject to the limitations and potentialities of history as a discipline. The study of architectural history reflects the philosophies prevalent at any given time, the changes that can be traced across the many editions of Sir Banister Fletcher's popular book, first published in 1889 and still in print, is a case in point.
One major difference in the purpose of the history of architecture to history in other disciplinary groups is that this history is often used in the practice of contemporary architecture and its study influences what is thought to be good in a given age; in addition, understanding architectural history as a history which deals with the formal remains of the past - buildings - as a way of understanding the society and culture they represent can prove a useful and enriching approach when working as a contemporary architect or looking at ancient, modern and contemporary buildings as a user or visitor. They allow an architect or a non-professional to begin to consider a building or city as more than a visual phenomenon, and therefore to have a more fundamental and culturally inclusive approach to architecture than an approach based purely on taste.
The study of architectural history has developed mainly in the West and this has resulted in a detailed knowledge of Western architecture in its historical context, while Non-Western architecture is often studied with less regard to historical development. Western colonialism has played a part in determining how Non-Western architecture is viewed.
Contents |
[edit] The Pre-Graeco-Roman Period
[edit] Mesopotamia and the earliest known cities and settlements
[edit] The Ancient world
[edit] Herodotus and Greek theory
[edit] Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia ("Natural History"), written in the 1st century AD, contains in Book 36 a dissertation on building stone with descriptions of important architectural works such as the Pyramids and the Cretan Labyrinth.[edit] Vitruvius
[edit] The Medieval World
Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles[edit] The Italian Renaissance
[edit] Brunelleschi
[edit] Alberti
[edit] Palladio
[edit] The Age of Enlightenment
[edit] The application and use of terms and style names
Baroque, Moorish, Gothic, Plateresque, Hindoo etc.
[edit] The Grand Tour
[edit] Archaeology
[edit] The 19th century
In the 19th century, architecture was understood as formal perspective, emphasizing the morphological characteristics of form, technique and materials. This period also saw the emergence of the individual architect, the amalgamation of whose conscious intentions would become the subject of artistic movements. In these respects, architectural history is a sub-discipline of art history that focuses on the historical evolution of principles and styles in the design of buildings and cities.
[edit] Pugin and Ruskin
[edit] Banister Fletcher and the comparative method
[edit] Arts and Crafts
[edit] The 20th century
[edit] Nikolaus Pevsner
[edit] Sigfried Giedion
[edit] Post-modern theories
In the 1960's Robert Venturi and others argued that the academic elitism of the modern movement had distanced architecture from communicating with the people it claimed to serve. Under the pressures of post-modern pluralism, recent theorists have tried to open architecture to a wide variety of new interpretations. New linguistic theories were popular in the mid-1990s and attempted to "read" architectural elements as an autonomous language, contributing to the ongoing Critical Theory project. The work of Hermeneutics constitutes another perspective on architectural history, and centres on the situational nature of architecture as understood phenomenological. Although both approaches identify architecture as a sort of language, they differ on the terms of reference; Critical Theory is largely self-referential, whilst Hermeneutics is contextual.
Postmodern historical narratives attempt to address the issues of Western colonialism but the scope of the subject matter denies consensus among historians.
The current climate of opportunism can be seen as a reaction to both the metaphysics of the previous theories, as well as the advance into super modernity manifest in globalization, late capitalism and neo-liberal democracy. An increasing awareness of colonialism's influence has also encouraged a re-examination of architecture in previously colonized countries and seeks to liberate its history and practice from inappropriate Western doctrines. These and other aspects have influenced architecture values and its accompanying aspects within modern architecture which has laid the foundation for different schools of thought and architectural theory as well as different practise among individual architects.[1]
[edit] Architecture timeline (dated events)
To find important architectural event(s) for any year in history, use the "search" box to enter: "#### in architecture", where #### is a year or decade, for example:
- 1700 in architecture (18th century to present, by year)
- 1690s in architecture (17th century and earlier, by decade)
- 23 BC in architecture ("BC" in capital letters)
[edit] Architecture and design
Architecture and design are allied and interdependent arts.[2] Articulation is one form of this inderdependency between architecture and design.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Holm, Ivar (2006). Ideas and Beliefs in Architecture and Industrial design: How attitudes, orientations, and underlying assumptions shape the built environment. Oslo School of Architecture and Design. ISBN 8254701741.
- ^ Architecture and Design. MoMA.org. Retrieved on 2007-12-24.
- Francis Ching, Mark Jarzombek, Vikram Prakash, A Global History of Architecture, Wiley, 2006.
- Copplestone, Trewin. (ed). (1963). World architecture - An illustrated history. Hamlyn, London.
- Watkin, David (Sep 2005), A History of Western Architecture, Hali Publications, ISBN
- Nuttgens, Patrick (1983), The Story of Architecture, Prentice Hall, ISBN
- Curl, James Stevens [2006]. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Paperback), Second (in English), Oxford University Press, 880. ISBN.
[edit] Modernism
- Banham, Reyner, (1 Dec 1980) Theory and Design in the First Machine Age Architectural Press. ISBN
- Curtis, William J. R. (1987), Modern Architecture Since 1900, Phaidon Press, ISBN-X
- Frampton, Kenneth (1992). Modern Architecture, a critical history. Thames & Hudson- Third Edition. ISBN
- Jencks, Charles, (1993) Modern Movements in Architecture. Penguin Books Ltd - second edition. ISBN-X
- Pevsner, Nikolaus, (28 Mar 1991) Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius, Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN
- Rattenbury, Kester "This is Not Architecture: Architecture and the Media", Routledge. ISBN
[edit] External links
- The Roman walls of Lugo. Past, present and future Unusual promotion of a technological strength
- The New Brutalism Brutalist architecture in the UK
- Tolomeus VR Panoramas about Architectural History
- The Society of Architectural Historians web site
- SAHANZ The Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New Zealand weblink
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ar:تارخ عمارة de:Architekturgeschichte es:Historia de la arquitectura fr:Périodes de l'architecture gl:Historia da Arquitectura it:Storia dell'architettura nl:Geschiedenis van de bouwkunst ja:建築史 pl:Historia architektury pt:História da Arquitetura sl:Zgodovina arhitekture sv:Arkitekturens historia vi:Lịch sử kiến trúc zh:建筑史
