- Artifact
-Across the board, classical detailing is seen through the furniture. Much of the detailing and decoration comes from carving the wood. There is an emphasis on craft and harmony through furniture and the furniture itself becomes art reflecting characteristics of the classical age.
-Building
-Commonalities amongst all the buildings are that they are rooted in the design influence of Palladio. A central dome is seen throughout the spaces that distinguish a gathering place of importance. Unity and symmetry are characteristics of these buildings. "Pediments, columns, and porticos mark entrances and ends" (Harwood 459). All building types similarly incorporate geometric shapes and arched windows are seen throughout.
-Space
-Elaborate interior ornamentation is reflective of the classism period. There is a harmony of exterior and interior as the interior form repeats the same characteristics seen on the exterior. Wall paneling and decorative wall paper that often contains many patterns is seen throughout interiors.
-Place
-All places share the same quality of repeating the classical form. Once one place caught on to the classical movement, it quickly spread, and other places began to copy similar classical elements. Roth identifies that "Renaissance architects of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries endeavored to create new, rational, mathematically describable forms based on what they understood of the Classical architecture of ancient Rome"(Roth 397). Additionally, a cause to this spread of classicism was due to the "...appearance of the first English translation of Palladio's Four Books of Architecture, in 1715." (Roth 441). Now that there was written copy of Palladio's work, it was more easily accessible to people to use as a resource for designing their own Classical inspired architecture.
[2] Linked to Europe, the ARTIFACTS, SPACES,
BUILDINGS, and PLACES of the American colonies echo closely their design forebears. Selecting evidence from all four scales for both the American Georgian periods, TRACE the common design ancestry across the Atlantic Ocean in the Neo-Palladian and Late Georgian periods of England and the Louis XVI/French Provincial period in France. ARTICULATE the implications of copying from Europe for the American colonies. Use the principles and
elements of design as defined for this class in your response. Explicitly tie the Roth reading to your analysis, using at least one cited quote. [10 points possible]
- "There were no classical ruins in the New World from which Americans could learn something of what made for good design" (Roth 459). It is no wonder why colonists produced what they knew from back home when there was no direct resource to look to for reference. All over America, there is traces of influence that was brought by the colonists who came from England, Spain, France, Germany and Holland.
English colonists imitate what they were familiar with, and the houses and furniture produced in the United States are reflective of those back in England. Some characteristics of houses include steeply pitched roofs, central chimneys, wood frames, large gathering halls, small windows, and sparse furnishings. Additionally, interior spaces are often made up of plastered wall and unfinished floors. The homes are more functional than decorative and little is known of the "...classically inspired Renaissance design concepts" (Harwood 252). Tables are popular furniture and often have extending flaps that can be folded down.
Spain adapts traditions of Florida and the southwestern parts of the US, but they quickly adapt their own style. "No longer strictly medieval as elsewhere in the New World, Spanish Colonial architecture strives to follow contemporary Spanish Renaissance and, later Baroque styles" ( Harwood 269). Linear plans are characteristic and as people begin to feel more secure, more windows, doors and porches appear. The use of stone and adobe are common as well as flat roofs. Function is the main focus for design. For example, in Florida houses orient along the street with all rooms opening up to the porch in order to catch breezes and no glass is used inside of windows. Furniture is characterized by simple carvings and curves, with rectilinear shapes.
French also recreate what they know back home. Function over style is similarly characteristic as architecture is rather simplistic. Floor plans focus on symmetry, however the salon and dining room as seen in the Parlange Plantation break the symmetry. There is also a sense of harmony as the interior relates to the exterior. Furniture is simple, with little carving and few curves. In New Orleans french doors opening up to the street is common as well as extended roofs, and town homes with two to three stories that enclose around a courtyard with shops on the first floor.
Germany and Holland colonists repeat medieval type building styles from back home and are not yet aware of the "...European classism of the Renaissance or Baroque" (Harwood 303). Stone and log homes are characteristic of these settlers. Andrew Jackson's house is liking to that of Germany as the interior showcases wide floorboards, whitewashed walls, and exposed beams. The Dutch come and settle in New York where they merge with the English, so little of their influence remains. The kitchen cupboard, known as a shrank, has cupboards below shelfing, and is normally the largest piece of furniture in the house.
[3] From the Hersey/Freedman reading, DESIGN and POST a labeled floor plan of a possible Palladian villa inspired by Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Balletto Terzo found online at this site: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm select the link on the left side of the page with Frescobaldi’s name under multimedias [5 points possible]
-For the floor plan I used the ratios of 1:1, and 3:2.
[4] Using the resources at the weblink below, SPECULATE about whether you believe that the architecture and design in the Baroque period stands as a form of social performance in the theatre of the world. Support your response with examples from class and the assigned readings. [5 points possible] http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/10701023/
- The Baroque period most definitely stands out as a form of social performance. The Baroque period birthed from the desire to promote the church and the church promoted the rise of theater. The architecture during this period captured theater in the form of architecture that combined "... monumental architecture, illusionistic painting, and dynamic sculpture to inspire, awe, and transport the viewer"(Harwood 322). Aesthetic overpowers function during this time, as every structural aspect was transformed into a theatrical illusion that stepped out of the boundaries and created a sense of movement. The online source acknowledges that "...the effect of movement and action" used in the Baroque period, "was more important than the effect of symmetry and balance that had dominated the art of the Renaissance." The theatrical architecture is about masking the structural architecture and creating an optical illusion to show fluidity and movement. This theatrical masking is seen in the Cystine Chapel as Michaelangelo Buonarroti transformed a flat ceiling surface into a surface that appears to be vaulted. The designers during the Baroque period recognized the power of theater and were able to go beyond the boundaries that were set before. The Baroque that started in the church spreads to France where at Versailles, the palace for Louis XIV, the same dramatic style is used to display and make a statement of the King's power. The Baroque period was influential and innovative as it combined architecture and theater to make powerful statements and transport viewers to another dimension.
nice prose in the matrix query. interesting reflection for the theatre prompt.
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