History of

Architecture

Lecture 02
Zeest Sohail
 Relationship
between Art
and
Architecture

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 What is Architecture ?

Architecture is the art and technique of

designing and building, as distinguished
from the skills associated with
construction. It is both the process and
the product of sketching, conceiving,
planning, designing, and constructing
buildings or other structures.

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 Egyptian Architecture

•The first great civilization to emerge

around the Mediterranean basin was that
of Egypt (c.3100-2040 BCE). In addition
to its own written language, religion and
dynastic ruling class, it developed a
unique style of Egyptian architecture,
largely consisting of massive burial
chambers in the form of Pyramids (at
Giza) and underground tombs

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 Sumerian Architecture

•Meanwhile, in Mesopotamia and Persia (c.3200-323

BCE), the Sumerian civilization was developing its
own unique building - a type of stepped pyramid
called a ziggurat. But in contrast to the pyramids of
the Egyptian Pharaohs, ziggurats were not built as
tombs but as man-made mountains to bring the
Sumerian rulers and people closer to their Gods who
supposedly dwelt high up in mountains to the east.

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 Early – Irish Architecture

•Towards the end of the Stone Age,

ceremonial megaliths like the Knowth megalithic
tomb (c.3300 BCE) and Newgrange passage tomb,
began to appear in Northern Europe (This form
of Megalithic art is exemplified by the Stonehenge stone
circle.) Either arranged upright in the open, or buried
and roofed over to form a 'dolmen', these heavy stone
structures are believed by most archeologists to have
had a religious or ritualistic function, and in some cases
the alignment of their stones reveals a sophisticated
knowledge of astronomy.

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 Minoan Architecture

•Minoan architecture utilized a mixture of stone,

mud-brick and plaster to construct elaborate
palaces (e.g. Palace of Knossos c.1700-1400 BCE)
as well as domed burial chambers (tholos) hidden
in the hills. Many of these buildings were decorated
with colorful murals and fresco paintings, depicting
mythological animal symbols (eg. the bull) and
events. Unfortunately most Minoan architecture
was destroyed by earthquakes around 1200 BCE.

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 Greek Architecture

•The history of art and architecture in Ancient Greece is

divided into three basic eras: the Archaic Period (c.600-
500 BCE), the Classical Period (c.500-323 BCE) and the
Hellenistic Period (c.323-27 BCE).
•The Greeks set about replacing the wooden structures
of their public buildings with stone structures - a process
known as 'petrification'. Limestone and marble was
employed for columns and walls, while terracotta was
used for roof tiles and ornaments. Decoration was done
in metal, like bronze.

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 Archaic Period

•Archaic period, in history and archaeology, the earliest

phases of a culture; the term is most frequently used by art
historians to denote the period of artistic development in
Greece from about 650 to 480 BC

•Greek art became less rigidly stylized and more naturalistic.

Paintings on vases evolved from geometric designs to
representations of human figures, often illustrating epic tales.
In sculpture, faces were animated with the characteristic
“Archaic smile,” and bodies were rendered with a growing
attention to human proportion and anatomy.

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 The Classical Greek era

• Much of the early defining politics , artistic

thought , sculpture), scientific
thought, theatre, literature and philosophy of Weste
rn civilization derives from this period of Greek
history.
•The remarkable development of ideas in "natural
philosophy" had already established itself in the
public consciousness. In
particular, Newton's physics was taken as a
paradigm: structures should be well-founded
in axioms and be both well-articulated and orderly.

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 The Helenstic Era

• Prosperity and progress in the

arts, literature, theatre,
architecture, music, mathematics,
philosophy, and science
characterize the era. The
Hellenistic period saw the rise of
New Comedy, Alexandrian poetry.

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 Roman Architecture

• The Romans were essentially practical people with a

flair for engineering, construction and military matters.
•Roman architecture served the needs of the Roman
state, which was keen to impress, entertain and cater for
a growing population in relatively confined urban areas.
Drainage was a common problem, as was security. This,
together with Rome's growing desire to increase its
power and majesty throughout Italy and beyond,
required public buildings to be imposing, large-scale and
highly functional.

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 Byzantine Architecture

•New architectural techniques included the use of

concave triangular sections of masonry, known as
pendentives, in order to carry the weight of the
ceiling dome to corner piers. This led to the
construction of larger and more magnificent domes,
and greater open space inside the building, as
exemplified in the Hagia Sophia. New decorative
methods included the introduction of dazzling
mosaics made from glass, rather than stone used by
the Romans.

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 Romanesque Architecture

•Although they relied on several design features from Greek and

Roman Antiquity, Romanesque architects had neither the
imagination of the Greeks, nor the engineering ability of the
Romans. For example, Roman building techniques in brick and
stone were largely lost in most parts of Europe. In general, the style
employed thick walls, round arches, piers, columnsgroin vaults,
narrow slit-windows, large towers and decorative arcading. The
basic load of the building was carried not its arches or columns but
by its massive walls. And its roofs, vaults and buttresses were
relatively primitive in comparison with later styles. Interiors were
heavy with stone, had dim lighting and - compared with later
Gothic styles - simple unadorned lines. Romanesque churches
tended to follow a clearly defined form, and are recognizable
throughout Europe. Only rarely did one see traces of Byzantine or
Eastern influence, except along trade routes. A notable example is
the domed St Mark's Basilica in Venice..

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 Gothic Architecture

•This increasing prosperity, together with advances

in science and geometry, plus new ideas about how
cathedrals could be built in order to inspire
religious devotion among the masses, were all
important factors in the development of gothic
architecture. Although the new style was closely
associated with the promotion of religion, and
although much of the gothic building program was
financed by monastic orders and local bishops, it
was not a religious architectural movement.

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 Renaissance Architecture

•Financed by commercial prosperity and

competition between city-states, such
as Florence, Rome and Venice, as well as
rich families like the Medici banking
dynasty in Florence and the Fuggers
banking family in Germany, the
Renaissance was neverthess a triumph of
will over world events.

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 Baroque Architecture

•Baroque architecture can be seen as a more complex,

more detailed, more elaborate, more ornamented form of
Renaissance architecture. More swirls, more complex
manipulation of light, colour, texture and perspective.
On the outside of its churches, it featured more
ostentatious facades, domes, columns, sculpture and
other embellishments. On the inside, its floor-plans were
more varied. Long, narrow naves were displaced by
wider, sometimes circular shapes; separate chapels and
other areas were created

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 Rococo Architecture

•Unlike other major architectural movements, like

Romanesque, Gothic or Baroque, Rococo was
really concerned with interior design. This was
because it emerged and remained centred in France,
where rich patrons were unwilling to rebuild
houses and chateaux, preferring instead to remodel
their interiors. And the style was far too whimsical
and light-hearted for the exteriors of religious and
civic buildings.

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 19th Century

•The first characteristics of 19th century architect's

perception that had to continue in the traditional
styles of their predecessors. Elements of these
earlier styles were put together to give an air of
authority to town halls (Birmingham), railway
stations (Euston, London), opera houses (Paris
Opera) and legislatures (Houses of Parliament,
London). Restraints of taste and careful application
of Classical standards, which had characterised the
18th century, gave way to a variety of styles which
could be either quaint, bombastic or severe and
generally, to modern eyes, of great curiosity.

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 19th Century

•The second characteristic emerged from the

development of new materials as a result of the
new industrial needs. In building, new forms -
factories, warehouses, railway terminals,
administrative centres, hospitals - were demanded.

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 20th Century

•Modern architecture, or modernist architecture,

was an architectural movement or
architectural style based upon new and innovative
technologies of construction, particularly the use of
glass, steel, and reinforced concrete

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 20th
Century

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 Thank you

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