Age of Enlightment

         During the age of enlightenment , everything from art and religion to science and mathematics was questioned, including architecture. 18 century is in the age of enlightenment, people want to bring back the classical elements.It is a fusion of some of  modern and classical architecture to create a simple form work with its beauty: simple geometry, arrangement of symmetry and proportion. However, its aim is to maintain the a sense of extreme beauty and exquisiteness. Also era of enlightenment referring to Neoclassicism. An example of architecture in this era is called Church of Saint Geneviève in Paris was built in 1755. It is bring the element from Greek and Roman and refine it to more extreme elegance as if in Renaissance period. It is a combination of age of faith and age of reason together create such a extremely elegance architecture. 

          The attempt of bring back all those classical element, could trigger the idea of modernism to be born.Because the gap between the high-class people and low class people is wide, which is expressed in architectures in that era.

Church of Saint Geneviève in Paris

Architecture as a Symbol

In the war, when the invaders got a victory, they burnt historical artifacts, such as Bibles, Architectures. They want to erase that particular culture or belief out of the history. Then, They would build their new architectures or sculptures to celebrate or to emphasize the glory. Architecture can be the symbol of powerful nations, fallen nations or it can be rebellious of other architecture. Frankly speaking, I deem Barque architecture as a statement that the new era has come. Because Baroque architecture is initially use for representing the power of the Catholic Church.

The insurrection of modernism is post modernism. When modernism introduce the idea of function and forms without the ornamentation, it raised the post modernism idea. If we were to compare Renaissance  and Baroque with Modernism and post modernism. Renaissance would be modernism and Baroque would be post modernism. The idea the derived from Renaissance to Baroque is the use of the classical elements. Baroque architecture adds more ingredient to the receipt. The classical elements used in the Baroque architecture is more expressive in ornamentation and arrangement. Indeed, They are emphasize in more three dimension, which dynamic movement as if in Baroque painting.

One of the great master of Baroque architecture was Borromini. His totally different in architectural style even differ from Bernini,who gave birth to Baroque style. "He had been sent to destroy architecture" "Borromni rejected the serene conception of architecture as a reflection of the proportions of the human body" (Watkin,290)which those ideas are used by all classical architects. He also said that "he architecture was base on nature, Michelangelo and the antique"(Watkin,291).

I think that his rebellion of classical elements is shown on his architectures. As can be shown on S. Ivo della (1642-60). Looking at the plan, we can see that it use two equal-side triangle to construct the dome.  Also it creates the star shape form, which symbolize wisdom. In the centre of the dome, it creates a hexagon shape which is flanked by circles, those circles are crating the three apes. Combining the elements together create a very unique from. On the contrary, in Renaissance, the construction usually use the Golden ratio, circle with rectangle and vitruius man to construct.

From here we can the see that even though Baroque architecture use the same element used in the Renaissance and Classical architecture, the way the those element are arranged is change in to more expressive symbol.

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REF:
Watkin, David. A history of western architecture. 3rd ed. London: Laurence King, 2000.

When architecture neglects God.

          

From Egyptian architecture, we can see the language in the architecture are use to worship God. It is not build for normal people, but it is built for kings and priests to be able to access. Therefore, we can see the scale of the architectures are gigantic. For instance, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut , the tomb was installed into the mountain, to create a scared place which normal people can not be access. The architecture were concern the transition of meaning in architecture. In Greek and Roman, the architectures use to represent god and worship the king's greatness or deliver the message of the greatness of the rulers to the public. For example, Parthenon was built for dedication to Greek goddess, Athena. Also The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol ofAncient Greece democracy.

From classical pagan architecture translate into domestic architecture by the purposes and function changes. For instance, the Villa Rotunda in Vincenza, still contains the classical element, symmetrical composed of geometric shapes.The square plan with four entrances/exits on each side and a circular dome in the middle are evidence of the translation of the classical religious architecture in to domestic architecture. The meaning that change through the architecture can be compare with the Pantheon. The use of light in Christianity to represent God, which the oculus of the pantheon is represented that. On the other hand, Villa Rotunda's oculus is only built for a function purpose to receive light.


Another example is Compidoglio. It was built on Trojan Forum of the Romans, which build for a monumental complex. Compidoglio was built to restore glory and make the site to be the heart of Christian empire. This is a example of how the architecture use to restore the greatness of God. But Also, it is domestic architecture, humanism is the main concern in architecture. If we look that the whole site we can see that it is a space a time square for people to gathering. The building for human, we can see the change in scale and the function that install to the building.

To sum up, the purposes of construction in architectures have changed. We are no longer interest in the architecture for God, but we are now focusing on the architecture for humanity, where function is the main interest of architecture. Indeed, the transition in the elements in classical architecture are still present in domestic architecture the function of them are changed, adapted or being ignoring.

Human scale and architecture

Most commonly used scale in architecture is based on human scale. Since 1487, when the Vitruvian man was invented by Leonado Da Vinci, had been widely used by classical and renaissance architects. One of the renaissance architects,Filippo Brunelleschi who bring classical elements to his attention, proportion, order, symmetry, arrangement are very vital element used in his architectures. In other words, he bring history to his use. However, Brunelleschi not just simply design a architecture like a Classical architecture. He chanlleging it with technology and new form. As shown in Santa Maria del Fiore is the first dome structure constructed in that period.

On the other hand, Le Corbusier introduce modular man to the modernism. The adaptation of the vitrue man in to this modular man one can see the transformation change through time, from the classical element where massive ornamentation and decorative facade to modernism where clear surface, and from follow its function. Even though he stressed that modernism is neglect all the classical element and start from zero.

Even though Le corbusier try so hard to drive away from all the ornaments on the facade, because he want to stop separation in level of people, he believe that every body should be equal. He still refer to the vituious man and create a modular man which use to make proportion and symmetry .

Opposite to Robert Venturi, the post modernist, where he urges that modernism is not satisfy human needs and it stucked with all the phrase like less it more and all the principle created which are the limitation to the architecture. And it suggested that the architecture should be read in many dimension ann have many layers for the reader to interpreted and create complexity and contradiction which make a value to the architectures which he deems to be efficient, the post modernism. He used the history to go against within itself. As we can see in his article like complexity and contradiction. Another example of how he got away with all the proportion and symmetry of form, and pay more attention to the expressiveness of the building is shown in the Duck house.

Santa Maria del Fiore : DOME

Unité d'Habitation de Marseille (Cité Radieuse),
Marseille, France (Le Corbusier, 1952)

Duck House: Robert Venturi