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sublimity in Romanticism

Romanticism is a movement that insisted of Phenomenology, emphasizing on the metaphysical conditions, how people saw things and how they are affected by things, the sublime. In terms of architecture, it is about how a person’s body responds to the space and form, not about the space and form themselves. Romanticism is not completely flamboyant like Baroque; it has logic, but still shows much emotional values. Such emotions like horror, terror, awe, and the feeling of being overwhelmed were the focus in the logic of creating aesthetics. 

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian artist and scholar that made money out of the Grand Tour fad by selling drawings architecture to tourists. What was so attractive about his drawings was the exaggeration, the romance, the perfect line of trees, the geometric gardens, exaggerated and perfected proportions, etc. He took what was physically in front of him and slightly adjusted it on paper to bring out the sublime.

Later, Piranesi started drawing from various sources of architecture, creating an imagined mix of different pieces of all over the world with exaggerated scale and details, resulting ultimately in an intense design environment that was very evocative. His drawings continue to this day to be influential, especially through his opiate-dream-like prison drawings, which showed ambiguous, continuous, extreme spaces. His drawings obviously evoke intense emotions to any viewer. 

It is evident that sublimity can be felt through visual aesthetics, as we see through drawings and architecture, but romanticism exposed this overwhelmed feeling through many types of media, including music. Romantic music, despite the title, does not necessarily mean romantic love, but more of music that is very passionate and expressive. It attempts for listeners to feel deep emotions and power. 

Romantic music emphasizes lyrical, songlike melodies with adventurous modulation and rich harmonies. It explores a wider range of pitch, dynamics and tones, making it very dense and weighty. This is what evokes sublimity, evokes terror and overwhelms the listeners. 

An example is Symphonie fantastique, by Hector Berlioz. It is one of the earliest examples of a romantic tone poem; a piece which attempts to tell a story through instruments alone without the any singers or texts, with themes revolving doomed love, opium and witchcraft. The track builds up intense feelings through its wide range of dreamy, fantasizing, adventurous tones to more passionate and dramatic ones. 

Baroque and Deconstructivism

After the Renaissance, Baroque style came into the architecture with the intentions of breaking the rules of the previous generation. It is counter reformation of the Renaissance. Architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed Sant’andrea al Quirinale (1658 - 1670) in Rome with the elements of Baroque. 

The structure has a facade that embodies concave and convex forms, which are forms that would not have been approved during the symmetrically, orderly and proportionally based period of Renaissance.The stairs are curved, bent pediment to show fluidity. Rather than the emphasis of pure geometry, Baroque embraced ‘deformed’ geometry, with shapes like ovals and elliptical forms.    

This logic could be compared to that of Deconstructivism. This style is characterized by ideas of manipulation and fragmentation of the structure’s surface, turning banal shapes into non-rectilinear ones. Though Baroque is evidently much less extreme in terms of distortions in forms, the concept of shifting shapes is very much the same as what Deconstructivism did to Post Modern architecture. 

The Renaissance and Modernism

During the Gothic age, architecture had direct translations of the manifestation from the Bible. The luxurious ornamentations on different cathedrals told stories. However, as architecture moved into the Renaissance, there was rediscovery in the interest of antiquity, in translation and rereading of classical literature and philosophy. Rather than religious-based structures, there was more emphasis on secularity; manifestations in reason, objective inquiry, logic, order and achievement. 

This sounds quite similar to the manifestation of Greek architecture. The Renaissance style appreciated order, logic, and proportion, much like the Greek. This, once again, references to the past. 

An example of a Renaissance architecture is Ospedale Degli Innocenti (1419).

Through this piece, the architect, Brunelleschi, exacted proportions, order, balance and reason, as seen through the spacing in between every column, arch, bay, windows, etc. Even the bays are perfected cubed in all axis. This piece is rigid and exact, with the expression of harmony and logic, not Gothic-like.

Interestingly, though Modernism claimed itself to be distinct and purely functional, not referring to any historical style, the elements of Renaissance architecture and Modernist architecture are extremely comparable. Both styles have used Vitruvius’ principles in their structures, though the appearance of the two styles are completely different. The Renaissance emphasized on perfect proportion, symmetry, geometry while Modernism paid attention to simplicity, pure forms and functions. Nonetheless, we can say that the Renaissance developed from Gothic just as Modernism developed from Classical. As Renaissance reduced the religiously related ornamentation to mainly secular, modernism reduced ornamented volumes to simple geometric forms with no excess. 

Rem Koolhaas & Junkspace

Post Modernism + Complexity & Contradiction

After World War II, revolutions struct most of the western world in practically all aspects, including Architecture. What architects had tried to do decades prior to this time, all the ‘functionality’ based concepts and ‘non-presentational’ architecture, had shifted to what we call Post Modern. Post Modernism revolves around the idea that nothing is original, it is all representational. Robert Venturi, the writer of Complexity & Contradiction, had even mentioned that modernism itself was a representation, a representation of functions. 

Post Modernism is multivalent and semiotic. Robert Venturi has his own way of perceiving architecture, seeing values in complexity and richness of meaning in the building, from the visuals to the process. Unlike Mies, Venturi believes in “More is NOT less” and that architecture should possess “both-and” qualities rather than the popular “either-or” in modernism. Venturi introduces ambiguity as one of the elements that is crucial in the architecture of complexity and contradiction, relating it to the richness of both form and meaning within the architecture. 

By giving importance to complexity, this does not mean Post Modernism is turning time to the styles prior Modernism. It is simply appreciating both history and function; both pure forms and ornamentation on its surface to enhance building, something Modernism advocated tried to avoid. 

Venturi’s theories could be seen in his own mother’s house, the Vanna Venturi House, designed by Venturi himself. 

The design seems deceptively simple. This house has a sense of symmetry, yet the symmetry has been distorted, ie. the facade has five windows on each side of the house, but the arrangement of the windows is completely different. He had also used the arch on the facade, a classical element, as an ornamentation rather than for functions, showing that even a distinct structural piece could be used for non-structual purposes. It is referencing to the past, with a new purpose. 

This practice of referencing the past could be seen often in Thailand as well. It is quite common (and important), I believe, for Thai architects to always incorporate traditional Thai architectural elements such as the Thai wood ornamentation and the gable-end on the roofs. Many buildings possess both the traditional variables and the more contemporary aspects within a single building, merging the past into the present.

Life in Modernism

modernism onto expressionism

Modern architecture started during the industrial period, when the conventional rigid ways of building were outdated. Architect Mies van der Rohe from Germany is a well known figure in this movement. During the time, modernist architects insisted that modernism is not a style, but rather buildings that focus purely on functions. Of course, today we know that modern style buildings turn out to represent “function” rather than be truly functional. “Function” has turned into the style of modernism.

These buildings are based on factory structures to represent the industrial age. Modern homes are minimal and supposed to be as functional as possible, “meant for the working man” (though no worker could ever afford a modern home at that time!). 

Mies’s Tugenhadt House is an example of modern architecture, with the flat roof, open plan, front yard defined by pure grid, and the abundant use of glass to give the structure a lightweight, opened feeling. 

Though modern architecture does not involve much ornamentation, Mies likes to see the building as an ornamentation itself, being an ornamentation of materials. His buildings are abstracted into nearly ‘nothing’, as seen in his use of very light lines and minimal, pure materials and furniture. 

After modernism, there was expressionism in architecture. Expressionist structures aim to express internal emotions and thoughts with a utopian outlook, just like the idea of expressionist paintings.

The TWA Terminal at JFK was built in 1956, designed by Eero Saarinen. The structure expresses the excitement of travel, as shown through the non-static shape that is representing the flight of birds. This building is the ultimate definition of form follows function, as it has created the system of how terminals work at the modern airport up until today. The structure does not express function alone, unlike modernist architecture, but it also expresses symbolism, history and ideas. 

While modern structures are focused on pure functions and use of honest materials and openness, expressionist architecture creates distortions of form for an emotional effect, as it really tries to express the inner experience. The architecture itself is truly seen as a work of art.

Frank Lloyd Wright vs. Le Corbusier

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered to be the revolutionary father of American contemporary architecture. His works were strongly influenced by the arts & crafts movement, resulting in works revolved around natural materials mixed with industrial aspects of the developing lifestyle. He had abstracted human life + machines to create his pieces. 

Frank L. Wright was all for pure forms, geometric shapes, open flow within his space and definitely no rigid pitched roofs.

The Robie House

In his piece, the Robie House, he had created a living space that was very horizontal. It was a transitional space between nature and the way humans lived inside (interior/exterior), almost like incorporating the natural world into the working lifestyle. There was no clear line between man and nature. Frank L. Wright was also very much an American at heart who took pride in putting in essences of midwestern style, like the thin horizontal bricks that made stream-like lines on the outside of the house.  

His use of material was very natural and organic, but the way everything was built (including the furniture) was in a very industrial manner (machine-like modular lines, etc).  

Le Corbusier whose birth name is Charles Edourd Jeanneret had changed his name only in architecture to be more general, even modular, just like his style of work. He was inspired by early Modern art (those by Fauvists to Cubists, as he was also an artist) for his creations, resulting in honest forms in architecture.

Le Corbusier’s architectural work had created its own movement. He was into functional, non-ornamented houses that resembled factory buildings. He saw no problem in basic geometric forms with smooth, plain walls and small windows (this seems normal to us now because we’re all living in it, but back then it was absurd to live in a space with no ornamentation and big windows).

Villa Sovoye is probably one of his best known structures. The curves within the interiors were inspired from the turns of the automobile, giving a sense of how inspired he was by not only modern art, but the modern lifestyle of the developing, industrial world. He avoided pitched roofs to rid of the pre-war styles, where social classes had existed. Le Corbusier was a big supporter of equality in living. This building is based on an open plan, with the use of non-load bearing walls to allow the plan to be as versatile as possible. The modular design is a result of Le Corbusier’s studies in the golden section and human proportions (think of the Greek architecture with human proportions, and take away all or ornamentation).

To compare these two architects, both have very similar thoughts on how contemporary architecture should be during the post-war period, one in America and one in France. They both rejected the rigid styles prior their movements. Both appreciated pure forms, non-ornamentation and embraced the industrial periods. Le Corbusier was more into the thought of Utopia, where everyone lived with equal share without class division, and the ultimate pure forms while Frank Lloyd Wright was more into the classic American midwestern prairie with organic materials. Both architects are the extreme influences of architecture today. 

Art Nouveau and the Vienna Secession

Art Nouveau was most successfully practiced in the decorative arts. The artists chose themes involving symbolism, especially in terms of eroticism; their designs often processed dreamlike and exotic forms. The richly ornamented and asymmetrical style has influenced even architecture. This type of style was very radically different compared to the styles prior 1890’s. 

Vienna Secession attempts to create a modern style without historicism. It was founded in 1897  in Vienna, Austria, by a group of artists, sculptors, architects, and designers. The building itself, however, rejects more lively and Art Nouveau expressions; it advocates rational construction, simplicity and honest use of materials, which will turn into an influence on modern developments to follow this period. 

The Vienna Secession

A monumental mass and geometrical pure forms, such as horizontal rectangles and cubes, are dominant in the composition, while still holding bits and pieces of the ornamentation aspects of classical styles, though the ornamentations are much less detailed and used much more sparingly. As compared to the styles before this time, which may have included ornaments of religious figures, detailed vegetal forms, etc., the ornamentation done in Vienna Secession is much less refined. More emphasis is put on function, light and air. It is this mix that has created a step in contemporary architecture. 

The Churrigueresque ornamentation style

China Pavilion

The China Pavilion at Shanghai’s 2010 World Expo, also known as the Oriental Crown (due to the fact that it resembles an ancient Chinese crown) is made of traditional dougong brackets, which have been used in traditional Chinese architecture for over 2,000 years. This style includes wooden brackets layered between the top of the columns and crossbeams, which was often used in the Forbidden City and Summer Palace. The structure and red color of this pavilion display is to express traditional Chinese culture through architectural form with a modern twist. Afterall, the dougong style is something that identifies Chinese architecture, acting as a stereotypical image of the contemporary world. The prominence of strong traditional architectural features mixed with modern designs definitely leaves a striking impression of the nation’s long history in cultures, structures, strength, and unity that brought China to be the powerful country it is today.