Archive for April, 2008
Minimalism is considered as an art movement that covers various forms of art and design. It is an artistic style used where work is stripped down to its most fundamental features. This style of art thrives on simplicity in both from and content and aims to remove any signs of personal expressibility in the artwork or design. The reason for this is to allow the viewer to experience the work without the distractions of theme, composition etc.
In art, minimalism and the theory behind it were already being exercised as early as the 18th century. One example would be when Goethe made the Altar of Good Fortune which is a plain square cube 3 x 3 feet in size. But the actual movement started sometime after World War II where distinctive developments in minimalist art began to come out. In the visual arts, minimalism emerged sometime in the 1960’s in New York. It was a reaction against the works based on Abstract Expressionism.
In architecture and design, minimalism is being described as a trend where the subject is being reduced to only its essential elements. Influences on minimalist design can be traced to Japanese traditional design and architecture. Works of De Stijl artists may also be considered as a reference to minimalism where basic elements such as lines and planes are organized in a particular manner.
It was architect Ludwig Miles van der Rohe who adopted the motto, “Less is More”, which is the actual aim of the movement. This motto described the style of design where numerous essential components of a structure is arranged in such as way as to create the impression of extreme simplicity. With this concept, structures designed by van der Rohe makes use of simple yet elegant designs. The structure’s beauty is determined by outlining the basic geometric shapes, the use of striking color combinations, light effects, and clean and fine finishes.
April 30th, 2008
Georges-Pierre Seurat was a noted French painter that is also considered as the founder of Neo-impressionism in the 19th Century. He was born on December 2, 1859 to a well-off family in Paris, France. His father, Antoine Chrysostom Seurat was a known legal official in La Vilette. Seurat’s mother, Ernestine Faivre came from a family of prosperous middle class Parisians.
Early influences for Georges was his uncle, an amateur painter from his mother side, who introduced the young Seurat. In 1875, Georges started attending a drawing class that was taught by Justin Lequien who was a sculptor. In 1878 to 1879, he was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After serving a year of military service, he returned to Paris where he devoted his time in trying to master the art of black and white drawing.
In 1883, Seurat was able to finish his very first painting but was rejected by the Paris Salon, a big and popular art exhibition in Paris. This rejection led Seurat to instead ally with the other independent artists in Paris. It was in 1884 that Seurat, along with other independent artists, formed the Societe des Artistes Independants. It was with the group that Seurat begin to share his ideas on a new painting technique called pointillism, which became the art movement that he founded called Neo-impressionism.
In 1884, Seurat began working on his most well-known work, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La GrandeGrande, which took about two years to finish. The painting showed members of the different social classes participating in various activities at the park. The painting was done using the pointillism technique that Seurat started. This new technique allowed viewers of the painting to blend the different colors optically through the positioning of the multi-colored dots instead of blending the color using pre-blended pigment on canvas.
Seurat died unexpectedly on March 29, 1891 in Paris. The cause of his death was uncertain but was later on attributed to a form of meningitis, pneumonia or diphtheria.
April 23rd, 2008
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Arts is a unique building in terms of design that is located in Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. This building has been quite well known for its controversial concrete facade. The building was built as a museum that was named after Herbet F. Johnson, head of S. C. Johnson of Racine, Wisconsin who funded the construction of the said building.
The museum was designed by noted architect I. M. Pei. Its design is notable in which is top two floors cantilever over the open air sculpture garden of the museum. The architect so designed the museum because of the challenges that the site presented. The design was also followed as such so that the building would not be blocking the view of nearby Cayuga Lake. The design of the building also offers visitors a more panoramic view of the lake from its fifth floor. The overall design of the building was to create a dramatic statement and at the same time do it in a way so as not to block the scenic view in the area.
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Arts has ten floors and covers a total floor area of 61,000 square feet. It houses a varied collection of artifacts with the exhibit spaces located in the nine-level tower of the museum. There are also additional galleries and function room located below ground of this unique museum. Windows in the building for horizontal bands fixed upon the upper floors of the museum. These windows provide a panoramic view of the surroundings to complement the art exhibits inside.
A notable design aspect of the museum is its spiral stairway that streaks down like a strand of DNA on a polished oak column. The team of architects that worked with I. M. Pei aimed to create a building with interiors providing people with a sense of continuous space and openness. Skylights in the lobby were included in the design to provide some wonderful openness to the building interiors.
April 16th, 2008
The Palace of Versailles is an impressive piece of architecture that is located in Versailles, France. The palace started out as a hunting chateau that Louie the XIII had built in 1624. The first chateau was designed by Philibert Le Roy and was built of stone and red brick with a slate roof. It was later on that the Palace of Versailles went through an extensive reconstruction under Louis’ successor, Louie XIV.
It was Louie XIV that took great interest on the royal chateau in Versailles. He wanted to make it the center where he can rule France, so he can distance himself from the greater population of Paris. Over the succeeding decades, he was able to expand it into one of the largest palaces in the world. The reconstruction began in 1669 where it was designed by Louis Le Vau together with the landscape architect Andre Le Notre. It was on May of 1682 that Louie XIV formally established the royal court on the palace.
The Palace of Versailles has many interesting features. Its grand scale is typical of the various buildings of Baroque architecture during its time. The grandness of the palace includes many of its lavishly decorated rooms that is big enough to house 6,000 members of the royal court. Not only that, the palace is also known for its more than 250 acres of gardens formed out of swamps and whole forests. The French style formal gardens contained landscaped tree-lined paths, lakes, manicured flowerbeds as well as over 1,400 fountains.
A royal compound in the palace, called the Grande Apartements is lavishly designed with murals depicting Greek deities, paintings, velvet draperies, gilded bronze and tinted marble. Another spectacular feature of the palace is its Hall of Mirrors. The hall is a 235 foot long drawing and ballroom that is lined with 17 huge mirrors lined up on one side. During the reign of Louis XIV, mirrors were considered as incredibly expensive fixtures that only the richest of the rich can afford. And with huge mirrors installed in the palace, the royal courtiers can admire their own fabulous costumes as they danced.
The mirrors were also specially installed so as to reflect the frescoes of the room’s ceiling. The other side of the room contains a row of windows that open up to show the vast gardens and provide the king and his court a view of the sunset. It was in the palace that Louie XIV married Marie Antoinette in 1770 at the Chapel Royal situated inside the palace compound. Due to its grandness, the cost of building the huge and lavish palace has continued on to be debated upon. Some estimates put the costs at around the USD 2 billion in today’s monetary value although many consider it as an undervalued estimate. This alone can have one imagine on the lavishness and grandeur of this impressive palace in Versailles.
April 9th, 2008
The Casa Mila is a unique and attractive apartment building located at 92, Passeig de Gracia in the Eixample district of the city of Barcelona in Spain. This captivating architectural masterpiece was the work of well-known Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. The Casa Mila has been considered among the works of the revered architect to be considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Casa Mila is also popularly known as the La Pedrera or “the Quarry” mainly because of the building’s cliff-like walls. The Casa Mila stands on an asymmetrical lot and took about six years to construct. The building was built in the years 1906 to 1912. This unique building is known for its surrealistic look and design, typical of the crazy imaginations of its architect, Antonio Gaudi. It was designed and built by Gaudi for a wealthy married couple Rosario Segimon and Pere Mila.
There have been various theories as to what inspired Gaudi to design the building as such. Some say that the famous architect was inspired to instill the character of ocean waves into the building characteristic of its rippled stone facade and curved balconies. Others say that Gaudi wanted it to look like a mountain in the midst of other man made buildings in the area. No matter what inspired Gaudi to design the Casa Mila, it truly became quite an arresting presence.
The Casa Mila is considered as one of Gaudi’s most identifiable and unique masterpieces. People seem quite in a difficulty trying to describe how it looks. Some say that it resembles the honeycombed structure of a beehive. Some say, upon seeing the unique building, that it looks like a sand castle in terms of its texture that is on the verge of collapse. The fanciful aura that this Gaudi building evokes wasn’t as accepted then as it is today. When the building was nearing completion sometime in 1911, it received rather a less enthusiastic response. Fast forward into current times, the Casa Mila has become quite a masterpiece in terms of design and form. It has also become one of Barcelona’s must-see attractions, a building that seem to spring out of fantasy.
April 2nd, 2008