Gothic Peer Review

In reviewing John's blog, I like his talk of the gargoyle. He explains how they are a popular element of the Gothic architecture, however their purpose serves function over form. Yes, they are great for display but the gargoyles are meant to drain water from the building. Gargoyle stands for throat or gullet and was a spout that connected to a pathway to release the water. I found this very interesting. Chimera on the other hand, are waterless figures or statues used in the architecture to ward off evil spirits and protect the buildings like a guard. He also shows great current applications of the ribbed vaults.

I also got the chance to look at Megan S.'s blog. She talked about the black plague and how it took the lives of nearly 75 million people. What a dark time this must have been. She also goes on to talk about the architecture of the church and how the interior as well as the exterior changed. That is a good point to bring up, pointing out the flying buttresses on the outside and the pinnacles and nave roofs on the inside. She also included how the Gothic style in Spain had more wider and complex designs.

Gothic

The Gothic era began with the royal abbey, founded in the fifth century. The Abbot Suger was the head of the monestery of St. Denis. When he had the church remodeled, an architectural movement started that redifined religious architecture, known as Gothic. At this point in time, Paris was the center of the Gothic world. Later, about 50 years it would spread to England.  Churches were still a prominent feature of the design movement. However, some of the main points in the Gothic time period that existed in these cathedrals were the pointed arch, ribbed vault, and flying butress.  Gothic architecture was important because it is an entire arcchitectural system including plans, sections, facades, and details. Each of these components all came togetehr to create the overall effect of the Gothic style. In addition, the civic ingrastructure was developed and more and more towns were built. Urban design became more notworthy in the Gothic time and there was more emphasis on civic government and its architectural infastructure, such as libraries, town halls, hospitals, and universities.



 

Flying buttress- The flying buttress started out as a correction to prop up a leaning wall. The butress holds the wall in place and helps maintain stability. It became revised with a smalled profile and not attaching to the wall. This allowed for the area of the wall to be devoted to glass. The flying buttress allows the wall to be supported as well as the roof.

 

Pointed Arch

 

Ribbed vault- (which resembled an umbrella)

Another important feature of the Gothic style was stained glass windows. The rose window was popular in many cathedrals. Below you can see what the stained glass rose window looked like. The portions that hold the stained glass in the pattern is called tracery. It is almost like a spider web. There are two types of tracery most common, trefoil and quatrefoil. The Romanesque people thought of walls to be solid and windows were just holes puched in to them. The tracery allows for windows to become solid elements while the glass in held in place, being made out of stone or metal.

 

 

Some say the Gothic period marked the beginning of the Renaissance in England because of its technical achievements and spatial innovation.

 

 Current Applications

The  modern skycraper mullion, or glass-to-glass pressure connections stems from Gothic tracery.

 

 

 The wallpaper on the left shows what relates to the rose window in the Gothic cathedral.

Here you can see the pointed arch used in modern-day design.

 

Islamic Peer Review

I first reviewed Lindsay's blog on the Islamic time period. I noticed that some of her modern day applications in textiles were from the same designer that I found. She depicted the horseshoe arch motif in her applications. It is repeated on wallpaper as well as in the textiles on a throw pillow. The Mosque of Sultan Ahmed is a great church to talk about that reflects the Islamic architecture style. 20, 000 handmade tiles is unreal to think about existing in that building. She also hit it right on the head, explaining there were no representational designs. This means no animals, or people, or basically anything that stands for something were depicted, only geometric figures or shapes were included in the designs. 

I also had the chance to read Megan's blog on Islamic design. Megan talked about the tile work and how precious stones and metals were incorporated in to the design at this time. Many worked with marble and inlaid these other materials in to the marble itself. She also brought up that the Islamic people were the first to incorporate the horseshoe arch in to their architecture. This is widely used today and we see it everywhere. There is a lot of architecture around us that incorporates arches, and we never stop to look what kind of arch is really is. I also love her modern day application pictures. Any of the Islamic design aspects are beautiful to me.

Romanesque Peer Review

In reviewing Kristina P.'s blog for the Romanesque time period, I found it very interesting how in the current applications, she included the Harry Potter Hogwarts castle. This is a great representation of the Romanesque period resembling much of what the churches at this time would have portrayed. In addition, instead of just showing the churches from this period, Katrina went on to show single aspects of the churches. This is seen in her pictures of the semicircular arch and vaults, pointed saxon windows, and masonry roofs. It was good to show these elements on their own. It is much different when a church is shown and you must pick out these elements.

I also reviewed Kristina's blog on this subject. She talked about the same throne that I brought up in my blog, the throne of Dagobert. She explained how outdoor patio furniture is similar to this chair in that, outdoor seating if often made of metals and similar materials to protect from weathering. In talking about churches, I like how she broke down the new concept and additions based on the old perspective. She also added in the idea that today long hallways with a series of arches are very popular in design and capture the setting of the apse in Romanesque churches.  

Islamic

Islamic design is one of my favorites we covered in this section. I enjoy the geometric patterns. Many of the patterns in the architecture originated from textiles, like carpets. This explains why the carpets look like walls and the walls look like carpets in Islamic architecture, particularly in Isfahan (Iran). Motifs are largely geometric, nonrepresentational, and often formed by tiles or mosaics. 

Since the climate is warm in the Islamic area and there is less reason to distance oneself from the ground, most people either sat, kneeled, or lied down. In this case, creative efforts were focused on mats, pillows, and carpets, rather than chairs. However, these items do not remain intact for centuries, so all we have is historical engravings to base these findings off of. 

Below (Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey)

Current Applications

In this picture of a modern-day building,  you can see the geometric pattern in the architecture. 

These pillows were designed by Sian Elin Thomas who spent 6 months in Israel was clearly influenced by the Islamic architecture around her. 

Romanesque

The Romanesque period is known for preserving the Roman ideas. Through copies of literature, and using the technologies of the Roman structures, this movement was put forth. The typical Romanesque church was a big part of design in this movement. Taking plans from the Early Christian basilica, and including semicircular arches and vaults, adding a side chapel in the trancept, and other adjustments made for the ultimate Romanesque church. This made the churches larger for more people, added a choir, multiple aisles, surrounding area for processions, included better lighting, and vaulting as well. Aside from the churches, not many furniture is left behind from this time period. However, two chairs do remain that belonged to very prominent people of the time.

 

The above chair is called the Throne of Dagobert. It belonged to a patron of the arts, and Frankish king who ruled over a united realm. This throne is made of metal and the type of chair is called the x-frame chair. This was popular in Egypt, Nubia, Greece, and the Byzantine Empire. The folding chair was originally much simpler, but back and side panels were added by an advisor to King Louis VI. Conflicting trends of the earliest years of the Romanesque period are shown in this chair. Even though it is small, the greatness of this chair comes from the cast bronze and mechanical operations. 

Charlemagne's throne on the other hand, is large in scale , and made of sheets of marble. Charlemagne was known for his success in creating a unified government. A palace and royal church remain from the reign of Charlemagne as well and provide for the great context, the throne stems from. 

Current Applications

The chair in this interior is a folding chair which are widely used today. 

Byzantine Peer Review

In looking at Desiree's blog for Byzantine, I liked how she gave some of the history of the cities during this time period. During the Byzantine empire, Constantinople was the capital city, including it is modern day Istanbul, Turkey. Pendentive construction was also very valuable at this time. In her images from the period, I love the San Vitale Ravenna. I have never learned about this building, but it looks like one I would love to see the inside of and discover more about.

In Justine's blog, she too talked about the pendentive structure, but went on to describe it, saying it was made to support a circular dome on a square base. She also made the Hagia Sofia a prime example of this Pendentive method. I like the model picture too indicating just how this was assembled. The current day applications are great as well showing the pendentive structure, arches, and flashy Byzantine style jewelry and fashion trends.

Pompeii

Near the Bay of Naples in Italy, a volcano named Mount Vesuvius lies. The volcano has erupted more than 50 times, but its most known eruption happened in 79 A.D. covering an entire city in volcanic ash. The city was the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Two thousand people died in this horrid event and the rest abandoned the city.

In 1748, explorers rediscovered the city and found underneath all the debris and destruction, the city was indeed still intact. Everything from, buildings, homes, to furniture, personal possessions, and even skeletons still remained. The ashes had acted as a preservative. Jars of fruit and loaves of bread were even amongst the discoveries.

Before the eruption Pompeii was almost like a vacation spot. It was a place for Rome's most distinguished citizens to flock to. The paved streets were lined with elegant houses and elaborate villas. The town always seemed busy with the open squares and marketplaces full of factories, artisan's shops, brothels, bathhouses, taverns and cafes. Complete with an arena as well, about 20,000 people were living in Pompeii at this time.

Not only did the findings of Pompeii offer some insight into life at that time, but Pompeii had an influence on design in the 18th century. The wealthy of Europe displayed art and reproductions of objects from the ruins. Drawings of the buildings here shaped architectural trends as well. British families built "Etruscan rooms" which came from Pompeiian villas.

Following pictures of original Pompeii interiors, this elevator shows the same style of the frescoes. This motif would have been used in the Etruscan rooms for sure.

Byzantine

The Byzantine attitude toward art was to distance itself from Roman paganism. There was a focus of geometric patterns and floral design. In addition, detail was highly adorned and it was very often the surface of lets say a column, would be fully decorated. Mosaics were a large part of Byzantine design and showed off the grandeour display that the Byzantine era liked so much. Semiprecious stones, glass and metals were added in to the mosaics making them shine.

In addition, the Byzantine time favored flashy decor. Motifs at this time were to impress the eye and draw attention to the object. For example, this throne is no ordinary throne. There is so much going on in the detail and so much to look at. This chair is made of ivory which was an expensive material.Ten of the panels show the life of Joseph which was popular in Egypt as well as ivory carving. This suggests the throne may have come from Egypt or was based off Egyptian ideas. The chair is similar to a barrel chair which came from the Roman cathedra chair. It is carved on all four sides with a rounded back indicating this chair was not placed against the wall. It would have stood on it's own being adorned by onlookers as a sculptural peice.

 Current Applications

Above shows a mosaic tile used in tub setting. The shiny tiles used in this mosaic scream Byzantine.

 This chair has a rounded back representing the barrel chair as well as the Byzantine throne. The geometric shapes in the carving could also be said to have Byzantine decent.

Early Christian

With Christianity coming alive, people needed a place to assemble and worship.More and more churches were being built and the church structure became an art form. The first plan was in the form of simplicity. It was a column free rectangle including an apse at the end. Basilica plans would alter over time based on Christian service practices.
Below is a picture of Basilica at Trier which shows this type of basilica setup.


The next form of church was just like the one previously talked about except side isles were added. This was to allow for people who were coming and going could exit or enter without disturbing the church service. A row of columns separates the aisles from the nave. The apse is generally adorned in a mosaic or fresco and serves as the location for a backdrop of the alter.  Below is a picture of Sant' Appollinare in Classe. This is a model for the reformed church structure.




Below is a picture of The Holy Trinity church on main street in Bloomington that clearly shows the side aisles separated by columns.

Peer Review for Early Christian

Hannah’s blog for the early Christian period let me learn so much new information. I enjoyed her presentation in class on the subject as well. The fact that she brings up the history after Christ’s death was a great way to introduce the section. The catacombs, where Christians would once hide out during the Roman empire is such a fascinating topic. This hideout became their ultimate burial spot as well.  To be able to visit here one day would be a great opportunity.  In the present day applications, to be able to see the church layout of then and how much it resembles today, not much has changed in that sense. The picture actually looks a lot like my own church.

In Jessica’s blog, she too hinted at the setup of the church, centrally planned. She also points out that these churches were needed for people to come and worship and practice their faith since Constantine legalized Christianity. A picture of St. Peters is said to be a monument of Christianity. This is the perfect church to address. After taking numerous art history classes, I know that St. Peters could be talked about for days. It is one of my favorite structures from this time. There are so many little parts and stories behind it inside and out from the artists, architects, and people who would worship here. You can see that the layout in this church resembles the model picture as well.

Peer Review for Rome

In reviewing Emily N.’s blog for ancient Rome, I really enjoyed her connections to modern day design. Her pictures are excellent examples of the Greek  furniture design. The desk sitting by the window looks like an exact replica of a table from that time period. She hit it spot on, with the couch example as well. Concrete was a huge discovery in this era and she did well in showing all the different ways they used it. This being in the arches, domes, and columns. In addition, I do not know if she was aware of this when putting up the pictures, but in her modern day example of the bathroom, you can see a groin vault in the ceiling. A groin vault is basically 4 barrel vaults in the shape of a square.

Another blogger with the name Emily made it a point to address how these structures were built without electricity and machines, but with human hands alone. That is quite miraculous and when looking at these buildings I tend to forget all the work that was put in to them. It would be much easier to build such structures today, yet the creativity and thought that went in to these structures is amazing. All the little intricate carvings, moldings, and such were done by one person. Imagine if people today took that much patience to put in that amount of detail. This was a great thought by Emily and really got me to appreciate these buildings even more.

Peer Review on Greece

In reviewing the blogs for Greece, Chanel concentrated on the furniture aspect. When I think of classical Greece, the furniture is not what I immediately focus on. I usually think of the architecture which I wrote my bog on. The classical, grand buildings that still exist today are extraordinary. The fact that Chanel brought up the furniture, makes me think more about what was inside these buildings. I learned about the furniture being multipurpose, a bed would not only be for sleeping, but served as seating as well. In addition, she shows a chair that was considered a feminine chair because of its graceful look, originally made for women. I did not know certain pieces of furniture were once made for different sexes.  On the other hand, Dana brought up the impluviums. She said with all the green fuss going on today, this could be implemented in modern design somehow. I totally agree. Seeing as I want to become LEED certified, I could base a design off this idea in green home design in the future.

Egypt Peer Blog Review

In looking at the Egypt blog posts, I concentrated on the first two on the list, Ali and Ariana’s.  In Ali’s blog, the story of the two twins is very interesting. A tomb can be an art piece as well by its appearance and the story behind it. Any painting, sculpture, drawing etc, has meaning and a story behind it, just like a tomb. Tombs carry a lifetime inside them which is simply a piece of art. The fact that it had a painting of the twins to go along with it, make it even better. In addition, it is very exciting that such a ruler as King Tutankhamen can leave behind a piece of furniture for us to view today. Being able to have these items from so long ago, gives designers inspiration for today. In Ariana’s blog, I noticed that she and I had some of the same opinions when it comes to Egypt.  We both brought up the motifs and how nature was widely used. Natural woods were used to make a lot of the furniture and to relate that to her favorite cutting board was quite intuitive.