As Roth states, “[Design], was the first to outline the organic growth of art, passing from a period of youth to maturity of expression and then to a period of decline….such natural, social, and cultural factors as climate and politics to the development of art.” Therefore, these artifacts and spaces represent the people of their time and location. Whether it be the Windsor Chair or Sheraton Side Chair. They both serve a purpose for their ‘family’. They all come from the same form, some come with a twist. Just as they have evolved from classic designs, they all have classic principles.
2. Just as classical language was adapted in the ‘old world’ it was adapted in the ‘new world’ as well. Colonists brought over what they knew and merged it with what was available in the new world. For instance, we don’t see the same materials out west in Sante Fe with the Governer’s Palace as we do in the Single Brothers House in Salem. Out West there is more Adobe material and here there is more brick, stone, and wood used. Differences in materials show differences in design ancestry.
Also, as Roth mentions “Architecture [has] attempted to create a special environment for human life and to image the thoughts and actions of human beings as they have wished to believe themselves to be.” The New World was all about coming to a new place and breaking free from the constraints of the old world, which allowed architects to further adapt Palladian designs, as well as others, in much of the same way that their ancestors played on the classical designs of Rome and Greece.
3. For this Palladian inspired villa, I chose to put the more private areas in the back of the house and the more public places closer to the entrance of the villa. I started off with the basic rotunda structure and filled it in from there, instead of making the domed area a more spiritual place, I turned it into a study. I also included separate music and drawing rooms so that one may appreciate the arts more.
4. “The autonomy of architecture is here eliminated, becoming now an armature for sculpture and painting meant to impress upon the viewer a mystical experience.” (Roth pg 403) Baroque was the “age of theater” to some art historians. I believe that this is true in many ways. Baroque was all about breaking out of the Renaissance norm and doing that in a very non-traditional and theatrical way. Take Bernini’s statue of David for instance, Bernini captured the essence of David fighting Goliath. You can see the stress in his face and how tense he is as he rares back to shoot the stone from the sling. This is also true in much of Bernini’s architecture. Bernini would often manipulate existing site plans to tell a story. He would illuminate one particular building and relate to the surroundings. It’s a very Baroque thing to do, it shines light on things that are most important to the environment around it, so that it may tell its story. St. Peter’s Basilica tells the story of St. Peter himself. The baldacchino that Bernini is famous for in this building gives the illusion that the wood is almost fluid-like. It’s amazing the detail he gives to his pieces to make them come to life. The pieces we’ve learned about show that simple things can be turned into actors on a stage by simply giving them life, and recreating something with a twist.
good start on 1 and 2. nice observations about theatre.
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