Three of the
greatest and most prominent architectural thinkers of the 19th
century are Eugene Viollet-le-duc, Gottfried Semper and John Ruskin. Each of
these gentlemen explored the ideas of what a new architecture should look like and
how much past architecture should influence. Semper sought order and critical understanding
of past architecture with a scientific mindset. Viollet-le-duc and Ruskin were
both strongly influenced by Gothic architecture but in very different ways. Pevsner
states several times, “Ruskin was a writer, Viollet a doer, (Pevsner, 14).” I would
add Semper was an, out-of-the-architectural box, thinker.
Semper had a very methodical
approach to understanding architecture. He is a German architect, who became
famous for his work in Dresden. However, mathematics was Sempers chosen field
of higher education, and this is highly evident in his approach to
architecture. Semper sought to find a scientific method of architecture. Hvattum
states, “His lifelong ambition to formulate both a global history of
architecture and a theory of design, or what he himself called a ‘practical aesthetics’
(hvattum, 136).” Semper believed architecture and art and how they fit into a
society could be explained scientifically. He divided the form of all
architecture into four categories, hearth, substructure, roof, and enclosure. These
are such broad topic to categorize all types of structure, but this is Sempers
way to decipher architecture scientifically. He believed more sophisticated architecture
blending the topics together so one became unrecognizable from another.
http://react2007.tu-dresden.de/location.shtml
Semper's most famous building, the Semper Opera House in Dresden
Viollet-le-duc is a French architect
who focused on Gothic Revival style and restorations. Viollet-le-duc was
seeking a scientific exposition of gothic architecture, much like Semper was
trying to achieve with all architecture. Growing up, Viollet-le-duc had a
strong dislike for school and wanted to learn through experience. “He had to
discover architecture for himself, (Sommerson, 144).” He has restored some of the
most well-known gothic buildings such as Sainte Chapelle and Notre-dame de
Paris. Through these restorations, he developed a desire to understand the
logic and rational of the gothic designs.
He drew inspiration from the
composition and structure of the buildings and used this to learn of the
history and evolution of building. Viollet-le-duc’s famous writings are based
in a dictionary format. His Dictionaire Raisonnee, showcases the elements of
gothic style and provides a rational analysis of the structural details. Some title headings are Altar, Balustrade,
Chapel. There is a very organized and use-based topical structure of his
writings.
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL24552749M/Dictionnaire_raisonn%C3%A9_de_l%27architecture_fran%C3%A7aise_du_XIe_au_XVIe_si%C3%A8c
Cover of Viollet-le-duc's Dictionaire Raisonnee
Ruskin is the exact opposite. An
English writer, philosopher, and all around intellectual, architecture is one of
his many talents. While Viollet-le-duc
was full of action and learned through experience, Ruskin was reserved and
learned through reading and writing. He approached gothic architecture as a
living building; alive with the spirit of the carver and beauty in the painting
and details. He focuses on the big ideas offered in Gothic Style and based his
Seven Lamps of Architecture on these. The
Seven Lamps of Architecture contain the moral ideals Ruskin believes are inherent
in architecture. According to Pevsner the Seven Lamps are “all evocative
qualities, not strictly architectural, (Pevsner, 16).” The seven lamps are Sacrifice,
Power, Truth, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience. Most of these titles show Ruskin’s
devotion to his faith and evoke religious connotations.
http://www.preraphaelites.org/the-collection
A page from the Seven Lamps of Architecture
Ruskin believed in the beauty of
nature and a respect for the condition of the past, whereas, Viollet-le-duc
made his living updating and changing, through renovation, historic buildings. These
two could not be more opposite. Semper has a third approach formed from his mathematics
background. Each architect has a distinct approach different from the other two
and this influence can be traced through to architects of today.
Works Cited
Hvattum, M. (Mar., 2006). Gottfried
Semper and the Problem of Historicism. Journal
of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol 68 No 1. Pp 136-139
Pevsner, N. Ruskin and Viollet-le-duc pp.6-43
Sommerson, J. Viollet-le-duc and the Rational Point of View. Pp140-159
No comments:
Post a Comment