Since our independence from British rule over four centuries ago, American has gone through many various design and architectural styles. Architecture in the United States is very diverse. It can vary depending on region and many other factors. Overall the American Period shows great innovation, especially with furniture. I will discuss a couple well known furniture styles.
Duncan Phyfe was a Scotsman who was best known for his Regency style work. His furniture included skillfully carved, pieces with exceptional veneers and ornamental fittings. Other Duncan Phyfe characteristics include the simplified Klismos chair, rolled back, lyre motif, and cornucopia leg.
Shakers were a group of people who seeked political and relgious freedom. They believed in hard work and discipline. Their interior were very organized, clean, and sparse. The furniture of this style reflects these traits. The architecture included round barns that were normally built into a hill. Ladder back chairs are also known for this time.
John Belter was a cabinetmaker and designer most known for his Victorian Rococo pieces. He produced some of the most extraordinary and luxurious furniture for his time. His pieces often included twigs, flowers, and vines with a unique and innovative process for laminating wood.
Modern Examples
Below are current applications of a Duncan Phyfe sofa and a Shaker bench.
Helpful Videos
Duncan Phyfe History | https://youtu.be/CRks5u0znv8
Shaker Furniture | https://youtu.be/pOnN5ykWELM
Peer Reviews
Haley | I enjoyed reading Haley's blog this week. She talked about the main architectural styles, which was interesting for me to read since I focused mainly on furniture.
Emma | Emma posted a really good video that was really helpful to watch. I now understand the Shaker style much better!
There was a lot of change in the daily life (therefore, interior design) during the English Renaissance. International trade was becoming much more readily available to the consumer, which allowed for much more variety in decoration. Houses were becoming more comfortable and more elegant and people were able to be much more ambitious in their designs. I am going to briefly discuss a few important architects from this time and their contributions to this style period.
Inigo Jones was instrumental in bringing aspects of Italian design into English design during the early English Renaissance. He greatly studied the work of Palladio and brought many features of the country villa into his work. Jones's architecture was proportional and harmonious with both interior and outdoor elements. One of his most known works is the Queen's House at Greenwich.
Richard Boyle, like Inigo Jones, brought many features of Palladio's work into English design. Richard was often called "the Apollo of the arts." Boyle's money and political position allowed him to influence taste and ensure through his connections that his Palladian ideals were evident in important buildings throughout England. A few of his major projects include the Burlington House, Westminster School, and the Cheswick House.
Robert Adam was one of the most important English architects working in the Neoclassical style. He was instrumental in the development of a style of architecture and interiors that revolved around including both the fixed and moveable objects in a room. He incorporated design ideas of ancient Greece and Rome into his decoration as well. Some of his famous London houses include the Kenwood House and Syon House.
Current Applications
Below are a few pictures of modern Palladian architecture. It is evident that the symmetry and other principles are still strongly shown in these current examples.
Helpful Videos
The Classical Influence on English Architecture | https://youtu.be/1ek1SI1oAwU
English Renaissance History | https://youtu.be/_z-CoEEcTxA
Peer Reviews
Emma | I really appreciated the modern application pictures that Emma posted. Since I focused mostly on exterior examples, it was very interesting to see more interior spaces and furniture.
Shannon | I also really liked that Shannon focused mostly on furniture. I enjoyed learning more about certain pieces from this time.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the french were collecting many art treasures and bringing in new stylistic ideas. Many Renaissance chateaux appeared at this time, the earliest being Chateau d'Amboise. The style of these chateaux become known dominant under Francois I, but eventually the style grew into a French Mannerism known as the Henry II style. I'm going to discuss three chateaux that are very important to this time period.
Chateau d'Amboise
For the majority of the 15th and 16th century, the Chateau d'Amboise was favored as the royal residence. It was seized in the 1400s by Charles VII and underwent a lot of renovations. This castle was the first to have five gardens laid out in the formal style that eventually became known as French style gardens.
Chateau de Chambord
Chambord is the largest Chateau in the Loire Valley. The building, constructed by Francois I, was never actually completed. It was originally built to serve as his hunting lodge. The layout is reminiscent of a typical castle with a keep and corner towers. The chateau has 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases. One of the highlights of Chambord is the double helix open staircase that is the centerpiece of the chateau.
Chateau de Fontainebleau
Located south of Paris, Chateau de Fontainebleau is one of the largest French royal chateaux. The medieval castle and later chateau was the residence of monarchs from Louis VII to Napoleon III. A key feature of this chateau is the Gallery of Francis I. It is known as the first and finest examples of Renaissance decoration in France.
Modern Applications
This style of chateaux can be seen in many different modern applications. Below are pictures of residential applications of the French Renaissance style.
Helpful Videos
Cheateau d'Amboise Tour | https://youtu.be/PRnOiJLwNiE
Chateau de Chambord Tour | https://youtu.be/Te8u5B2vLts
Chateau de Fontainebleau Tour | https://youtu.be/0k23mOuGTws
Peer Reviews
Nichole | I really enjoyed the pictures that Nichole posted of modern applications of French Renaissance design. The strong detailing that each picture had was really spot on with the time period.
Haley | I appreciated that Haley went into a lot of detail about the specific subdivisions of the French Renaissance. I definitely learned a lot from reading her blog this week.
Starting in the 15th century, the Spanish Renaissance came about thanks to local architects. In order to further understand the different architectural & decoration styles that would have been seen at this time, I will go into more detail about three main styles.
Plateresco
Also known as Silversmith's style. The delicate ornamentation was made as carefully as if it was the work of a silversmith, and decorated as richly. The decoration was mainly of plant motifs, but also had a lot of medallions, animal figures, etc. This style included a lot of various types of materials. In the picture, you can see the facade of the University of Salamanca.
Desornamentado
This style was a reaction to the Plateresco style. Instead of the profusely ornamentation, this style is much more simple. It's carefully defined proportions made it powerful and allowed it to be characterized by austerity. The Escorial is an example of this architectural style.
Churrigueresco
This style replaced the Desornamentado with something more passionate. It emphasized sculptures, wood carvers, and architectures because it was promoted by a family of craftsmen. Churrigueresco was mainly stucco decoration that was marked by extreme and expressive detailing, normally found above the entrance on the main facade of a building. This style can be seen in this picture of the Basilica of Nuestra Senora de la Merced.
Modern Examples
Along with the architectural styles, Spanish style interiors are also very recognizable. Below are some examples of current applications.
Helpful Videos
Moorish Architecture in Spain | https://youtu.be/38kmLyWc2iw
Baroque Architecture Overview | https://youtu.be/H7YWPQ2hgVE
Peer Reviews
Nichole | I liked that along with the information that Nichole discussed she also added a video about the topics that she didn't cover in detail.
Paige | I really enjoyed all of the pictures that Paige provided in her post. It was very helpful in order to visualize the topics that were being discussed.
Over the period of the Renaissance, there was a progression from simple and functional to decorated. This can be seen in all aspects of style and design from this time period, whether it be architectural or on a smaller scale of furniture.
Interiors
A Renaissance interior could be characterized with high contrast in color and surface articulation. Most walls were plaster, painted or featuring frescoes. More elaborate rooms may have had a treated wall with marble or wood paneling. Walls also often included wall hangings. Made of leather or fabric, these hangings could be relatively simple or embroidered and gilded. Floors were most commonly made of wood, but in more fancier rooms they had brick or tile. Marble and Turkish carpets were some of the extremely elaborate, rare options. Ceilings were very important to the interior of a Renaissance building. The ceilings became a space to be designed and were often considered a piece of architecture. Beams were used to emphasize the horizontal plane of the ceiling. The beams were painted and sometimes carved with classical details.
Furniture
Many big Renaissance pieces of furniture resemble buildings. They have a base, multiple stories and columns, and an overhanging cornice. Elaborate beds with tall headboard could be found. The Renaissance bed differed from the Roman bed because it was no longer used for dining and was much more monumental in size, form, and decoration. Chests continued to play an important part of furniture that had multiple uses. A cassapanca was a chest that was often used as seating; it was slightly taller and had a back and arms. A credenza was a storage unit with a higher elevation than a chest. It was used for storage and display. Smaller furniture of this time was a continuation of the medieval period. Seating was much more simple when compared to the furniture around it. The most common seating found were stools, benches, and chairs.
Modern Examples
The elaborate bed and ceiling design of the pictures below are aspects that relate to the Italian Renaissance design period. The more modern pieces can take on a much simpler form or continue to incorporate elaborate details.
Helpful Videos
Renaissance Art & Architecture in Florence | http://youtu.be/8xSEamC-Qxo
Italian Renaissance Art Overview | http://youtu.be/rVQBVE9BzYk
Peer Reviews
Emma | I really liked the emphasis on architecture that Emma had on her blog. Since I focused more on the interior aspects of this time, it was very interesting to learn more about the exteriors.
Shannon | I thought it was awesome that Shannon found pictures of a whole house that was decorated from this time period. It was really cool to see the style in so many different applications.
The Americas style period is most easily broken down according to the different cultures that inhabited it. As a whole, these empires had a deep connection to the metaphysical world and greatly understood the concept of how to relate buildings to the open space around them. Most of the empires were isolated and usually were ended by Spanish conquers.
Olmecs
The Olmecs were the first known dominant culture of the Americas. They inhabited Southern Mexico from approximately 2000 B.C. - 200 B.C. With religion being a key element of life for this culture, they had a temple oriented city type. Small ceramic figurines and stone carvings also showed the importance of religion. A distinctive feature of the Olmec culture are the colossal stone heads made from boulders that were found in their region.
Mayans
The Mayans were prevalent for almost 1,800 years, from 300 B.C. to 1520 A.D. They were vastly located Central America, among many highlands and lowlands. Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities. It houses the famous Castillo pyramid. This four-sided step-pyramid reaches 75 feet tall. An interesting fact about this pyramid is that each side contains 91 steps, totaling 365 (the number of days in a year).
Aztecs
The Aztecs lived from 1150 - 1520 A.D. geographically in Mexico. Their population grew from 500,000 to over 3 million and rivaled Rome. Architecturally speaking, the Aztecs are most known for Templo Mayor. Templo Mayor consisted of seven total pyramids. There were two distinct pyramids - one temple dedicated to the god of war and the second to the god of agriculture. These pyramids were made of stone and brick and were destroyed by the Spanish, but were magnificent in their time.
Incas
The Incas were the largest empire of the Americas. They lived in Peru during 1200 to 1572 C.E. They are most known for their architecture. With an emphasis on trapezoid shapes and stone cutting, the Incas had a very unique architectural style. Machu Picchu shows the perfection of their skills. This city contains buildings that were built without mortar and many trapezoid shaped openings.
Modern Examples
The trapezoidal shape of the first picture is a great example of the style that would correlate to the Incas. The way that the structure in the middle picture blends in with its surrounding made me think of how many of the cultures during this time focused on the concept of the buildings and open space. Finally I thought the last picture puts a modern spin on the use of stone that was very prevalent in the Americas style.
Helpful Videos
The Innovation of Aztec Architecture | http://youtu.be/rY5rVgTxU-k
The Mayan Sacred Sites | http://youtu.be/B7hkqwhLIP4
Peer Reviews
Karri | I really liked the video that Karri posted about the tunnel found in the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. I often get lost in the beauty of the outside of these ancient pyramids that I forget that the insides are just as sacred.
Miryam | I enjoyed the Miryam's current application pictures. I especially liked the first structure that was built from the trapezoid shape.
Timeline: 1140 - 1500
The Gothic style was the bridge between the Romanesque period and the Renaissance. Religious expression was the center of Gothic design.Cathedrals from this time are oftentimes known as one of the high points in the history of architecture.
Architecture
Three key features of Gothic architecture include: pointed arch, ribbed vault, and flying buttress. The pointed arch was important because it allowed width to be manipulated more freely. Ribbed vaults were the basis of the Gothic system to oftentimes have an umbrella like underside of a roof. Flying buttresses allowed for walls to be less load-bearing and for the development of an all-glass or nearly all-glass walls. The interiors of the Cathedrals from this time focused on height and light. There was also a focus on the lateral facades of the nave. The sanctuary of Gothic cathedrals are highlighted because of the light that reaches the apse unobstructed. But despite all the attention to glass and light, many cathedrals are quite dark. Much of the light had a delicate quality to it.
Domestic Interiors
There are very few domestic structures from the Gothic period, so paintings are important source of knowledge while learning about the domestic world (much like the Greek Vase). It was common of this time period to try to make the masonry buildings they lived in more comfortable. Hanging tapestries and constructing paneling were a couple ways of achieving this. Windows almost always had heavy bars lining them. This was to not only light in air and light, but also prevented outsiders from getting in. The defensive nature of the houses aligned with the heavy fortification of the cities. Carpentry and textiles were also very important to a Gothic interior. The linenfold motif is an infallible way to distinguish the Gothic period.
Furniture
Pieces of furniture at this time were either very straightforward or extremely elaborate. Gothic chairs were rare; most sat on benches, chests, or stools. Their simplicity was a testament to their utility. The Gothic chairs that you would see would be very grand. Because of their religious importance, they were exaggerated in scale. There was an emphasis on height and included elaborate Gothic decoration. The most obvious observation from this time is that Gothic furniture has a remarkable continuity with Gothic architecture. Oftentimes, pieces of furniture such as choirs, buffets, and display cabinets were designed like miniature Gothic buildings.
Modern Examples
The modern examples of Gothic design below show some of the key features from this period. The pointed arches and ribbed ceilings are evident in the designs.
Helpful Videos
Gothic Architecture (Brief) | http://youtu.be/t8g1e-JLrhM
Gothic Architecture (More-Detailed) | http://youtu.be/uYhOaQhV6QE
Peer Reviews
Stephanie | I loved the modern pictures of the Gothic style that Stephanie posted. I could definitely see the features that categorize them into this style from her summary of the Gothic style.
Alecia | It was interesting to read how Alecia compared and contrasted Romanesque and Gothic design. Since Gothic design bridged off of Romanesque, it was cool to see what features were similar and how Gothic made them its own.
