Chapter 15: Architecture

I) In this chapter, I learned that architecture has always been dependent on the interplay between man's environment and his technology. This chapter follows that "interplay", from the distant past to the present day. It gives many examples. Below are a just a few. The Egyptian pyramids are thought to have been built to honor Re (Ra), the Sun god. By the same token, the Mesopotamian ziggurat is thought to symbolize local foothills and mountains. Why? Because this was where "precious water" originated and where the gods dwelled. A lot of architectural forms are born as an attempt to address environmental challenges. For instance, The "slave houses", on the Mulberry Plantation in South Carolina, have a West African design. Why? Because the very steep roofs found there, allow warm air to rise above the living space and cooler air to be confined below. I really liked the Anasazi Cliff dwelling referred to as "Spruce Tree House". Not only did the cliffside caves provide security, they had a religious function. The "kivas", with the "sipapu hole", reminded the tribe of their creation myth. (It held that the tribe emerged from the bowels of "Mother Earth".) I found out, in the technology section, that the most basic challenge in architecture is finding effective ways of erecting "upright walls with a roof over the empty space they enclose." The two most basic ways to confront this challenge are as follows: 1) the "shell system" and 2) the"skeleton and skin system". Because a building's height is dependent on the structural materials ability to support weight, almost all of the technological advances in this area have resulted from two things. First, finding building materials with greater "tensile strength", and/or, second, finding improved ways to distribute that weight.
 The most basic method of redistributing weight, is the "load -bearing construction" methods of the Anasazi kivas, Egyptian pyramids, et cetera. Another solution, the "post-and-lintel" method  was used by the Greeks in constructing the "Lion's Gate" at Mycenae. I learned  that Greek temples had three distinctive architectural styles: 1) Doric, 2) Ionic, and 3) Corinthian. The "Temple of Hera" at Paestum is an excellent example of the first type. The "Erechtheion" is a famous example of the second type. The "Pantheon" is a wonderful example of the third type. The next major stride came in the development of Arches, Vaults, and Domes. The "Pont du Gard", a Roman aqueduct in France, contains numerous arches. The "Roman Coliseum", is an amphitheater constructed out of "barrel"and "groined vaults". In addition to these improved methods of distributing weight, the Romans found new materials. In this case, they discovered that mixing "volcanic aggregate" with concrete made a stronger building block. The Romans also developed the "dome", a fine example of which is again is present in the "Pantheon". "Romanesque" architecture was used in many later cathedrals, including St. Sernin's at Toulouse, France. How were  great heights reached by"Gothic"cathedrals like "Notre Dame"at Chartres, France? Our text reveals the answer, was due in no small measure, to the development of "pointed arches" and "flying buttresses". The "Eiffel Tower" was once the tallest man-made structure in the world. It gave birth to the "skeleton-and-skin system of building". It was made possible by the use of a new technique known as "lattice beam construction" and a new material called "cast iron". Another "skeleton-and-skin" method was "balloon" or "wood frame" construction. Along with mass produced nails and the "rigid truss", it became "the foundation of American domestic architecture". (For example, at  Leavittown.) It was versatile enough to accomodate a variety of styles". For instance, one of the most familiar being the "bungalow" style popularized by Gustav Stickley. The next major advance was, "Steel-and-Reinforced-Concrete" construction as exemplified by Louis Sullivan's "Bayard (Condict) Building" in New York. His "system or ornament" and belief in "form follows function", helped this building accomplish its lighting and ventilation functions without making it sterile in design. (Anyway, at the time it was erected.) He also helped mentor Frank Lloyd Wright, as "chief draftsman"of his firm. Wright's "Prairie House" concept of organic architecture, held the belief that houses should be "of" rather than just "on" the land. There is probably no finer example of the execution of this concept then the cantilevered construction of "Fallingwater". (The home he designed for the Kaufmann family in Pennsylvania.) This, as well as the so-called "skyscrapers", were made possible by steel-and-reinforced-concrete construction methods. Le Corbusier, was co-founder of the "International Style" of modern architecture. It is characterized by using "simple but austere geometric forms", like circles and rectangles, as can be seen in his "Villa Savoye". The other co-founder of this school was Mies van der Rohe. His "Farnsworth House", is so transparent (from all the glass used in its construction) that the inside and outside become virtually one! On the other hand, architects like Eero Saarinen have rejected simple geometric forms in favor of more complex curvilinear structures. One great example of which, was his "TWA Terminal" at JFK airport in New York. It literally looks like a bird in flight. Another architect, who turns to more complex geometric forms, is Santiago Colatrova. His "Turning Torso Residential Tower" in Sweden reminds me of a DNA double helix. Tom Wills-Wright's, "Burj Al-Arab" (in the Persian Gulf off Dubai) is reminiscent of a "wind-filled sail". However, my favorite in the entire chapter has to be the computer assisted design of Frank Gehry for the "Guggenheim Museum Bilbao" in Portugal. It's form, makes it look like it is melting under the Portuguese sun. Other worldly! Our text, then moves on to "Green Architecture". This type of architecture  is "in tune" with the environment. It trys to maximize adherence to the following principles: 1) "Smaller buildings", 2) "Compatability and integration" with the surrounding environment, 3) "Energy efficient and solar" friendly construction, and 4) Using "recyled, reusable, and sustainable materials" in construction. Piano's "Cultural Center" in New Caledonia and Cutler's "Bridge House" in Washington State are two of my favorite examples. Landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, promoted the idea of "a residential community within commuting distance of the city"". That concept is now referred to as a "suburb".(Olmstead and Calvert Voux are responsible for the design of New York City's Central Park. A historic example of an "urban greenspace".) At any rate, Olmstead's idea led to the "rise" of the automobile and highway system and, inadvertently, to the "decline" of some urban centers. (The suburbs were one of the factors responsible for the urban decay of downtown Detroit.) On the other hand, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center site, some wonderful architectural designs have been submitted to fill the void. My personal favorite, is Colatrova's PATH station idea. Finally, this chapter makes a point of how "the more things change, the more they stay the same." The text's example, compares Moshe Safdie's "Habitat" in Montreal, with the Native American "multi-story Pueblos" of Taos, New Mexico. Amazingly, the Pueblos  were built centuries earlier!  
II) Gaudi's, "Casa El Battlo" is a masterpiece of "modernist" architecture. Imposing from a distance, it is even more striking close up. It looks like a fairy tale castle but with hints of a dragon and its victims. For example, it has support columns that look like human bones. Plus it has balustrades, like skull fragments, that frame its many balconies. The roof sways like the back of a mythical dragon. That roof also has snake-like scales for shingles. The chimney, looks something like a monster's flaring nostrils. If I could only see one piece of architecture in Barcelona, then this mammoth work
would definitely be it. (Blog post concludes)

Chapter 13: Sculpture

Chapter 13: This chapter discusses the process of making sculptures and their many varieties. The two basic processes are, "subtractive" and "additive". (Although, some sculptures are created using elements of both.) In simplistic terms, The subtractive process involves subtracting or removing material from the original medium "until it achieves its finished form". (Obviously, if you are working with wood or marble or jade, this requires precise planning. Removing too much could be "fatal", from an artistic point of view!) The additive process, is just the reverse. An artist, adds or builds up material until they have arrived at the final form they desire. The major categories of sculpture include: Carving (subtractive); Modeling, construction/assemblage, and installations (additive); Casting, earthworks, and performance art (often using elements of both). Sculpture can be small and intimate. For instance, Patrocinio Barela's carving, "Nativity" in Juniper wood.
(With figures from 11-33 inches tall.) Or, it can be mammoth and imposing. For example, the "Three Goddesses" from the Parthenon in Athens or the whale tails from the Jim Sardonis sculpture, "Reverance". They can be designed to be seen from the front. Like the east "frieze or sculptural band" from the Parthenon known as the "Maidens and Stewards". (My favorite example of "low or bas-relief".)  An amazing example of "high or haut-relief", is the huge jade carving of
"Yu the Great Taming the Waters", mentioned in our text. Imagine damaging or destroying a precious block of jade over seven feet in height by error- the Chinese emperor would have your head! Which is probably one reason why, it took a "total of 150,000 working days" to complete. Some sculpture is "meant to be seen from all sides". One example, of an "in-the-round" sculpture that impressed me was Praxiteles work, "Hermes and Dionysos". Why? Because of the naturalness of its "contrapposto or counter-balanced pose" and its three-dimensionality. My absolute favorite example of "modeling", is the "terra-cotta army". Found buried in the tomb of the Chinese Emperor Shih Huang Ti. It features over six thousand life-sized ceramic figures of soldiers, scholars, and other retainers. Each figure is made unique by modifying its facial expressions, painting, et cetera.
(I have read that the previous practice, involved burying a representative sample of living members of the emperor's retinue. Thank you Emperor Shih!) I learned a lot from the section on "casting", regarding the "lost-wax or cire-perdue method". The "Head of an Oba", from the Benin culture of Nigeria, was an amazing example. Personally, I could never characterize that work as "primitive art". I find it every bit expressive as Rodin's wonderful bronze of  "The Burghers of Calais"- which was welded together. My favorite "assemblage" is Robert Gober's, "Untitled". I cannot look at that piece without smiling. The clever way the "young girl's" two left feet suggest our "awkwardness" as teenagers. The "mom dressed me", socks and sandals. The "light dusting of actual human hair"; because "dad won't let me use his razor to shave my legs like the big girls". I know I may be reading some things into his sculpture but I feel this artist wants me to do just that! Kara Walker's
"installation", "Insurrection!(Our Tools Were Rudimentary, Yet We Pressed On)", is beautifully executed but a little too "dark"  for my taste. (I mean, "...disemboweling a plantation owner with a soup ladle..." in what looks like a Disney cartoon setting. I get it...that does not have to mean I like it. Maybe, that's her point?) I liked Rubin's installation, "Pleasure Point", much more. It's gravity defying collection of kayaks, canoes, jet skis, rowboats, and surfboards look as if a tsunami had just "plopped" them down at the side of the museum building. The "color and form" of this artwork is just perfect for the "canvas" of blue sky and ocean in the background. Smithson's "Spiral Jetty and, its inspiration, the Hopewell culture's "Great Serpent Mound", are awe inspiring examples of "earthworks". Both in terms of complementing their surroundings and their monumental size. In the section on "performance art, I learned about an earlier version of the "Flash Mob". In the 1950's, Alan Kaprow was inspired by Jackson Pollock to invent what he called "Happenings". "Defined as
assemblages of events performed or perceived in more than one time and place". (So, the "flash mob" is hardly original.) I loved the concept behind "Imponderabilia". It had Uwe Laysiepen and Marina Abramovic as male and female "living doors". However, in a special twist on "subtractive" sculpture,they "peeled off" their clothes and were nude. For 90 minutes, before the cops arrived, they
stood staring at each other as a camera recorded which "door" people chose to squeeze through! I have to give them "major props" for being able to keep it together while people were rubbing up against them. To put it mildly, that "creeps" me out. Also, even if the lady were my girlfriend, I could not personally stare at her like that for more than five seconds, in public, before laughing hysterically and then setting a new landspeed record getting out of there. This chapter was great fun.