Middle and Late English - Review

Becca - Becca focused her blog on the history of the middle English Renaissance along with the famous pieces of architecture during this time. She also gave great examples of the types of furniture that was designed. I liked that she touched on everything we went over in class.

Erin - Erin focused on the types of materials used for designing and furniture during the middle English Renaissance. I really liked how she focused on one topic during this period because she was able to give a lot more examples and information.

Middle English Renaissance

The middle renaissance was from 1600-1750. During this time there was restoration of the Stuart Period that involved Charles II and James II. During this period William and Mary had a huge impact on design. They created the age of walnut that was widely used for furniture. Also during this period Queen Anne influenced a lot of design choices. After the great fire of 1666 that burned a large section of London, Sir Christopher Wren set new design standards of design that was called the Baroque urban design. This design was greatly influenced by the French. Wren established wall thickness, floor heights, ans materials, which were bricks. Because of him, there started to be zoning and construction regulations. He was the most renowned English architect of all time. One of his masterpieces is the St. Paul's Cathedral. He designed a total of 52 churches that have influenced other church designs. During this time the new standards for furniture were focused on comfort. This period is when upholstery appears for the first time. Once Mary Stuart married William II, furniture shifted from walnut to oak wood. William and Mary had an oriental influence when it came to fabrics. They used velvet, brocade, Chintz, leather and needlepoint. Queen Anne was the one who created developments in social living. She created spaces for tea and coffee drinking and Parlor games of chance. She also influenced English trade with China. Queen Anne was also known for the Cabriole leg on her furniture. The foot of her furniture was most popular for its dragon's paw holding a pearl. Some of her famous furniture was the card table and the wing chair. Another type of chair that was designed during this time was Chippendale chairs.

Images:

St. Christopher Cathedral


Wing Chair


Chippendale Chair

Current Applications:

Wing Chair today


Chippendale Chair today

Extra Credit: How to make a Chippendale Chair in Sketch Up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiTk2VNmdUM

Neoclassical, Directoire, and Early English Renaissance - Review

Haley- Haley broke up her blog into different topics during this period. She talked about the history, architecture and furniture. She chose great images to represent the content she included in her blog. She also chose very unique examples of current applications of the Neoclassical period.

Lisa- Lisa discussed the French Directoire in her blog post. She went into detail mainly on the style of the interiors and the furniture. I think she did a really good job talking about what makes this period different from the other french periods.

Neoclassical Style

The neoclassical style had architecture that was based off of Roman forms. A building that is a great example of this is the Petite Trianon. They used strict architectural schemes for building like hospitals, government offices and railroad stations. Walls were painted to look like marble with the use of dark greens ans reds. This use of marble was an element that was also used in the finding of Pompeii. Although the architecture during this period seems distinctive, the furniture was even more distinctive. Some buildings these elements were used in was the Bibliotheque National and the Petite Trianon. Interiors consisted of non- free flowing curves, opposite of the Rococo period, more slender lines and walls paneled and painted with raised and decorated with classical ornamentation. The colors used in interiors are pale with white or off white with a touch of gold. Furniture included the same needs as previous french periods. Furniture was made of mahogany wood and was often painted and gilded in strong reds and greens.

Images:

Petite Trianon


Bibliotheque National



Current Applications:




Extra Credit: A Neoclassical inspired home in Pacific Heights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOKFdVIOx0w

French Baroque Style - Review

Kiera- Kiera did a great job explaining the history of this time period as well as what makes this design different from other French design periods. She also talked about the important pieces of architecture and had great photos to show what she discussed.

Savannah- Savannah summarized this period very well. She touched on all of the important buildings as well as the furniture. I really liked how she chose images that were examples of this style used in different parts of a home. Overall a great blog post.

French Baroque Style

During this time period, Louis XIV was five years old and proclaimed King. Louis XIV created a national style of art. He established a school for 60 children under his protection. An iconic piece of architecture during this time was the Vaux-le-Vicomte. It included 105 lavish rooms, 170 acres of gardens, Persian carpets, crystal chandeliers, gold clocks, silver vases and it entertained up to 6,000 guests at a time. The architect of this building was Louis Le Vau, the garden designer was Andre Le Norte, the interior decorator was Charles LeBrun and the sculptor was Puget. Another building during this time was the Palais de Versailles. This was originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII. The construction started in 1668 and lasted for almost a century. It takes up 12 miles of southwest Paris and housed 10,000 people. The architect of this building was also Louis Le Vau, along with the same garden designer, interior decorator and sculptor as the Vaux-le-Vicomte. This building was also famous for one of its public rooms, the Hall of Mirrors. It included Classical architecture and decoration with classic orders and rectangular shapes that were symmetrical. Another aspect of the Palais de Versailles' interiors that was unique was its royal monogram "L" that was always doubled. Something that was also very unique compared to any other building was that the furniture was against the walls. A unique process cabinetmakers used to make furniture was the Marquetry Process. During this process everything was cut out of paper then carved into wood to make lavish designs in their furniture. Louis XIV chairs included high back, a sense of greatness, a wide seat for wide dressed and bergere, which was newly introduced during this time. Bergere is an enclosed upholstered French arm chair with an upholstered back and armrests on upholstered frames.  This furniture was made out of materials that were imported from China and Japan. These materials were used to make porcelain figures, vases, lacquer work and screens.

Images:

Vaux-le-Vicomte


Palais de Versailles


Bergere style chair


Current Applications:




Extra Credit: How to upholster a Bergere chair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmhiONio9kg

French Period Part 1 - Review

Katie- Katie's blog touched on everything we went over in class on the first part of the French period. She also did a great job choosing images that represented this period and current application photos.

Holli- Holli's blog was filled with so much information and split it up very well within paragraphs. I also like the past and present images she chose. Overall a great blog post.

French Period - Part 1

Instead of design being determined by religious and political history, France had rulers that influenced the most pervasive design in the Renaissance France. They used Royal "taste" to determine design styles. France was the central to Romanesque and Gothic style. During this time, an occupation people could have was being a decorator. They designed luxurious rooms with consistent and harmonious design that was a complex job during this time. One monarch during this time was Francois I who was a famous patron of the arts. He used a transitional style that used Gothic forms with Italian Renaissance ornament. He designed the Loire Valley in Paris. In France, there was no need for new religious structures. They were more focused on building palaces and chateaux. Exteriors became more important for their architecture. The weather in France required steep roofs, many chimneys and many large windows. They were famous for their mansard roof. Francois I also constructed the Chateau Chambord. At this same time, he also constructed the Chateau de Blois which he made his hunting lodge. The motif they widely used was the fleur de lis that we still see a lot today with a lot of decor. Another hunting lodge built during this time was the Chateau de Fontainbleau. It was a large structure that included formal gardens, lakes, fountains, and elaborate interiors. Withing this structure, there was the Galerie Francois that was filled with paintings, sculptures, carved wall paneling and coffered ceilings in geometric patterns. During this period, they started the use of the monogram. The Chateau de Blois used Italian prototypes, depressed arches, low-relief ornamentation and asymmetrical organization of openings. Some current applications of this time period is the use of logos from the development of the monogram and very detail carved and oriented furniture.

Images:

Loire Valley


Chateau Chambord


Chateau de Blois


Current Applications:




Extra Credit: Highlights of Franch Chateaus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEkdjyRdZdo

Spanish Period - Review

Savannah- I really liked the images she chose. She also explained the period very well.

Becca- Becca focused on the different phases during this time period. I think she did a really good job contrasting the two phases.

Spanish Period

This period was influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval and the Italian Renaissance. The Alhambra was the last of the Spanish Palaces completely before expulsion of the moors. The Alhambra included numerous courtyards with gardens, fountains and reflecting pools. A castle during this period that was build by noble Christian families was the La Mota Castle. It was build of concrete walls faced with brick. Spain has more castles that any other European country. Famous Cathedrals in Spain are the Granada Cathedral which included Gothic vaulting and the Cathedral of Seville that also used the Gothic style and was the largest cathedral in the world during the 15th century. During this time, there were two different phases. The Plateresco Phase and the Desornamentado Phase. The Plateresco Phase was also known as the silversmith's style that used Gothic and Renaissance in its construction. It incorporated the "silversmith's style" by the delicate ornament that resembled the work of a silversmith. This phase was used on exteriors, patios, churches, public buildings, furniture and accessories. The Desornamentado Phase was a reaction to the Plateresco style. They used very defined proportions and was ornamented. They applied this to courts, ecclesiastical and public buildings. There was also another style during this time called the Baroque style, also known as Churrigueresco. The Spanish wanted to replace the Desornamento with something more passionate. This was promoted by a family of craftsmen named Churriguera who were sculptures, wood carvers and architects.This was the style of surface decoration. This style was applied to exterior doorways, interior decoration and churches. In Spain's residential design, they gained inspiration by Moorish design. This included elaborate decorations in patios, galleries, doorways and windows in contrast to plain walls. The most artistic features in interiors were suburb iron grilles that were used on windows, openings, and wrought-iron handrails. Interiors also included colored tiles, pine-paneled, painted and carved ceilings and plasterwork with a white decorative border or frame around doors or windows. Furniture during the Spanish period was made by cabinetmakers that used inlay work, carvings, painting and gilding. Inlay work was one of Spain's finest artistic achievements. Their inlay included minute pieces of bone, ivory, exotic woods, mother of pearl, and metal work. Also, there were many geometric designs and highly stylized leaf and floral designs. Some famous furniture is the Sillon de Franilero, the Wooden Bench, the walnut benched with Hinged back and Walnut Vargueno Puente Stand.

Images:

Alhambra


La Mota Castle


Sillon de Franilero

Current Applications:






Extra Credit: A video on the elements of Spanish interior design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM27UShCs7s

Review - Italian Renaissance

Rachel- Rachel's blog posted focused on everything we went over in class on this topic. I really liked how she used bullet points while touching on each topic of this time period. She also included many images that represented this period perfectly. You were able to see what made this design period unique from her images.

Holli- Holli's blog was a great summary of everything we touched on in class. What I liked the most about her post was the current application images. They represent this design period perfectly while also being able to clearly see that they were designed in modern day.

Italian Renaissance

The "rebirth" began in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. This time period included Florence, Rome and Venice, where the first development was in Italy. Roman churches became very powerful during this time. Life and the arts of ancient Rome focused on literature, architecture and theater. They also invented the printing press during this time. Residential design became more popular and they focused more on comfort, beauty and convenience rather than safety, strength and protection. They emphasized on horizontal and symmetry. One of the finest achievements of the Italian Renaissance was the Italian Renaissance palace, also known as the Palazzo. The Palazzo has proportion and a cluster of characteristics rather than a specific design. It was symmetrical with compound repeated windows and heavy project cornice. At this time, there were many different famous Palazzos. Some famous ones were the Palazzo Davanzati, Palazzo Farnese, and the Palazzo Medici. A famous architect during this time was Brunelleschi who started the addition of the Florence Cathedral. While doing this, he was inspired by the Pantheon. During this time there was also another famous piece of architecture called the Villa Rotonda which was designed by the architect, Andrea Palladio, who was the most influential architect during this time. Furniture and interiors during this time were filled with contrasting light, paneling on furniture and surfaces, frescos, and elaborate turnings for structural support and ornamentation.

Images:


Exterior and interior of Palazzo Davanzati


Palazzo Farnese


Villa Rotonda

Current Applications:




Extra Credit: Italian Renaissance Furniture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GaWNuDek4I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rbqpUA1aQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=416n56hJf5c

Review - China and India

Lisa- Lisa's blog post on China and India was very full of the information we went over in class. I really like how she compared and contrasted them. Her post also involved great examples of images and had great images to show current day design with these periods of design.

Madelyn- Madelyn's blog post focused just on China. She went into depth with discussing what the culture and design was like. I really liked how she touched on everything we went over in class. She summarized what we learned about very well.

Review - The Americas

Katie- Katie focused on the different geographic regions of the America's style. There were many different people during this time and she touched on all of them. Overall a great blog post full of information.

Kiera- Kiera's blog was very informational on the America's period. I like how she focused on multiple topics that the America's were involved with. She as well chose great images to back up her information.

China and India

China is the world's longest continuous civilization and has the world's largest population today. China's architecture and construction techniques includes using a stupa. a stupa is a mound of dirt, like a burial ground, where a more permanent structure is built. This prototype was first birthed in India. China began the use of the stupa to spread the religion of Buddhism. It was important to people to acknowledge the the Buddhist religion through their architecture and construction. The limitations of the stupas is that there is no space for visitors. From China using the stupa, they invented the Pagonda, which is a combination of the stupa and a Chinese tower building. A big piece of architecture in China is the Great Wall of China. Chinese interiors, residential and commercial, was based on  a courtyard style building. This style included orientation, layout, and symmetry. Form of their furniture was light, beautiful, stable and also replaced mats. The used materials like huali wood, lacquer, ceramic and bamboo.

In India, their architecture and construction included the stupa, where it originated, along with acknowledging important people in the Buddhist religion. One of the most famous stupas in India is the Great Stupa of Sanchi. In their interiors, like China, they also had a courtyard style. What differentiates them from China is their lack of furniture. People sat, ate and slept on the floor.

Images:

The Great Wall of China


Courtyard style home


Great Stupa of Sanchi

Current Applications:




Extra Credit: India Architecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kol4EIhq_s

The Americas

The America's design period was located in southern America and north of South America. Temples provided spatial orientation for the towns. Pyramids were meant to stand out and represent the gods and powers of the religion. Their religion was polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods. A group of people during this time were known as the Olmecs. They were the first major civilization in Mexico. They developed hieroglyphic writing and the first calendar in the western hemisphere. They were considered the Highest Olmec work-jade. These people also were the first example of a temple focused city type which they referred to as La Venta. Their artwork consisted of delicate carvings of jade, rock crystal, and less valuable stone. Out of these materials, they made ax heads, masks, and decorative objects. Along with their sculpting, they also made mural paintings and pottery. Elites lived in highly decorated homes and wore elegant jewelry and clothing. Commoners lived in homes made of sticks and mud. Another group of people that were apart of this period were the Teotihuacan. They referred to their city as the, "place of the gods". Their ceremonial center was 2 miles in length that included a central spine, the temple of the Feathered Serpent and the Pyramid of the sun and moon. Their arts were decorative and included utilitarian pottery. Their decorative motifs included birds, butterflies, flowers and abstract designs. Next were the Mayas during this period. They were destroyed by Spanish conquest of 1519. But before then they occupied highlands and lowlands. They were known for things like the Castillo, Ball courts, and furniture called Chacmool. Another group of people were the Aztecs. They had two important temples during this time, the god of war and the god or agriculture. Their temple was called the Templo Mayor. Their architecture was expressed through thoughts and belief. The also believed in chinampas which were raised gardening beds located in a swamp or shallow lake. It was what made them the most agricultural. The last group was the Incas. They had the largest empire in Pre-Columbia America. They were known for thier architecture and mainly their trapezoid shape. A famous home for emperors during this time was Machu Picchu. This today is now one of the wonders of the world.

Images:



Maya Ball Court


Machu Picchu

Current Applications:



Extra Credit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boV92hzDlcA

Review - Gothic

Haley- Haley's blog post was filled with great images to represent this time period. I also like how she talked about the certain type of construction types.

Holli- Holli's blog had so much information on the gothic design period. She touched on everything we discussed in class. She also did a great job choosing images too.

Gothic Design

When the Gothic period started, Paris was the center of the Gothic world. At this point, churches were the center of city life. Unfortunately, also during this time was when the black plague killed over 75 million people, which was nearly a third of the population. Religion was the heart of the design and wealth and power was within the church. There was new innovations of design during this period that no one has ever used before. They started to use pointed archs and fly buttresses to be more stable in their architecture since they had taller buildings than past periods up to this point. They also recreated ribbed vaulting in their design to also help with a more stable structure. Using this architecture, they were able to make Cathedrals appear weightless by having a very open plan due to higher ceilings and incorporating tall glass windows to allow more light. A type of window widely used in every structure during the Gothic time was the Rose window. You see this type of window in every Cathedral built during this time. Some famous Cathedrals were the St. Denis, Notre Dame,  Wells Cathedral, Regensburg Cathedral, Barcelona Cathedral, and the Siena Cathedral. With the Cathedrals in Spain, they were wider and a more complex plan compared to the ones in France and Germany. Along with all these Cathedrals using their new type of architecture with the pointed archs, ribbed vaulting and flying buttresses, they also had a basic floor plan that was similar to the Romanesque period.

Images:

Pointed Arch


Rose Window


Interior of St. Denis Cathedral

Current Applications:




Extra Credit: Learn what Gothic Architecture is in 2 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz5YdZdqE44