Leo Tolstoy said that to have real artistic activity, the
production of something new must occur; Clive Bell said that there is a
particular kind of emotion that people feel when viewing works of visual art;
the structures presented in this montage all contain appreciable levels of
newness and provoke emotional responses to varying degrees. Structures, for me, with their grandness,
scale, purpose and position in the landscape suggest feelings of power and
strength. Many of these structures also suggest longevity and perseverance.
With
each example, they present a newness, whether it be use, style of construction,
symbolism, technological advance, or human ideal. The emotional power they
provoke has just as much depth as from paintings, sculptures, and musical
scores. The grandeur and scale of architecture act as emphatic statements of
humanity’s ability to impose its will and upon nature, but also to work in
conjunction and unison with it. Though the forces of nature will ultimately
prevail over all of man’s efforts, the mark he leaves is not so easily erased.
The Great Pyramid of Giza (Pyramid
of Khufu) ca. 2560 BC
Flavian Amphitheatre – The
Colosseum (70AD)
St. Peter’s Basilica (1626) –
Donato Bramante
Big Ben and the Palace of
Westminster (1834-1864) – Charles
Barry and Augustus W.N. Pugin
Golden Gate Bridge (1937) – Irwin
Morrow
US Capitol Building (1793,
expanded 1850) – William Thornton et.al.
Hoover Dam (1936) Six Companies, Inc.
(structural), Gordon Kaufmann (exteriors)
Statue of Liberty (1886) Frederic
Auguste Bartholdi
Empire State Building (1931) - William F. Lamb
Kremlin Complex(various
construction Dates and designers)
Do any of these structures inspire you? Motivate you? Are they art? What do you think?
Thanks for reading. Questions and Comments are welcome.
