Alex Webber
ARCH 329
Blog 1
1/22/13
Viollet le Duc vs.
Ruskin vs. Semper
Architectural Method
Viollet le Duc, Jonathan Ruskin, and Gottfried
Semper all had a string of keywords that could be used to describe their
methodology and ideals on how the new world should/could be designed. They all
experienced a sense of boundlessness in architecture because of the great shift
in society and social structure of their time. With the power lying with the
people, architects had a new client, the masses of people and not their
leaders.
These three very different men and designers had a
few things in common which together set the basics and fundamentals of design
in the new modern world. There had to be some principles that could not be
completely abandoned at the turn of the 19th century. Respect for the Renaissance or Gothic
styled architecture between the 3 men was huge and laid the foundation for
their three different branches. Also, all three of them had a deep respect for
the craftsmanship found in historic styles, even though they might see the
craftsmanship as a vessel for a different meaning in architecture.
All 3 men were very different characters in the new
19th century theater, and here is how they could be classified and
categorized.
Viollet le Duc
Le Duc would be the confident and reassured figure
with his belief that he can rationalize what previous architect were thinking
and in with his independent nature. Primary works are the restoration of Notre
Dame and Vezelat.
Facility of Reasoning
Le Duc believed that all architecture deals with a
facility of reasoning through its process and its application of Greek forms
and shapes. He was to create a
modern parallel of historic expositions so new architecture could be as iconic
as the older structures and yet be innovative all on their own.
Independence
Le Duc yearned for an
original style all his own, but knew that there are aspects of Gothic
architecture that needed to be apart of the modern style. Finding the balance
of structure and in form was important to le Duc and his restoration of Notre
Dame and its pointed arches. He kept a journal that would be filled his
individual beliefs and how he thought there was no connection between the
quality of art/architecture and the quality of a particular society.
Craftsmanship
Both Ruskin and Le Duc believed there was great
value in the Masonic arts and the beauty in materials and how they should not
be reinterpreted in any material other than the natural material. However,
Ruskin saw the workers endowing beauty on a building with their work, while Le
Duc thought that a building was already beautiful and that the ornate
craftsmanship was supposed to extenuate the beauty already incorporated in the
design.
Ruskin
Ruskin was the passionate orator with a special
motivational and opinionated outlook on architecture and the world around him.
Even though he never really built anything, his groundwork of architectural
methods have directed the growth of modern architecture.
Feeling
Ruskin believed that architecture was a thing of
passion, where the buildings we design had to be an extension of our soul and
must speak to the people it serves.
Architecture has to be something more than just an ornate collection of
wood and stone. It has to follow the 7 lamps of Architecture; sacrifice, truth,
power, beauty, life, memory, and obedience
Nature
Ruskin had a deep fascination and love for nature in
the wild and the pure nature of buildings. He didn’t believe in restoration
like Le Duc did because he saw the aging of a building as step in its life. The
older a building gets, the older it should look so that it is well known for
how historic it is. He also saw architecture as a naturally ornate artistic
expression where buildings had to be laden with great masonry and sculpture.
Semper
Gottfried Semper was the German man of explanation
and evolution. He knew that everything, even art could be conjured and
constructed from a mathematical equation. He was the most rational character of
the 3 with practical admirations.
Parts to the Puzzle
Semper saw there being 4 major parts of modern
architecture, similar to organs of the body or gears in a machine. The hearth,
roof, surrounding enclosure, and the platform were the most critical parts for
a modern designer to focus on. Like in everything, if one thing was out of
balance or form, they whole, finished product was out of balance. He studies
tectonics of materials and the practical aesthetics that can be found with
particular craftsmanship like weaving of fabrics and ornate masonry.
Mathematical Formula
Style can be boiled down to a simple mathematical equation
for Semper;
Materials and Tectonics
Local Context and Society
+Artistic and Patron Influences =
Original Style
-Also-
Style
@ Function……*Style is always relatable to its
Function
Dresden Opera House (Semper
1841)
Eugene emmanual viollet le duc. In (2013). Eugene Emmanual Viollet le Duc.
Britannica Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/15083/Eugene-Emmanuel-Viollet-le-Duc
Cope, D. (2011, January 20). [Web log message].
Retrieved from
http://www.onthisdeity.com/20th-january-1900-–-the-death-of-john-ruskin/
Gottfried semper. In (2012). Wikimedia
Foundations, Inc. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Semper
Pevsner,
N. (1969). Ruskin and Viollet-le-Duc: Englishness and Frenchness in the
appreciation of Gothic architecture.. Londen: Thames & Hudson.
Summerson,J.
(1963). Viollet le Duc and the Rational Point of View. Heavenly mansions, and
other essays on architecture (pp.140-159). New York: W.W. Norton
