The modern world has brought a great number of changes to the many facets of society. One of them being a change in the way that architecture is being created. The traditional notion of the architect as an artist is slowly fading, becoming a past concept and a romantic notion of the trade. Architects were known in the past as the highest form of artists.
The process of creating a physical object with an idea that is formed in the artists’ mind which then is put on paper and later occupying public space in the real world. The debate of whether or not architecture should still be considered a form of art is ongoing. Nowadays, the process of designing and creating new architecture with the help of computer algorithms. Art and architecture have always had a connection as both of them expressed some form of the idea. The software can be used to create renderings of development areas and can help the layout of buildings in a residential area or office buildings.
Creating Architecture Using Computer Software
Whether the structure is meant for an office space or residential building, its architecture should be able to reflect its function. Places, where this can be seen, is at most casino resorts around the world. Casinos are often associated with glamour and excess, this can be seen in many well-known establishments such as those found in Las Vegas and Macau.
Many well-known architects strongly agree that architecture is not art, a site is not a form of self-expression and that FORM is a major focus of architects when designing structures, which contributes to the evolution of society. On the other side, many other architects view themselves as artists. Many of them hold exhibitions by using photographs, as well as 2D and 3D renderings. Architecture is more than just something for the eye to view. Besides the functional aspect, such as providing shelter, good architecture can have an overall positive influence on a person’s wellbeing.
Modern Art Movements and Architecture
Throughout history, no other architectural movement is more obvious than baroque. The idea behind baroque was the representation of infinity putting great emphasis on lighting and architectural style that seemed almost theatrical. Artists implemented new techniques to achieve this, including Quadro riportato, quadrature and lastly trompe l’oeil, all of them being techniques used to form the final result, as all of these three combined managed to bring seamless transition between the paintings and sculpture. The technique was not only used in baroque but during the Rennaissance as well.
A more modern approach to decorative architecture is Art Nouveau. The style is characterized by the uses of long decorative organic lines, used most notably in architecture but in other decorative arts as well such as jewelry and glass designs, posters and illustration. The purpose of the art movement was to create a new modern style, free from the artistic constraints that were prevalent during the 19th century. The visual style of Art Nouveau is obtained by the use of asymmetrical, undulating lines, often inspired by plant, insect and other natural and delicate forms. One famous example of Art Nouveau is found at the abandoned casino in Constanța, Romania, another important example at the Casino de Monte Carlo, in Monaco.
Today, people are able to play all kinds of games on the internet such as online roulette, poker or blackjack. However, it does not compare to playing these table games at a real casino, especially one of the Art Nouveau style. The casino in Constanța remains abandoned, but recently, plans to restore this one famous casino are being made. When it opened its doors it was met with some criticism, however, a year later, it became one of the most famous casinos, attracting people from all over Europe. Restoration of this once famous building may prove challenging. Its most important feature is its Art Nouveau decorations which must be maintained and not altered in any way whatsoever.
The Birth of the Bauhaus Movement
During its first years, Art Nouveau was a response from architects and artists who witnessed modern industrialism producing poor imitations and poorly-made objects of previous periods and with Art Nouveau, they sought to bring back good craftsmanship while at the same time producing objects that reflected their utility. Many also believe that Art Nouveau was a way to strip the excessive decorations from previous styles and to “clean” the form. The idea was taken to the extreme with the Bauhaus movement when architects went all-in in stripping any form of decoration implying the idea that the form of a building should serve its function, resulting in bland architecture.
Bauhaus was established in 1919 by Walter Gropius and was the most influential movement, changing many aspects of architecture, decorative arts, design, industrial and interior design with the idea of bringing them together under one roof. Bauhaus architecture was bare, exposing the modern construction materials and not hiding them. Steel, concrete, and glass were the most used and the philosophy was to construct the building representative of the machine age.
The school of Bauhaus brought an extreme transformation to society and traditionalism. From the very start, it gained much criticism, many citing that the movement, especially in architecture was neutral and degenerative in contrast to traditional architecture. The focus on function over form was accentuated after its founder left and Hannes Meyer took his place in 1928. The movement lasted about a decade, but its philosophy is still seen to this day. The environment that we live in greatly influences our daily lives. Recently there has been a call for beauty in modern architecture. James Stevens Curl, a renowned architectural historian release one of his most famous books known as “Making Dystopia” which emphasizes his distaste for modernism, calling modern architecture as barbaric.