Definition and Characteristics of Architectural Style
– Architectural style refers to a set of characteristics and features that make a building or structure historically identifiable.
– It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts and closely relates to contemporary artistic styles.
– Elements of architectural style include form, construction method, building materials, and regional character.
– Styles change over time, reflecting changing fashions, beliefs, technology, and materials.
– Architectural styles emerge from the history of a society and are documented in architectural history.
Spread and Influence of Architectural Styles
– Architectural styles often spread to other places and continue to develop in new ways.
– Renaissance ideas, for example, emerged in Italy and spread to all of Europe.
– Architectural styles can spread through colonialism, as seen in the Spanish missions in California.
– Revivals and re-interpretations of architectural styles can occur after they go out of fashion.
– Examples include the revival of classicism as neoclassicism and the revival of Spanish mission style.
History of the Concept of Architectural Style
– The concept of architectural style was a major concern for 19th-century scholars in the field of art history.
– Writers like Carl Friedrich von Rumohr, Gottfried Semper, and Alois Riegl contributed to the theory of style.
– Art historians proposed grand schemes tracing the transmission of style elements across time and space.
– Terms originally coined to describe architectural styles were later applied to other areas of the visual arts.
– Stylistic change in architecture often follows the discovery of new techniques or materials.
Specific Architectural Styles
– Mannerism is an architectural style that explores hyperbole and exaggeration.
– Neoclassical architecture emerged in the late 18th century and drew inspiration from classical Greek and Roman architecture.
– Gothic revival architecture originated in the 18th century as a reaction against neoclassical styles and drew inspiration from medieval Gothic architecture.
– Art Deco emerged in the 1920s and 1930s as a response to the austerity of World War I and is characterized by geometric shapes and decorative motifs.
– Brutalist architecture emerged in the mid-20th century and is characterized by raw, exposed concrete surfaces and a focus on functionality.
– Postmodern architecture emerged in the late 20th century as a reaction against modernism and embraces eclecticism and historical references.
Related Concepts and Resources
– Historicism and revivalism are related concepts in architecture.
– The history of architecture is a field closely related to the study of architectural styles.
– A list of architectural styles can provide a comprehensive overview of different periods and characteristics.
– The architecture portal is a valuable resource for exploring various architectural topics.
– Further reading and research can be done to delve deeper into the subject of architectural style. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_style
An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely to a wider contemporary artistic style. A style may include such elements as form, method of construction, building materials, and regional character. Most architecture can be classified within a chronology of styles which changes over time, reflecting changing fashions, beliefs and religions, or the emergence of new ideas, technology, or materials which make new styles possible.
Styles therefore emerge from the history of a society. They are documented in the subject of architectural history. At any time several styles may be fashionable, and when a style changes it usually does so gradually, as architects learn and adapt to new ideas. The new style is sometimes only a rebellion against an existing style, such as postmodern architecture (meaning "after modernism"), which in 21st century has found its own language and split into a number of styles which have acquired other names.
Architectural styles often spread to other places, so that the style at its source continues to develop in new ways while other countries follow with their own twist. For instance, Renaissance ideas emerged in Italy around 1425 and spread to all of Europe over the next 200 years, with the French, German, English, and Spanish Renaissances showing recognisably the same style, but with unique characteristics. An architectural style may also spread through colonialism, either by foreign colonies learning from their home country, or by settlers moving to a new land. One example is the Spanish missions in California, brought by Spanish priests in the late 18th century and built in a unique style.
After an architectural style has gone out of fashion, revivals and re-interpretations may occur. For instance, classicism has been revived many times and found new life as neoclassicism. Each time it is revived, it is different. The Spanish mission style was revived 100 years later as the Mission Revival, and that soon evolved into the Spanish Colonial Revival.
Vernacular architecture is listed separately. As vernacular architecture is better understood as suggestive of culture, writ broadly (as well as a theory and a process rather than a thing-in-itself), it technically can encompass every architectural style--or none at all. In and of itself, vernacular architecture is not a style.
