- By Darshan Sumant Chintamani
‘A building is not just a place to be but a way to be. The mother art is architecture.
Without an architecture of our own, we have no soul of our own civilization.’
– Frank Lloyd Wright
Without an architecture of our own, we have no soul of our own civilization.’
– Frank Lloyd Wright
Wright, perhaps one of the best architects of his time, aptly defined the true essence of architecture. Architecture is an integral part of every civilization, an eternal mark on the earth’s face, of its people and their artistic genius. One can experience this for himself only while travelling through the different parts of Europe. For over the last two millennia, each civilization – small or big – has imprinted itself in stone and brick. The buildings in each city stand testimony to the continuous evolution of society’s artistic expression. It is therefore imminent to understand the main architectural styles, their history and the symbolism, to better understand the rich heritage of an entire continent.
Classical
Classical architecture is derived from the architecture of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. With the collapse of the western part of the Roman Empire, the architectural traditions of the Roman empire ceased to be practiced in large parts of western Europe. In the Byzantine Empire, the ancient ways of building lived on but relatively soon developed into a distinct Byzantine style. It places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of Classical antiquity and in particular, the architecture of Ancient Rome. Greek amphitheaters, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Roman Baths are just a small set of examples.
Classical
Classical architecture is derived from the architecture of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. With the collapse of the western part of the Roman Empire, the architectural traditions of the Roman empire ceased to be practiced in large parts of western Europe. In the Byzantine Empire, the ancient ways of building lived on but relatively soon developed into a distinct Byzantine style. It places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of Classical antiquity and in particular, the architecture of Ancient Rome. Greek amphitheaters, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Roman Baths are just a small set of examples.