For the scale of artifacts amongst the five different styles I see lines being an element that is evident in all of them. From the desk incorporating all of the drawers, to the chair that has lines that embodies the entire piece; especially the backing. Next you have the clock that has vertical lines that are far more prominent that the horizontals of the object. Then there is the state bed that has lines that are most noticeable in the four posts that rise above the bed to hoist the shelter that encloses it; lastly you have the Sheraton side chair that also embodies lines in the same aspects of the Windsor chair.
The next scale is that of physical interior spaces, and for this I can see many different principles such as space itself, texture, balance. Texture is the one I find most interesting because texture is something we know about but we don’t really pay attention to just how much texture is around us and what’s different about each and every one of those. And the interior’s are where you’ll find many different textures from the floor whether it’s wood, carpet, tile to the specific furniture and upholstery that is applied to that piece. And all of these examples incorporate texture in many different ways, and also many similar ways.
Next there is the building scale and across these five different styles I believe repetition is one that you could argue. In most of these examples you’ll find columns, windows, brick work even that creates that sense of repeating something. It’s the way that element is chosen to be echoed on how it will affect the entire composition.
Lastly there is the place scale and since it is on a city wide scale it’s hard to determine certain principles or elements. But any city in it’s whole most likely embellishes that sense of unity with the entire city coming together, from it’s houses to whole blocks to whole areas to eventually it’s outer most limits. Also you’ve got contrast for sure in all of these places, not everything in a city looks exactly the same. You’ve got homes, houses, apartments, commercial complexes and whatever else that gives it a certain flare.
[2] Linked to Europe, the ARTIFACTS, SPACES, BUILDINGS, and PLACES of the American colonies echo closely their design forebears. Selecting evidence from all four scales for both the American Georgian periods, TRACE the common design ancestry across the Atlantic Ocean in the Neo-Palladian and Late Georgian periods of England and the Louis XVI/French Provincial period in France. ARTICULATE the implications of copying from Europe for the American colonies. Use the principles and elements of design as defined for this class in your response. Explicitly tie the Roth reading to your analysis, using at least one cited quote. [10 points possible]
When the English arrived to the Newfoundland they established colonies along the eastern seaboard. And with those new colonies that were being formed they reproduced the houses and furnishings they knew from their homeland. Using different materials for different purposes such as timber; they still managed to keep a consistency with there profound lines and symmetry in many different scales across Boston.
Next we have the Spanish and when they arrived they settled in the southwest and also Florida. More than the other colonists, the Spanish adopted local traditions and also developed a distinct architecture in numerous colonies. Although the forms somewhat stay consistent with what they know the materiality changes somewhat where in Spain you see mostly stone work and then in the new land you start seeing the use of adobe. And also in the furniture the consistency is clearly evident with carving being brought into many of the pieces once they were settled in their new environment.
The French settled in the Gulf of Mexico and also near the mouth of the Mississippi which brings us the New Orleans, Louisiana. The French were also similar to other settlements being that they recreated what they knew from their mother country. Their interiors and architecture were pretty simple but their furniture however borrowed from the high-style pieces. They also incorporated many techniques that they already had developed such as the steep pitched roof and half-timber construction.
Lastly we come to the Germans/Hollands that settled primarily in New York and Pennsylvania. German settlers, like the English brought over native medieval building and furnishing traditions to America. Once again when the Germans arrived in America they explored different materials; this material being wood rather than stone that was common to the homeland. The interiors of German homes were fairly simple but often colorful and walls were often whitewashed as well.
[3] From the Hersey/Freedman reading, DESIGN and POST a labeled floor plan of a possible Palladian villa inspired by Girolamo Frescobaldi’s Balletto Terzo found online at this site: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm select the link on the left side of the page with Frescobaldi’s name under multimedias [5 points possible]
[4] Using the resources at the weblink below, SPECULATE about whether you believe that the architecture and design in the Baroque period stands as a form of social performance in the theatre of the world. Support your response with examples from class and the assigned readings. [5 points possible] http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/10701023/
Theatrum mundi is the term that I noticed most in the reading that translates to, the world is a stage. And I believe throughout the Baroque era this is what you see done, but it is done in the form on a solid architectural form. They take what is done on a stage by human beings and somehow attempt to mold that into a valid, structural place. Some common design characteristics in the Baroque period was a stronger emphasis on curves as well as more decorative details and ornamentation. Movement was something they tried to embody as well as optical illusions and many other things too. If you think about all these things you can somehow interpret it into something that a person would do in a theatre setting. Curves firstly, we as humans don’t move in a straight line, we do it in a very fluid and natural sort of manner. Next, theatre life is very planned and very organized to put on a good show and there is tons of movement that is captured throughout a performance. So yes, I believe very much so that the Baroque era was a form of social performance in every single way; you are witnessing a theatrical performance being paused and then shaped into a habitable and purposeful space.
[1]good job on describing a common design language and using elements + principles...no citation [2]nice work tracing design ancestry...no citation [3]ok...but it needs labels {4]great job in contrasting architecture to the performing human body
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