Architecture

Art and architecture share many similarities. They've influenced one another throughout history. However, trying to liken these two disciplines will inevitably lead to certain contractions.

Perhaps the biggest difference is that Art, in its broadest sense, is defined as a creation meant to trigger an emotional response which is generally related to aesthetic pleasure. It doesn't satisfy any of life's basic needs, but it leads to thoughts, reflections, and often taps into our subconscious and our memory. On the other hand, architecture's primary purpose is to shelter individuals and ensure their safety. Architecture is meant to serve a utilitarian purpose.

Today, architecture has gone far beyond this initial function. Architects have strived to combine engineering and aesthetic research to create buildings that are so out of the ordinary we wonder how they were designed. They want their creations to stand out and favour originality and creativity. Just like in arts, architecture is influenced by the historical, social, and political context of the time and each movement has its own characteristics, from baroque to futurism to Bauhaus. Modern architecture marked a turn in the history of architecture. Architects revolutionised the social scope of their discipline and took an industrialist approach to society and nature — avant-garde architects rubbed shoulders with artists such as Georges Braque, Piet Mondrian, and members of the De Stijl group. Le Corbusier is a pioneer in collective housing, and also took part in ambitious projects which aimed to rebuild entire cities, such as Chandigarh in India. Decorative arts also developed by taking inspiration from the conventions that governed modernist architecture.

Contemporary architecture might not be a specific movement per se, but buildings that fall into this category share certain attributes. Contemporary architecture is characterised by curvy lines and various volumes in a single structure, as seen with the Sydney Opera House. The architect Jørn Utzon explained that he didn't seek to create a building for this project, but an actual sculpture. The building continually renews itself with new meanings and experiences for each passerby. Architectural works often require periods of deep reflection and a long though process in order for the architect to envisage how to give their building a sense of character and soul.

Whether architecture is an art or not is a never ending debate, but it is undeniable that there are strong links between the two disciplines. There are many examples of collaborations between contemporary artists and architects, and today the works of the greatest architects are exhibited in museums along with their fellow artists.

Discover our selections of artworks inspired by art and architecture!

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Photography, Tchernobyl, Guillaume Herbaut

Guillaume Herbaut

Photography - 60 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 29.5 x 0 inch

$3,609 $3,248

Photography, Venice #1, William Stewart

William Stewart

Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$426

Photography, Simply Red, Ken Enlow

Ken Enlow

Photography - 55.9 x 83.8 x 1.3 cm Photography - 22 x 33 x 0.5 inch

$2,550

Photography, Memento I, Mattia Listowski

Mattia Listowski

Photography - 80 x 70 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 27.6 x 0.4 inch

$3,059

Photography, Double Doors, Tim Graham

Tim Graham

Photography - 101.6 x 76.2 cm Photography - 40 x 30 inch

$2,692

Photography, Zizkov, Tom Evangelidis

Tom Evangelidis

Photography - 144 x 122 x 0.1 cm Photography - 56.7 x 48 x 0 inch

$6,117

Photography, Waiting Room, Suzanne Moxhay

Suzanne Moxhay

Photography - 44 x 32 x 0.5 cm Photography - 17.3 x 12.6 x 0.2 inch

$856

Photography, Flux, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,389

Photography, House N, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 43 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16.9 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$710

Photography, Torsion, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 70 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,664

Photography, Passage, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,730

Photography, Mirages #0, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, 2007 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 58.5 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, 1002 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 70 x 46.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 18.3 x 0.1 inch

$1,150

Photography, Mirages #14, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, Contour, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 70 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,031

Photography, Leaning Man, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 59.8 x 47.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.5 x 18.7 x 0 inch

$2,983

Photography, Poloca #2, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 90 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$2,698

Photography, Dianatempel, Bernhard Lang

Bernhard Lang

Photography - 96 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 37.8 x 47.2 x 0 inch

$2,447

Photography, Circular, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 41.6 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16.4 x 11.7 x 0 inch

$1,278

Photography, Inagawa AM, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 58.5 x 46.1 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23 x 18.1 x 0 inch

$1,278

Photography, Inagawa, Edmund Sumner

Edmund Sumner

Photography - 59.5 x 46.4 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.4 x 18.3 x 0 inch

$1,278

Photography, Baroque, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,870

Photography, Blue house, Natalya Mougenot

Natalya Mougenot

Photography - 27 x 20 x 0.1 cm Photography - 10.6 x 7.9 x 0 inch

$428

Photography, 1001 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 70 x 46.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 18.3 x 0.1 inch

$1,150

Photography, Roi, Mario Tarantino

Roi

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,297

Photography, Zoo Palast, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 100 x 140 x 0.3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 55.1 x 0.1 inch

$1,493

Photography, Mirages #12, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 123.5 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 48.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,755

Photography, Mirages #11, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, Mirages #9, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 123.5 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 48.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,755

Photography, Mirages #8, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, Mirages #6, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 123.5 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 48.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,755

Photography, Illusion, Tanguy Mendrisse

Tanguy Mendrisse

Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

$196

Photography, Zeitz, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$2,042

Photography, Reine, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,066

Photography, Haven, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,376

Photography, Hemisferic, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 70 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,403

Photography, Volantin, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,491

Photography, Sentinel, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,028

Photography, Ascension, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,841

Photography, Ypsilon, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,223

Photography, Ellipse, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch

$1,933

Photography, Phoenix, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,769 $1,505

Photography, Awakening, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,400

Photography, Totem, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$2,101

Photography, Arcade, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,921

Photography, Hyperbola, Mario Tarantino

Mario Tarantino

Photography - 90 x 70 x 0.3 cm Photography - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,751

Photography, Mirages #10, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215

Photography, 1007 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 48 x 70 x 0.1 cm Photography - 18.9 x 27.6 x 0 inch

$1,150

Photography, 1004 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 100 x 66.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 26.2 x 0.1 inch

$1,550

Photography, 1003 Windows, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 60 x 53 x 0.3 cm Photography - 23.6 x 20.9 x 0.1 inch

$1,050

Photography, Mirages #7, Javier Rey

Javier Rey

Photography - 75 x 55 x 0.3 cm Photography - 29.5 x 21.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,215