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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N° 493 De l'esplanade de la Maison de Boigne.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 54 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 21.3 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$702
Street edge
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,400 $1,200
Paris Tour Eiffel
Bruno Fournier
Photography - 24 x 18 x 1 cm Photography - 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.4 inch
$936
Paris tour tour Eiffel 1
Bruno Fournier
Photography - 24 x 18 x 1 cm Photography - 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.4 inch
$936
Plénitude II
Djamel Djebbour
Photography - 80 x 120 x 3 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch
$7,020
Verdana - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 180 x 135 x 1 cm Print - 70.9 x 53.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,457
Solaria - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Print - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,106
Pyra - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Print - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,106
California house - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Print - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,106
Terrasse italienne
Laurelle Bessé
Painting - 50 x 73 x 2.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 28.7 x 1 inch
$1,755
Courtyard in Greece
Evgeny Chernyakovsky
Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,600 $1,120
Caravane abandonnée sur l'île de Skye
Bertrand De Cointet
Painting - 54 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 21.3 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$585
The sky begins behind the house
Elina Bilous
Painting - 65 x 67 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 26.4 x 0.8 inch
$635
Osmose Bande De 1 N2
Paul Gallaud
Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,106
Andres Alsina in Paris
Manuel Santelices
Fine Art Drawings - 27.9 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$950
Burn-out au paradis.
Jean-Jacques Venturini
Painting - 60 x 51 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch
$936
National Theatre & Reflection
Marion Sagon
Painting - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$3,393
N° 1183 Ile d'Aix. Façade Nord de l'église abbatiale.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 33 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 13 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$526
Silence and Calmness
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 85 x 110 x 2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 43.3 x 0.8 inch
$7,000
N° 1166 Rochefort. Allée Paul Guimard.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 38 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$491
N° 1080 Budapest 2. Széchenyi Lànchid A.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 40 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$445
Hommage à Lao Tseu H.16 cm Brossée
Francesco Marino Di Teana
Sculpture - 16 x 8.5 x 4 cm Sculpture - 6.3 x 3.3 x 1.6 inch
$468
Soleil entrant
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,047
Perspective
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,047
Souvenirs de Sofia
Albena Vatcheva
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,339
Les Chevaliers du Temple
Gyslaine Pachet-Micheneau
Painting - 46 x 33 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 13 x 0.8 inch
$889
Struttura figurale
Giovanni Alfonsetti
Sculpture - 51 x 10 x 3 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 3.9 x 1.2 inch
$1,404
Canal de Burano
Gyslaine Pachet-Micheneau
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$913
Voyage voyage
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$445
Bientôt les vacances
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$445
Vers Saint Georges
Guillaume Chansarel (Guiyome)
Painting - 100 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$2,925
"Vue sur les toits " vue 10
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,755
Un soir à Paris
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
$2,457
Casa amb cúpula i lluna plena
Àlex Prunés
Painting - 30 x 30 x 4 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch
$877
White Paris blanc La Tour Eiffel et La Seine 1966 Eiffel Tower and Seine River
Jochen Michaelis
Painting - 26 x 37.5 cm Painting - 10.2 x 14.8 inch
$2,281
The Birth of Sculpture
Derek Carruthers
Painting - 56 x 76 x 0.1 cm Painting - 22 x 29.9 x 0 inch
$690
Arco de Chuchilleros, Madrid
Montse Tomé
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch
$936
The flying Dutchman opera
Pol Ledent
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,404
Elevations - Paysage imaginaire et architecture
Danièle Lemius
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,837
In Venice
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 60 x 45 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,200 $840
Dramatic Sunset Over Berlin
Marc Todd
Painting - 100.1 x 119.9 x 4.1 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch
$2,514
The Souk of Marrakech
Rodrigo
Photography - 26.7 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 10.5 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,164
Study in Green & Blue, Ahangama
Edmund Sumner
Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch
$3,061
Fickle Memory 02
Yasuo Kiyonaga
Photography - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$585
Construction Site in Manhattan
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.04 inch
$2,500