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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Architecture

La rue de la Soie

Molles

Sunset love

Rotterdam et moi 2

Vue sur le Sacré-Cœur, Paris

Quai St Michel, Paris

The Sun is Gone, but I Have a Light

Old House

Doors of Berlin

Sud

Ella

Mes plus belles vacances

Village en bord de mer

Peschiera

Vue sur mer

L’Œil

Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_003

Warmth Beyond the Cold

Notre-Dame - Rose

Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_024

Solitare

Paysage urbain #3

Palm tree road

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning

Casolare giallo

Santorini

Mediterranean street

Fondamenta Degli Incurabili

Run run run

Vaso d'arance

Window

XX146150

La Belle Captive

La durée poignardée

Vieille Rue de Tourettes sur Loup

filtrecafe147_S

Darren Sunday

Untitled 262

April morning at the temple

Trompe l'oeil, Les Falaises du Trocadéro, 19 mai 2021, Paris, France (JR 1-4)

Le Retour

Chairman Mao’s Long Journey, Building the Guggenheim

Cut-Up Paper I.21

Coral Oasis

Inflatabale

La Menace I

N° 890 Le château de Fortis.

Appearance-G-19-II

Cycles IV

Autumn Equinox

Majorelle #32

Trop chaud - collection spéciale Grands Formats

Penumbra

Les heures mauves

The Marina of the Marmaris

Leaning Man

Chicago, Old and New

I carry this Place wherever I go

Enjoying each Moment

N° 1257 Jérusalem. Monastère Deir es-Sultan.

Pink corner windows

Temporal Perception # 45

Le printemps, lithographie originale avec un passage au carborundum

Night on the Great Wall

l'Ile Rousse, lithographie originale

Tour Eiffel #3