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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Gaudí sculptures
Jason Pocklington
Photography - 64 x 44 x 1 cm Photography - 25.2 x 17.3 x 0.4 inch
$310
The Curve is the Shortest Path to Beauty
Antoine Buttafoghi
Photography - 120 x 80 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 inch
$1,667
Fog in L.A
George Maskharashvili
Painting - 85 x 143 x 3 cm Painting - 33.5 x 56.3 x 1.2 inch
$12,619
The Gallery
Michael Grine
Fine Art Drawings - 61 x 91.4 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 24 x 36 x 0.1 inch
$1,000
If Only You Knew the Power of the Dark Side
Marco Araldi & Keng Wai Lee
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,118
Protocol Droid
Marco Araldi & Keng Wai Lee
Painting - 62 x 62 x 2 cm Painting - 24.4 x 24.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,542
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
North Atlantic
Victor Roschkov
Painting - 54.6 x 34.3 x 0.3 cm Painting - 21.5 x 13.5 x 0.1 inch
$553
Fragments de mémoire 2
Chouette Nia
Painting - 80 x 80 x 3.4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.3 inch
$1,298
Evening Venice
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,800 $1,960
Brooklyn Bridge at sunset
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,800
Lanterns Bonanza in Osaka
Marco Santaniello
Painting - 80 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch
$5,357
Como Lake Italy
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,000
Bath time, Vacation on the Happy Island serie
Olha Vlasova
Painting - 60 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$714
The flying Dutchman opera
Pol Ledent
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,429
Bientôt les vacances
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$452
Monaco, Port Hercules
Marta Zawadzka
Painting - 130 x 180 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 70.9 x 0.8 inch
$5,655
The house of the cat
Stanislav Lazarov
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,667
La Grande Dame (Vue 7, vue du Champs de Mars)
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$417
Arc de Triomphe de la Libertay
Maxime Blachère
Print - 60 x 60 x 4 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$714
La maison bleue 2
Jean-Pierre Brissart
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$702
Verdana - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 180 x 135 x 1 cm Print - 70.9 x 53.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,500
Solaria - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Print - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,143
Pyra - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Christophe Malsert
Print - 150 x 150 x 1 cm Print - 59.1 x 59.1 x 0.4 inch
$2,143
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
$2,143
Golden domes behind the trees
Boris Serdyuk
Painting - 21 x 30.4 x 2 cm Painting - 8.3 x 12 x 0.8 inch
$375
Blooming Bougainvillea in Old Cyprus village
July Kinart (Prykina)
Painting - 35 x 25 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 9.8 x 0.8 inch
$595
Chicago
Josep Maria Mejan
Fine Art Drawings - 14 x 10.7 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 5.5 x 4.2 x 0 inch
$774
Burn-out au paradis.
Jean-Jacques Venturini
Painting - 60 x 51 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch
$952
National Theatre & Reflection
Marion Sagon
Painting - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$3,453
Afternoon sun on ancient architecture
Quynh Elisa Hoang
Painting - 72.9 x 100.1 x 3 cm Painting - 28.7 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$2,300
1004 Windows
Javier Rey
Photography - 100 x 66.5 x 0.3 cm Photography - 39.4 x 26.2 x 0.1 inch
$1,550
The Red Bench
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 91.4 x 61 x 0.1 cm Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.04 inch
$4,500
Manhattan Hudson River
Jacques Guillet
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,381
Soir bleu sur Montmartre
Jacques Guillet
Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,381
N° 1244 Jéricho, Jéricho !
R. Cavalié
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$619
N°1242 Bet She’an. Scythopolis 1.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 38 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$643
N° 1234 Saint-Jean d'acre 1
R. Cavalié
Painting - 46 x 33 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 13 x 0.8 inch
$595
N° 1232 Césarée, Cesarea
R. Cavalié
Painting - 46 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$643
N° 1193 Rochefort. Au musée de...
R. Cavalié
Painting - 81 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$952
N° 1190 Aix. La maison de rêve
R. Cavalié
Painting - 38 x 55 x 2 cm Painting - 15 x 21.7 x 0.8 inch
$595
N° 1117 Belgrade 14. Eglise orthodoxe de Saint-Sava A
R. Cavalié
Painting - 54 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 21.3 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$595
N° 1105 Belgrade 2. Kafeterija Magazin. A
R. Cavalié
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$691
N° 1096 Prague 1. Place de la Vieille Ville (est).
R. Cavalié
Painting - 65 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$595