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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Nadin Antoniuk
Painting - 115 x 190 x 0.3 cm Painting - 45.3 x 74.8 x 0.1 inch
€3,550
Abstrait. Paréidolie. Bataille de dinosaure. Préhistoire. Bateau
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch
€599
Wrinkles of the City, Action in Shanghai, Jiang Quizeng, Red Flag
JR
Print - 73 x 104 cm Print - 28.7 x 40.9 inch
€1,020
Lost in the Snow
Carlos Purroy
Sculpture - 55 x 30 x 19 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 11.8 x 7.5 inch
€3,000
Yard by the sea
Evgeny Chernyakovsky
Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,877
Obey Conformity Factory (Orange)
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 inch
€350
Le délire - collection spéciale Grands Formats
Philippe Matine
Print - 140 x 140 x 7 cm Print - 55.1 x 55.1 x 2.8 inch
€1,200
La Danse de la Mort - Planche 1 (293)
Roberto Matta
Print - 66 x 50.8 cm Print - 26 x 20 inch
€2,347
Reflection of the Empire State Building
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 91.4 x 61 x 0.1 cm Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.04 inch
€3,755
Eiffel Tower 5
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€2,300 €1,610
Tuscany landscape. Italian city
Schagen Vita
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 1 inch
€500
Road to home. Batumi
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€1,400
Unforgettable Lake Como
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 75 x 85 x 2 cm Painting - 29.5 x 33.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,784
Twilight in Los Angeles
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,596
Holy Spirit Monastery
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 35 x 45 x 0.2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch
€657
Evening Brooklyn Bridge
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,596
28 mm, Face 2 Face, Separation Wall, Security fence, Palestinian side, Bethlehem, 2007
JR
Print - 70 x 100 cm Print - 27.6 x 39.4 inch
€1,200
Urban barriera margine confine
Alessandra Bisi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€2,550
Sur les toits de Paris
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
€3,500
Botanical sceneries - Petit palais Sévilles
Aurélie Trabaud
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
€650
Le Flatiron Building
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,750
Le Brooklyn Brigde
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,750
Brouillard à St Guénolé
Claude Schürr
Painting - 73 x 92 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 1 inch
€7,200
Boards in Ximen District, Taipei
Marco Santaniello
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
€4,700
Lisboa walking
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€200
Poolside Ladies
Slim Aarons
Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch
€2,280
Hide and seek
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€200
Une Seconde Avant l'Envol des Anges
Hugo Pondz
Print - 100 x 100 x 0.1 cm Print - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0 inch
€1,150
Stairs museum Collection MMCA Museum Modern Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
Moon Shin
Fine Art Drawings - 12 x 8 cm Fine Art Drawings - 4.7 x 3.1 inch
€950
Night cafe by the highway
Schagen Vita
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€800
Meaning of life
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 50 x 70 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0 inch
€200
Paysage urbain #1
David Jehan (B.boss)
Painting - 81 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
€550
Paradise Courtyard
Andrii Chebotaru
Painting - 100 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 35.4 x 1 inch
€4,975
Rotterdam et moi 2
Marian Williams
Painting - 130 x 97 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 0.8 inch
€2,950
Vue sur le Sacré-Cœur, Paris
Phil
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€850
The Sun is Gone, but I Have a Light
Maya Abashidze
Painting - 80 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
€4,600
Mes plus belles vacances
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
€2,380
Village en bord de mer
Martine Fauve Dechavanne
Painting - 89 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 35 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch
€2,500
Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_003
Bernhard Lang
Photography - 90 x 67.5 x 0.1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 26.6 x 0 inch
€990
Warmth Beyond the Cold
Mateos Sargsyan
Painting - 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€704
Notre-Dame - Rose
Artiste Ouvrier
Painting - 100 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch
€3,000
Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_024
Bernhard Lang
Photography - 90 x 72 x 0.1 cm Photography - 35.4 x 28.3 x 0 inch
€990
Paysage urbain #3
David Jehan (B.boss)
Painting - 65 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
€550
Take Two and Call Me in the Morning
Charles Fazzino
Print - 68.6 x 78.7 x 5.1 cm Print - 27 x 31 x 2 inch
€3,145