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

Londres I

Hommage à Terry Pratchett

Provence - 8825

Hanger

Brauerei

Chantier dans une Ville Gothique

Fairy

Street edge

Frankcolor 2022 - Zone Industrielle en rouge

The city that rides a garbage dump

Oz Tennis Stars

Absis

Deux mondes II

La belle époque sans TV

Rue de Kyoto

Aleppo perdant la guerre civile

La Forge des Samurai

Mégalopole en tons terreux

Subway Station WTC NY

Saint Patrick’s NY contrasting with it’s surroundings

Palais Sévilles

Chrayscler

Basilisk

Parallel II

Nexus papel III

Venice at night

Vers soi

Italian Landscape with Signals

Land of water

A piece of history Elmina castle

5th Avenue give and take

Le bureau

À quai

Viens

New-York 2

69

Nexus papel I

New-York 6

Moment bleu

Paris, Hotel des Saint Pères

Albert Bridge

The Wikilight

Je t'aime

Piccadilly Circus

A glimpse into rural tranquility

Chat-eau

Perpetuum Mobile

Liberté-Egalité-Fraternité

The Citizens - 11

Station Barbès

Perspective urbaine en bleu - double diptyque

Place royale - Barcelone

Maxim's à la tour

Les Sans Logis

La dame de Montmartre

Sumériens

Untitled

Les pigeons

Untitled #42

Tel Aviv (Dizengoff Square)

Temple Roulant

Regresa vida mia que te espero 4

Holiday homes in the pine forest

Winter Flowers (From the Series “The Seasons”, Winter)

Cadeau unique

Mon coeur