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

Autumn Lviv

The Blue Chimney

Tower of Babel

November

Harley Davidson rocket

La Basilique sur la piazza San Marco

Architecture pont gondole. Venise

Gondolier sur le grand canal de Venise

Reflets de couleurs d architecture à Burano

Couleurs architectural. Burano 1

Pêcheur sur l ile de Burano. Italie

Port de Bastia. Corse

Eglise de Nonza. Cap Corse

Le Phare sur la Digue, 1908 | Promenade and Lighthouse, 1908

Composition 307

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Day

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Night

Abstract Skyscrapers

Sans titre 16

Notre-Dame et bateau mouche

Chris Morin-Eitner - Paris, Musée d'Orsay

Dianatempel

N° 998 La nausée

Paris, Eiffel Liberté

Desnos-Nerval 2001

N° 982 Gaspard de la nuit.

N° 602 La Commanderie 1.

Cafe in the Favela

Glass Wall

Beach house

Circus

Quatre Points

Bureau Vu Exterieur

Barca

Parisian Night Glow

Poolside Dreams

Poolside Host

Poolside Socialites

Spring in Foy

Evening Mont Saint Michel

Untitled. From The Durero Series

Santa Maria della Salute

New York City Silver

Moonshine in spring

This is the season of the witch

River in winter

Windy autumn

Mirror of vibrance

Dream of sea and color

Castle walls

Le jardin oublié IV

Le Panthéon (vue de la rue Valette)

Une histoire de toits 1

Castellans, triptych

Italian street of Korcula. Croatia

Magic lights in Istanbul I

Red House in Yerevan

There is always a dog barking somewhere

Overlay

Blooming

Carnaval de Venecia

Les fleurs respirent la nuit

Cabanes bleue

Season of Renewal

Ruin Houses

Floating City of Dreams