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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Entrance to the Lavra
Pavlenko Leonid
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$717
Promenade sur broadway
Louis Magre
Painting - 81 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 31.9 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$4,230
Les tanneurs. Fès. Maroc
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 70 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,503
Taj Mahal. India
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,271
Car Wash, Brooklyn, Ny
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16 x 20 x 0.04 inch
$2,500
Aquarium at Coney Island, Ny
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 50.8 x 50.8 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20 x 20 x 0.04 inch
$2,750
Joe's Barn, New York
Michael K. Yamaoka
Photography - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.1 cm Photography - 20 x 16 x 0.04 inch
$2,500
Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc (Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print)
Slim Aarons
Photography - 152.4 x 101.6 cm Photography - 60 x 40 inch
$4,265
The paradise ourtyard
Andrii Chebotaru
Painting - 100 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$4,855
Retour à la Caverne - Acte I, 12 septembre 2023, 20h40, Palais Garnier, Paris, France, 2023
JR
Print - 70 x 100 cm Print - 27.6 x 39.4 inch
$1,387
Ballet, Regard surplombant la façade du Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris, France, 2014
JR
Print - 100 x 70 cm Print - 39.4 x 27.6 inch
$1,387
New opportunities
Nadin Antoniuk
Painting - 115 x 190 x 0.3 cm Painting - 45.3 x 74.8 x 0.1 inch
$4,103
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
$692
Wrinkles of the City, Action in Shanghai, Jiang Quizeng, Red Flag
JR
Print - 73 x 104 cm Print - 28.7 x 40.9 inch
$1,179
Lost in the Snow
Carlos Purroy
Sculpture - 55 x 30 x 19 cm Sculpture - 21.7 x 11.8 x 7.5 inch
$3,468
Yard by the sea
Evgeny Chernyakovsky
Painting - 90 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,000
Obey Conformity Factory (Orange)
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Print - 61 x 46 cm Print - 24 x 18.1 inch
$405
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
$1,387
La Danse de la Mort - Planche 1 (293)
Roberto Matta
Print - 66 x 50.8 cm Print - 26 x 20 inch
$2,500
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
$4,000
Eiffel Tower 5
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 100 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$2,659 $1,861
Tuscany landscape. Italian city
Schagen Vita
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 1 inch
$578
Road to home. Batumi
Iryna Kastsova
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Trompe l'oeil, Les Falaises du Trocadéro (Portfolio of 4)
JR
Print - 64 x 96 x 0.5 cm Print - 25.2 x 37.8 x 0.2 inch
$9,247
Unforgettable Lake Como
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 75 x 85 x 2 cm Painting - 29.5 x 33.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,900
Twilight in Los Angeles
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,700
Holy Spirit Monastery
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 35 x 45 x 0.2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 17.7 x 0.1 inch
$700
Evening Brooklyn Bridge
Serhii Cherniakovskyi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,700
City Park Evening
Zakhar Shevchuk
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,029
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
$1,387
Urban barriera margine confine
Alessandra Bisi
Painting - 60 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,947
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
$4,046
Botanical sceneries - Petit palais Sévilles
Aurélie Trabaud
Painting - 20 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch
$751
Le Flatiron Building
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,023
Le Brooklyn Brigde
Marie France Garrigues
Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch
$2,023
Brouillard à St Guénolé
Claude Schürr
Painting - 73 x 92 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 1 inch
$8,322
Boards in Ximen District, Taipei
Marco Santaniello
Painting - 60 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$5,433
Lisboa walking
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$231
Poolside Ladies
Slim Aarons
Photography - 31 x 41 x 0.01 cm Photography - 12.2 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$2,635
Hide and seek
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$231
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
$1,329
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
$1,098
Night cafe by the highway
Schagen Vita
Painting - 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
$925
Fossil Factory HPM 2/6
Shepard Fairey (Obey)
Painting - 61 x 46 cm Painting - 24 x 18.1 inch
$10,518
