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

US beach

We Know It

Amsterdam

Destino

Stories #2

L'heure bleue

La Maison sur la Plage

London, Evening Promise

Circular

Inagawa AM

Inagawa

An interior by Joseph Dirand

Filtre à café #155

Vertige, l'escalier magique 1908 / Vertigo, Magic Staircase 1908

Khor Virap

Traveler

Sorano, Tuscany

L'escalier du château

Ruins of civilization

Eiffel Tower

Struttura I

Port ostréicole

Lithographie Le Pont Neuf

Abandoned House

Casolare a sera

Faro notturno I

Spiaggia e bandiera

Tempio

Casolare rosa

IL ETAIT UNE FOIS MANHATTAN

Motel Gold Dust

Sun rising on Camden market

Echoes of silence

Summer café

Eiffel Tower 2. Paris.

Ala Alhambra

Holiday. Eiffel Tower.

Temple of Ptolemy

Le miroir du ciel

I am fleeting #1 and Mirages #4, Diptych

Prospect of a speedy recovery

Osmose 06,1

Field of Tulips

Night lights of Prague

Santa Maria della Salute

Italie acqua dolce. Entre murs colorés et ruelles

Sant'Ambrogio

Bandiera

Little Island New York

Exploded View

Hommage à Eiffel

Ayutthaya

First Snow

Hommage à Hopper

In Jail

Prussian Twilight

Vue sur la mer

Village arboré en bord de mer

Luna Park

Companyes

Love in the tropics

Mémoire de JingDeZhen Pause

Mémoire de JingDeZhen Atelier 5

Strada Rosa

Ouessant - série bord de mer

Evening Riomaggiore