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

Around Shinsekai, Osaka

Sana

Mémoire de JingDeZhen

Mémoire de JingDeZhen

Tunnel

Majorelle, le temps passe.

Zebulun, from Twelve Tribes of Israel

Betwixt

Auberge au Perou

JR au Louvre, 29 Mars 2019, Paris, France (19h45)

Home Alone in the Pink and Green

Ciel 5

Metamorphosis I

New-York

Théorèmes #1

Paris, Place Vendôme Ritz

Giants, Brandenburg Gate

The Best Mornings

Blur roofs 21

Far Above the World

Composition in shells and tiger eyes

Le Panthéon

Coucher de soleil

Riflessi dorati su San Marco

Back to the future

Mémoires d'atelier

Atelier 18

At the End of the Day

Unframed, Charlie Chaplin revu par JR, The Kid, Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan, USA, 1923, de jour Paris

Intérieur parisien Haussmanien

City B

N° 1010 Patetico ostinato.

L'étincelle

Déplacé.e.s Angel, Pique nique, Colombie

Bleecker Street

That Pink Door

Misty Morning in Pasadena

Ready for the party

Les Alpilles

Cheerful Morning

Sightseeing No.9

A Swim and a Sip

Sightseeing No.4

Bird on a Wire

Garden Overlook

An Affair With Flair

Desert Style

Rest & Surf

Vol de nuit

A Journey to Reencounter Japanese Landscapes 5

Venice coast

La Nascita, Milano Centrale, Italie

Lungo il canale

Brooklyn Bridge

Forties

Opéra Jour, 2023, 7 septembre 2023, 06H52

Opéra Nuit, 2023, 12 Septembre 2023, 20H40

Prussian Twilight

Couleurs d'atelier

Les recueils

Maison avec une grande histoire, Rome II

HK Fruits Gage Street Corner

Corso Mazzini Cosenza

Golden waters of Venice

Exubérance II

Carmen and Don José fleeing on horseback from The Opera Carmen