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

Construction

Blue House Totem

Maria Cornejo and Mark Borthwick in Brooklyn

Skiing Waitress

UN TEMPS POUR SOI

Traverse Fleurie à Mykonos

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Day

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, by Night

Magné, été indien sur la Sèvres

La Major

Marseille

Place des Victoires

Oxford

Petit amphithéâtre

Opera Garnier

Balade Crétoise

Room 2

Trip to Germany

Autumn Forest Mechanimal

North Island

Chiloé

Manarola

Osmose 5

Femme à la fenêtre

Streets of Los Angeles

Starbucks coffee

Charles Bridg in the evening

Street in Santorini

Blooming street Greece

Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung

Les docks de Port Barcarès.

Dans les ruelles de Monterosso. Cinque terre. Italie

L'Empire des Lumières

Zone Commerciale #1

Cliff Hanger

Le village

By the Bodhi Tree

Ile de Burano. Venise. Italie

Les collines de Niassam 2. Sénégal. Afrique

MP170

Sorting Center & Deep Sunset

Isometric cathedral

Tropics

Smart

House and Barn, 1954/2008

Planète Mars

Night in Yerevan

La pelota

2012P3116

Hommage à Terry Pratchett

San Marco, Venezia

HfG Fassade

Disco Pants

Portal No.9

Sans titre 3

Old mill in spring

Provence - 8825

Traces of Time

Extreme Bird View

Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_023

Lake Como

My village in winter

Old village in my countryside

Spring in my countryside - Vresse

Winter in my countryside

Old village in my countryside - Sosoye