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

The house of harmony

Venice

Street Vitrine 'Maison de la Presse'

Roofs in Palermo

Panthéon

Rooftops Docks

Grant's Tomb

Automne en Provence

"Colonne d'eau" abstrait vernis pigments masquage sur plaque de bois 280x75x75x75cm

Tour Bagneux I

Sundown Interior

Hazy pool day

Mont Saint-Michel

Les ballons

Les maîtres nageurs

Port de l'extrême Europe

Le soir

Self portrait on the gulf on Naples

N°1150

N°974

Nous sommes tous des enfants

Le Pont-du-Gard

No More Gladiators

Empire state ambulance

Soleil d'hiver à Versailles

Pool daze sun daze

Lumières à l'ombre des solitudes

Institut II

Architecture verte

Paysage Maroc

Selo-2D

Blue Sacred Heart

Cachan I

Vanves I

Pharmacie

Miss liberty 2

Pharmacie

Restaurant Torstübli

Boules

Sans titre

Usine

Gondoliers sur le Grand Canal, Venise

Ponte degli Scalzi, Venise

San Pietro

Showing Off Hoping For A Gig

Schoolyard, Vancouver, Spring 2011

Black

Porte B2

Les pieds dans l'eau

French riviera

Casino Riviera

Inlands

Tower of Babel (2)

The gold diving board

Garder la Niak

Puylaurens en rose

La Bourdette

Arc de Triomphe

Usine en fête

Like a shadow

Tgv

Random House

Naked (The Great Chamber)

Scharnweber Ecke Jessner

Reflexion on reflexion

Brave new world