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

Vienna, Hofburg

Fenêtre sur lac Variation III

Papillons sur la Tour Eiffel

Serene Christmas

Dream house

Paysage en devenir

Cathédrale d'Ulm

La mémoire

Toulouse Dawn

X-Y Building Facade Op.6, No.2

The Night

American Dream

An argument in the bathroom

Opera House - Oslo (1)

Window on Amalfi - Italian seaside painting

Full of colours view - Positano Italy painting

The Last Break

Urbain brutalisme - Photographie digigraphie

5th Street

Dissonance III

Convivencia

Silent

No New Friends

Stairways

Couleurs Urbaines 015 - Paris

Old country houses - Tuscany landscape painting

The Knox's House

Chiesa Nuova II, Rome, Italy, Churches of Rome

The Warriors of tradition

Pool House

5th Avenue Uptown

Promenade

Nice

Empty Room

Les murs de Babel II - N°2

Arborescence

Rem(a)inders (Saint-Nazaire) 2

Zizkov

Village with sunflowers - Tuscany landscape painting & frame

Le phare

X-Ray London

Le carré Victoria (Terracotta)

Guglie Celesti, 3/10

Two Days Later

Ar the Arc de Triomphe - France Belle Epoque painting + frame

Chez le collectionneur le penseur

Bibliothèque d’eau de mer

Le plongeoir

Un castillo

Häuser

Habana inside

Yeni Cami (nouvelle mosquée)

Perspectives Infinies

Ronds mécaniques

Untitled Desert Tile 2

New York 5

Au petit matin

Marrakech

Corvée d'eau, Tchétchénie

Villa Adriana III

Jour d'automne

Portal 04

Les canaux venitiens

Sans Titre

Purple Hour

Les Larmes du Routier I