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

Havane I

Vue sur rue, Alcúdia

yellow pylon worker

Schweiz Babylon

Série : Se faire passer pour Mao

Calvary

Ledenon

Booki

Walden 7, Serie V - Limited Edition

Ohne Titel

Paris 1975, ile de la cité

Psychedelic Portal - 21st Century, Contemporary, Geometric Abstract, Interior

Sixth Floor

Petita casa-moll

Tchernobyl

Circus

In The Shdow of a Veil

Cubos Transparencia 2 (Framed)

Clouds over the Tay Rail Bridge

Temptation

Port de Barcelona

N-0,043

Magritte

The moon is generous

Memories 11

Untitled

No Man's Land

Madrid-1

Utopia serves us to walk

Les Friches 05

Help is near

Shizuoka Press & Broadcasting Centre, Ginza

Cine Avaroa

La porte rouge

Distorted Landscape 2

Dimore

Memory 2

Ibrid Cracovia

Hollands Canal Face with Figs

View of Trinità dé Monti

Noise of City Series

Paris Scene 01

Arco del triunfo Triptych. From The Durero series

Le Musset, Paris - Limited Edition Print

Knole House

Radius

Miranda 2

Time Vibrations

Untitled 1

Fog in the port

Frida's Studio

Motel

City legends

Afghanistan

Soviet

Le pont du parc Gantner

Chemin entre les mazots et vue sur le Cervin

The Bridge

Petit chemin et barque bleue

Venecia

La combi

Les Remparts

Neige sua Paris - Snow on Paris

Borough Station 1

Hôtel joyeux, Amboise

The Way Home 1