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

Ella

Peschiera

Vue sur mer

Rooms we never left

Urban_Mirrors_Frankfurt_002

Together through time

Notre-Dame - Rose

When time stands still

Unchartered Waters of Love

Paysage urbain #3

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Midnight walker

Palm tree road

Santorini

Mediterranean street

Run run run

Cloud services

Pont robot

Blue blue blue

Reading from above

XX146150

La Belle Captive

Vieille Rue de Tourettes sur Loup

Molles

filtrecafe147_S

Darren Sunday

Untitled 262

Trop chaud - collection spéciale Grands Formats

Apartments

Soft yellow window

Closed for now

Greek beach window

Hotel by the lake

Blue Pearl

Le Retour

Chairman Mao’s Long Journey, Building the Guggenheim

Cut-Up Paper I.21

Warmth Beyond the Cold

Coral Oasis

Pink corner

Eenie Meenie Miney

Solo lamp

Mediterrain facade

Red wall

Balconies on a row

Sunset reflections

Reflections

Tour Eiffel #3

Italie acqua dolce. Entre murs colorés et ruelles

Mes plus belles vacances

Village en bord de mer

La Menace I

Paris, Opéra

N° 890 Le château de Fortis.

Appearance-G-19-II

Cycles IV

Autumn Equinox

Night in Paris

Majorelle #32

Vue sur le Sacré-Cœur, Paris

Quai St Michel, Paris

Penumbra

Window

Leaning Man

Chicago, Old and New

The Symphony Of Us