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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Sandra Nunnerley at home
Manuel Santelices
Painting - 22.8 x 30.4 x 0.3 cm Painting - 9 x 12 x 0.1 inch
$900
South Africa Swimming Pool
Slim Aarons
Photography - 50.8 x 50.8 cm Photography - 20 x 20 inch
$2,554
Hamish Bowles apartment in New York
Manuel Santelices
Painting - 27.9 x 38.1 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11 x 15 x 0.1 inch
$1,000
Terrasse à Tunis
Camille Hilaire
Fine Art Drawings - 22 x 29 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.7 x 11.4 inch
$925
La Maison de Rabelais, Metz
Camille Hilaire
Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.6 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6.5 x 4.6 inch
$925
A Little Serenade Of Prague
Kirill Postovit
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 8.3 x 0 inch
$266
Chantier dans une Ville Gothique
Frank De Blok
Painting - 70 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$925
Forest Fires San Francisco Bay
Frank De Blok
Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$751
Unusual activity
Vladimir Kolosov
Painting - 19.1 x 29.2 x 0.6 cm Painting - 7.5 x 11.5 x 0.25 inch
$260
Carnevale Veneziano - III
Vladimir Kolosov
Painting - 121.9 x 121.9 cm Painting - 48 x 48 inch
$3,940
Battersea Power Station
Marco Araldi
Painting - 72 x 91 x 5 cm Painting - 28.3 x 35.8 x 2 inch
$3,432
Yomeimon of Toshogu
Marco Araldi
Painting - 81.5 x 81.5 x 5 cm Painting - 32.1 x 32.1 x 2 inch
$4,393
Arc de Triomphe de la Libertay
Maxime Blachère
Print - 60 x 60 x 4 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch
$694
Comme un miroir III
Agnès Tiollier
Fine Art Drawings - 90 x 90 x 0.18 cm Fine Art Drawings - 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.1 inch
$1,965
Erosion in Time Square
Sophie Cottin
Painting - 73 x 54 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.8 inch
$786
Night Venice
Evgeny Chernyakovsky
Painting - 80 x 65 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 25.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,500
Italian courtyard
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 80 x 100.1 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1 inch
$2,150
100th Anniversary Celebration Coffret # 8 - Bargain
Fabrizio La Torre
Print - 29.7 x 21 x 0.3 cm Print - 11.7 x 8.3 x 0.1 inch
$751
On Wellington Street, Toronto
Fabrizio La Torre
Photography - 42 x 30 x 0.5 cm Photography - 16.5 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch
$867
The Red Ballerina
Tanguy Mendrisse
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$220
I am fleeting #8 and Mirages #6, Diptych
Javier Rey
Photography - 65 x 83 x 0.3 cm Photography - 25.6 x 32.7 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
Message codé ?
Alain Boccard
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.5 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.2 inch
$220
Seuls au monde
Sylvie Julkowski-Egard
Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,098
Cathédrale Saint Julien Le Mans
Stéphane Cantin
Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch
$982
La tourné des gondoles. Venise
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,271
Passage sur cour marocaine
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Evening Venice
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$2,800 $1,960
Brooklyn Bridge at sunset
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,800
Structure Architecturale en rouge
Frank De Blok
Painting - 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
$1,271
Favélas et Compagnie
Frank De Blok
Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
$2,081
Blueprint in Black
Frank De Blok
Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch
$2,312
The Bright Sun Of Winter.
Nikolay Dmitriev
Painting - 25 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
$809
Small Medium Large
Marcus Cederberg
Photography - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$231
N° 1248 Jérusaleme. Eglise Sainte-Marie-Madeleine.
R. Cavalié
Painting - 33 x 46 x 2 cm Painting - 13 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch
$578
N° 1244 Jéricho, Jéricho !
R. Cavalié
Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
$636
In Venice
Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska
Painting - 60 x 45 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,200
City in Cherry Blossoms
Alexander Shandor
Painting - 50 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch
$2,000
La Basilique sur la piazza San Marco
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,271
Architecture pont gondole. Venise
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Gondolier sur le grand canal de Venise
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Reflets de couleurs d architecture à Burano
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Couleurs architectural. Burano 1
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 60 x 90 x 2 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,618
Pêcheur sur l ile de Burano. Italie
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,271
Port de Bastia. Corse
Dominique Leroy
Photography - 90 x 60 x 2 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,618