The Americas, China and India

The Americas-
Angie- I like how she described the Elites,Commoners, and the Teotihuacan. And how she did a brief outline of the whole culture.

Alex- Her blog was brief but she got to the point with the materials that were used. I liked her extra credit article it was really neat to read.

China and India-
 Amanda- She did a good job at explaining the Chinese architecture. I also liked her extra credit video.

Becca- She focused on the main parts of the Chinese architecture the stupa and the Great Wall of China. They where short but to the point.

China

The architecture of China is as old as the Chinese civilization. With all the information they have they have strong evidence that the Chinese have always enjoyed and indigenous system of construction that has retained its principle characteristics from prehistoric times to the present day. Over the immense area from Chinese Turkistan to Japan, from Manchuria to the northern half of French Indochina, the same system of construction is widespread; and this was the area of Chinese cultural influence.

The chines used construction techniques such as, stupa: which is a mound of dirt used for burial ground where a more permanent structure is built over the mound. This prototype was birthed in India. The stupa came to China as Buddhism and was spread to that religion. It was known that the important people were in the Buddhist religion. They also invented the Pagoda, which is a combination of the Stupa and the Chinese tower building.

As a visual icon in the modern world, the Great Wall of China is virtually identical with China. It was an architectural wonder and an engineering marvel, it is also an accomplished exampled of landscape utilization and manipulation. The Great Wall of China was located along the Northern boarder of China; it was built of stone, brick, wood, mud, and earth. The wall is 5500-13,000 miles long and it includes watchtowers.

PAST:

PRESENT: 

EXTRA CREDIT: http://www.history.com/topics/great-wall-of-china/videos/seven-wonders-the-great-wall

The Americas

The Americas developed around 2000 B.C. to 1521 A.D. This time was known for its culture of nobles and commoners, hereditary leadership, divine rights, farming, and sporting events.  During this time there where four dominate cultures: Olmecs, Mayans-Toltecs, Aztecs, and the Incas.  The Olmecs where located in Mexico and was known as the first major civilization and also known as the “people of the rubber country”, Mayas-Toltecs flourished in Central America, the Aztecs were also in Mexico and the Incas were located in Peru.

They had ceremonial centers were the nuclei of Mesoamerica settlement. The temples provide spatial orientation for the town. Pyramids were meant to stand out and represent the gods and powers of the religion. They believed in many gods, they also believed in human Sacrifice

Out of all four cultures I’m going to focus on the Maya-Toltecs. Toltec is a site that is far to the south of the Toltec heartland around Tula, north of Teotihuacán. The reason for the existence of a Toltec city surrounded by Mayan sites is unknown. The central pyramid at Chinchen-Itza, known as El Castillo, it was a sacrifice temple related to the solar calendar. The ceremonial site meaning: ‘Mouth of the well of the Itza”.  Castillo is a four-sided pyramid that is 75’ high.

 A designed object represented on numerous sculptural reliefs and wall painting is a footed raised platform. Nobles or gods are shown kneeling on these low platforms, sometimes sitting on platforms on plantations. An altar is a version in stone of what must have been a common object.

PAST:

PRESENT: 

Gothic Review

Krista- She did a good job at explaining the Cologne Cathedral. She went into depth when she was talking about the architecture. 

Emma- I like how she went into detail about Notre Dame, I didnt know that they had colored statues. I also enjoyed her extra credit video.  

Gothic 1140-1500

 By 1250, European design had drastically changed. The building of French Gothic churches was part of a national surge of architectural expression. Gothic cathedrals of the Lle de France are widely seen as one of the high points in the history of architecture. Gothic architecture was birthed from the Romanesque era. It was the introduction of the pointed arch, ribbed vault, and flying buttress. Since it is associated with France the new style quickly spread across Europe. Gothic architecture is important because it is an entire architectural systems, plans, sections, facades, details- not derivative of the classical order; people saw it as the start of architectural modernism. Gothic furniture was closely allied with architecture in its forms, details.

The appearance of the cathedrals appeared weightless with tall walls and stained glass with many windows. They exceeded the earthly experience. The Cathedral of Saint Denis was on of the popular cathedrals at this time. Saint Denis is the patron saint of France because he was one of those responsible for converting Gaul’s to Christianity in the third century C.E. The Abbot Suger was the head of the monastery of St. Denis from 1122 to 1151. Gothic churches follow the model of St. Denis in which the chevet is an integral part of the overall church plan. The chevet at St. Denis includes three elements that constitute the foundation of what became gothic architecture, Gothic arches, rib vaults, and the flying buttresses.

By the end of the Gothic period, designers had increasingly focused their attention on presenting the interiors of masonry building and increasing the amount of comfort. Up to this historical point in time, the late fifteenth century, important chairs, such as thrones, highlighted the status of the sitter by using elegant materials and time consuming and exacting workmanship. Gothic furniture was based off the architecture with the pointed arches, tracery, finials, trefoils, and quatrefoils. 

     

Past:

 

Present: 

Extra Credit: Gothic Architecture 

http://study.com/academy/lesson/gothic-art-and-architecture.html

Romanesque and Islamic Review

Romanesque:

Erin K: I really liked how she went into depth about the architectural elements. She did a really good job at explaining the Romanesque period.

Rachael: I liked how she went into detail about the churches during this time even about the materials used. I also enjoyed her extra credit video about the leaning town of Pisa.

Islamic:

Angie: She did a good job at explaining the The Great Mosque of Kairouan. I also enjoyed her extra credit video about the islamic design.

Beca: She did a good job at briefly explaining the Islamic Design. I also enjoyed her extra credit video it was very interesting.

Islamic

During this time, Mohammed was the head figure of the Islamic religion. He lived from 570-632 C.E. Islamic religion was the foundation of the Islamic design, and because of their region they had a great variety in design.  Islamic design was known for their mosaics. They used glass, tiles, and stones for their designs. During this era they used geometric shaped and patterns to make extravagant pieces. During this time it was the first time we see carpet being used. They used carpet so that when they would kneel down to pray they would be comfortable; they also used it on the walls. They also designed the horseshoe arch, which is featured in the Prayer Hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in 820-836 C.E. It is the most famous ancient mosque in Tunisia, North Africa.

They also used mosque as a central facility for prayer and worship. The first mosque was Mohammad’s farm; it was a prototype for mosques to come.  Some features of the mosque were: perimeter wall, covered hall of columns, and a courtyard. The main purpose was so people had a place to go and par to God kneeling on a carpet and facing Mecca.

Extra Credit: Alhambra Tour 

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/video/2010/aug/26/alhambra-palace-granada-spain

Romanesque

Romanesque was an architectural style of Europe, especially prominent in Italy and Southern France during the medieval period from approximately 800 to 1100 A.D. This architectural style arose during the reign of Charles the Great who was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire in 800 A.D. Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, was responsible for establishing schools and monasteries and encouraged building using the technology of Roman structures. Although many castles were built during this time, there was a strong religious movement around 1000 A.D. and the building of churches became more prevalent; there were a minimum of 1587 churches build between 1000 and 1100.

Romanesque churches were most characterized by semi-circular arches. The semi-circular structures commonly seen in the Romanesque style were vaulted ceilings, rows of repeating arches called arcades and arched doorways and windows; the vaulted ceilings are the most recognized from this period. The typical floor plan of a Roman church consisted of the nave, transept and apse, with the nave being the main body of the church. The nave was outlined and defined vertically by a vaulted ceiling.

The vault was perhaps the most important structural development and most familiar feature of Romanesque architecture. The vault was developed in order to construct the ceiling of masonry, instead of wood, to avoid the fire hazards of wood. In order to use unsupported masonry for the ceiling, a stretched out arch form had to be used to produce these massive vaults over the nave of churches.

The ceiling vaults were of three types. The barrel vault was the simplest, with the arched surface extending from wall to wall and the length of the nave of the church. Due to the massive thickness and weight, barrel vaults required the support of solid walls, or walls with very small windows. The weight of these massive vaults tended to push outward and buckle the supporting walls. Therefore, buttresses were needed to help support the outer walls. As churches developed into more than just one central barreled nave, it became necessary to develop a more complex vaulted ceiling. Groin vaults were constructed of two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles. These vaults also had the bonus of distributing the weight more vertically on piers or pillars to support the weight of the ceiling. Groin vaults could be used for smaller vaults or in the ceilings or aisle or halls.  Ribbed vaults later developed as an improved version of the groin vault. The ribbed vaults had ribs spanning the arch that served as structural supports and the spaces between the ribs were filled with non-structural materials. The ribs did an even better job of focusing the weight of the vaulted ceiling onto multiple small areas. This allowed the architects to construct wider, taller and more impressive churches.  

Sites:

http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-art/characteristics-romanesque-architecture.htm

http://study.com/academy/lesson/romanesque-architecture-characteristics-examples-history.html

Extra Credit:

http://study.com/academy/lesson/romanesque-art-and-architecture.html