The American Period Discussion

For this section I looked at Leslie's blog.  The video she posted was a really good representation of the Victorian era.  I like how she focused on furniture because it was opposite of what I did so I was able to learn more about it.  Her favorites are similar to the styles I like as well.  I also looked at Natalie's blog.  I learned more about Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  Her video about the Monticello stated that Jefferson spent so much time building the castle and really wanted it to represent himself and his style.  The interior and exterior really blended well together.


You can view their blogs here:
Leslie: http://www.history1lad.blogspot.com/
Natalie: http://www.history1nml.blogspot.com/

The Ameriacn Periods

The American Period is made up of the Georgian Period, Federal Period, Greek Revival Period, and the Victorian Period.  The Georgian Period took place between 1720-1790 and focused on mimicking the styles of Queen Anne, Hepplewhite and Sheraton.  The Federal Period took place between 1790-1820 and was influenced by the styles of Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton.  The Greek Revival Period took place between 1820-1860 and focused on "temple" style architecture, English Regency and French Empire furniture.  Lastly, the Victorian Period took place between 1840-1880 and had Romanesque, Gothic, Mansart and Louis XV influence.




My favorite style of this period is the American Victorian Period.  This period was named after Queen Victoria.  During this time, the architecture was elaborate, romantic and emotional and because of this, the American people modeled themselves after these factors in décor, dress and mannerisms. Architecture and design was a direct relation to the amount of money that owners had.  Victorian houses were large with many smaller rooms throughout with each room having a particular function. 










Rooms were dark with thick, heavy drapery, dark wood and most commonly had wood floors.  There were generally two staircases for visitors and one for servants and children.  In relation to this,  the front of the house was to impress the visitors while the back of the house was for the families. 








Victorian characteristics were very prominent.  There were many various styles that became technical and intricate.  Machines could now carve, shape, stamp and emboss which meant
furniture was more detailed.  On chairs, legs became shorter, seats thicker, deeper and crowned in the middle.  Button tufting became more popular as well as oval or horseshoe-shaped backs. Tables commonly had marble tops, beds had head and footboards and couches had soft curves.
John Belter and Charles Lock Eastlake were two popular people and styles that emerged. Belters' furniture was very luxurious with carvings. Eastlake had plain furniture with simple construction and natural woods.





Here is a short video of beautiful Victorian style homes. ENJOY!

Modern Day Applications:

English Period Discussion

I looked at Katrina's blog and I like how she posted a little bit about the early, middle and late renaissance.  I learned that Adam style characteristics, sunken wall panels and decorated ceilings were all seen throughout this time period.  I also looked at Samantha's blog.  I liked her video that compared and contrasted the old style to the new.  I also like how she used another resource to go into more depth about how the English style was similar to the French.


You can view their blogs here:

Katrina: http://www.katrinawoolridge.blogspot.com/
Samantha: http://www.history1skf.blogspot.com/

English Period - Middle Renaissance

The Middle English Renaissance took place between the years of 1660-1750.  After the Great Fire of 1666, Sir Christopher Wren set new standards of design considered to be Baroque urban design.  Wren was one of the most celebrated English architects of all time.  These standards were influenced from the French Baroque design period.  Wren specified the standards for housing such as wall thickness, floor heights, and materials.  One of his greatest designs was St. Paul's Cathedral.

Another influential couple of the English period was Mary and William III.  Like Sir Christopher Wren, they also set new standards, but for furniture.  Comfort was an important factor for these new standards and upholstery showed up for the first time. 

Some features that were altered or changed

 during this Age of Walnut were:

- Straight turned leg or cup turned legs

- Low, horizontal X-stretcher was common

- Curved cross

- Ball feet/ Claw feet

- Veneers Perfected

- Marquetry

- Oriental influence

- English Oak replaced with Walnut

William Kent and Queen Anne were two other people who made an impact on the interior design community of this time.  Kent was a painter, architect and designer who was the first English architect to design furniture for specific interiors.  He focused on up scale classical decoration while Queen Anne used Chinese furniture.  Mahogany became an easier wood to work with than walnut creating the Age of Mahogany in the middle years of the 18th century. Lastly, there were four furniture designers that revolutionized the furniture industry; Thomas Chippendale, Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton.

  

The William Kent Room at The Ritz                                    Queen Anne Chair (Cabriole Leg)




Here is a short video describing Queen Anne's furniture styling:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Hmlwlx9rM

English Style Interiors Today:



French Period Discussion

For the French period, I looked at Megan S' blog.  I like how we talked about similar attributes of the French period, yet I learned some new things as well. She talked about the Salon de la familie and how it is a statement space and uses lots of bright colors and ornamentation.  I also looked at Kristina M's blog.  It was interesting how she started out by showing a picture from each of the styles during the French Period.  It allowed me to see a difference yet a similarity between the bunch.  I also learned that the Vaux-le-Vicomte was designed to test materials and design styles before the Palais de Versailles was built.  Also, it was easy to see a difference in style from her Then and Now picture comparisons. 


You can view their blogs here:
Megan S: http://www.history1mes.blogspot.com/
Kristina: http://www.kmichelsenfcs338.blogspot.com/

French Baroque

For this blog post, I want to focus on one part of the Baroque style that caught my attention the most.  The Palais de Versailles made a huge impact on many people and after learning about it, I can see why.  It was originally a hunting lodge for Louis X111 that house 10,000 people designed by Louis Le Vau. The Palais had many different architectural elements throughout such as, classical architecture and decoration, the classic orders, 15' ceilings and 11' doors, symmetrical designs (real doors matched with fake doors) and had balanced windows and mirrors. 





 Going along with all of these features, colorful architecture was also a main aspect of the interior of Versailles.  Paintings, tapestries, columns and rugs were normally very vibrant in color.  Most of the rooms in the palace were all very large and dignified, always making a statement. 




The Palais of Versailles garden was a main feature of the grounds.  The gardens were an attempt to recreate ancient Roman villas.  It was made to tie the outside to the inside with many reflecting pools projecting images of the building onto the water.  It also contained advancing and receding planes, floor levels of the Palais were visible on the exterior and had many sculptured figures.

If you would like to see more of the Palais de Versailles, watch the video below that takes you on a virtual tour. Enjoy!

 

Baroque furniture was very different compared to past eras I have blogged about.  Marquetry was a style of furniture that had a very complicated process.  Andre Charles Boulle was a master at this art.  He was also famous for his elaborate armoires.  Materials to make these armoires and other Baroque furniture was imported from China and Japan.  Louis XIV chairs were popular as well s he took inspiration from the sedia chair.  They had curved arms, heavy on the upholstery, the seat leaned back and the legs were carved.  The Bergere chair was introduced at this point in time as well still see forms of this chair to this day. 

Andre Charles Boulle Console

Louis XIV Chair

                                       


Modern Day Applications of Baroque style:

 

 



The Spanish Period Discussion

I looked at Jessica's blog for her discussion of the Spanish Renaissance.  Her blog was simple and easy to understand.  She focused on the main points of this time such as the largest cathedral of the 15th century as well as how castles were very important during this time.  She used a lot of pictures that I thought were great examples.  I also viewed Megan S's blog.  I liked how she was very detailed in her explanation and really captured the life during this time period.  Even though she did her presentation on the Spanish, I feel that I learned more by reading her blog.  I also enjoyed watching her video she posted. It was almost as if I was traveling through the streets myself!

You can view their blogs here:
Jessica:  http://history1jlj.blogspot.com/
Megan S:  http://www.history1mes.blogspot.com/

The Spanish Period

The Spanish Renaissance took place in the 16th century.  This was the most brilliant era in Spanish history.  Like the influence from Greece and Rome, the Italian Renaissance influenced the Spanish and French.  As stated in my Italian Renaissance post, Interior design began to become more of a focus and the Spanish definitely showed that.  Spanish design was very ornamental, colorful, fancy, many woods were used and were geometricians.  There are many famous Spanish palaces that show the Spanish style. 

The Alhambra had many fountains, reflecting pools and gardens. It is an example of Moorish architecture and decoration.

 

  

 



There are more castles in Spain then there are in any other European country.  An example of a castle is the La Mota Castle which was built with concrete walls all faced with brick. 

 

The Cathedral of Seville took inspiration from the Gothic era.  It was the largest cathedral in the world during the 15th century.  There were 80 chapels and they held 500 masses per day.

 

 

There were three styles of the Spanish Renaissance.  The first was the Plateresco Phase which resembled work of a silversmith.  The second phase was the Desornamentado Phase which was a powerful style and had carefully defined proportions.  The third was the Herrera Style.  This was influenced from Italian Renaissance architects and had classic forms, plain surfaces and sparse decorations.

 

Current Applications of Spanish Renaissance Style:

 

 

 

 

 

Italian Renaissance Discussion

I looked at Samantha's blog for this unit.  I like how she mentioned that she previously learned about the Medici family in her Art 156 class.  It shows how important this family actually was.  She also taught me that Brunelleschi didn't actually finish the Cupola dome himself, his acquaintance Michelozzo helped him.  I also looked at Katie D's blog.  I like how she talked about how Interior Design became important during this time because this is the first time that I learned that.   She was very descriptive in talking about flooring, furniture and decorative applications.  Her current application pictures are really good examples of these features. 

You can view their blogs here:
Samantha:  http://www.history1skf.blogspot.com/
Katie:  http://www.history1ked.blogspot.com/

Italian Renaissance

This was the period of REBIRTH.  The word Renaissance truly means "rebirth".  This era took place between the 24th century and the 16th century.  The rebirth originated in Tuscany and later spread to Florence, Siena and Venice.  They took inspiration from the Ancient Greeks and Romans.  Residential design became more prominent during this time and they became more focused on humanism. 

One of the greatest achievements of the Renaissance is the Palazzo. The Medici family had a lot of power and influence that helped progress the city.  The Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence Italy is one of the most well known Palazzos'.  (Pictured to the left)

Many Palazzos' could be found in a Piazza which is the town square during the Renaissance.  They are usually lined with cafes and shops and are where most people gather for festivals, political events and celebrations. 


The Piazza San Marco is pictured to the right.  Most Piazzas' were very centralized and had very distinctive facades. Most buildings had three levels and incorporated pillars, domes, arches, columns and entablatures. 

Italian Renaissance furniture was very similar to the Greeks and Romans.  Wood was very popular material to use.  The detail of the furniture was impeccable, incorporating carvings and beautiful fabrics just as previous centuries did.

This video is a great resource to see different examples of the Italian Renaissance architecture style.

 

 

Here are some current applications of Italian Renaissance design:

Living Room

 

Lobby

Palazzo Bontadosi Hotel, Italy

 



The Americas

The Americas took place between the periods of 2000 B.C and 1521 A.D. The Aztecs, Incas, Mayans-Toltecs and the Olmecs are just a few major civilizations that make up the Americas.  The Olmecs was the first major civilization in Mexico from 2000 B.C - 200 B.C. They developed the 1st calendar in the Western Hemisphere as well as hieroglyphics writing.  La Venta is one example of the Olmecs temple focused city type. Within this temple, the ceremony center was composed of burial grounds, giant stone heads, ball courts, small pyramids and the great pyramid of the earth.

Olmec art consisted of materials of jade, rock crystal and valuable stone.  Mural paintings, masks, pottery, ax heads and decorative objects are all common art pieces.  During this time, religion was commonly tied in with art.  Stone carvings, small ceramic figurines and some pits, were associated with religious beliefs.  Most people were polytheistic which is the belief in multiple gods.

Teotihaucan is also another city during this time period.  Its name means "Place of the Gods".  It was approximately 2 miles in length and the city was laid out in a grid system.  This allowed for no walls to separate the city which shows signs of a powerful city with no enemies. 

 

The Mayan era took place between 300 B.C. and 1521 A.D.  The Mayans flourished for 1,800 years and consisted of places such as Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and part of Mexico.  Chichen Itza is a ceremonial cite that means " Mouth of the well of the Itza". There is a four sided pyramid that is 75 feet tall.  Chacmool, pictured below, was their ritualistic figure.


Current Applications:





 

Mayan and Incas Prints/Jewelry

 



Gothic Discussion

I reviewed Lindsay's blog for the Gothic era.  She talked about how she got a chance to visit Notre Dame when she studied abroad in Paris.  The way she described the Dome, made me feel like I was actually standing there looking at it myself.  The pictures she chose to use of the stained glass in the cathedral are beautiful and show the design of Gothic windows.  The next blog that I looked at was Melanie's.  Melanie has also had a chance to visit the Salisbury Cathedral of Gothic design in England.  She mentioned how most Gothic cathedrals are found in France, but they are all over Europe.  She used many pictures of the cathedral she visited in England. This cathedral is breathtaking and really shows good examples of ribbed vaults and pointed arches.

You can view their blogs here:

Lindsay: http://www.history1lcb.blogspot.com/
Melanie: http://www.history1mlh.blogspot.com/

Gothic

The Gothic era took place between the times of 1140-1500.  Paris was the center of the Gothic world and churches were the center of city life.  During this time, religion was very important.  Religious expression was the heart of design.  Popes had a great amount of power within churches and that showed wealth status. Gothic style took inspiration from the Romanesque time period.  The three main elements of the Gothic era were pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. 

                                                    
Pointed Arch                                    Ribbed Vaults            Flying Buttresses

Cathedral were one of the main architectural elements of the Gothic era.  They contained very tall walls and many stained glass windows.  One of the classic stained glass styles was the Rose Window. Tracery's were also a very common style of window.  These aspects created an airiness, weightlessness and earthly feel.  St. Denis in France and Wells Cathedral in England are both great example of cathedrals.  One of the more common cathedrals that you may know is Notre Dame, both in Paris and Chartres, France. 

 

 <--- Notre Dame in Chartres
             Notre Dame in Paris --->






Gothic Cathedrals' basic floor plan and structural components were similar to the Romanesque, the chapels radiated out from the apse and had large stained glass windows, vertical lines suggested skyscrapers, high vaults created new demands with construction, and like a mentioned before, rib vaulting, pointed arches rather than rounded arches, and flying buttresses were a common look.

Take a moment to watch a video comparing and contrasting Gothic Architecture

to Romanesque Architecture!

Here are some modern applications of Gothic style