SANDWICH
ART HISTORY
Grade Two - Art and Observation
Lesson 7 – Art & Architecture
MATERIALS
1. Stonehenge, c 2950-1600 BC, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
The huge stones of Stonehenge were quarried (with who knows what primitive tools) about 25 miles from the site where they were placed. They weighed up to 50 tons each and were dragged (or rolled on enormous logs) and erected as supports for huge stone lintels. No one is sure how the lintels or posts were lifted. Stonehenge was a place of worship with origins over 4000 years old.
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For centuries, prehistoric Europeans had built elaborate stone tombs. But about 2000 BC, probably inspired by their priests, they began to built huge stone monuments for the use of the living. Earlier suggestions these monuments were used for ceremonial processions have been supported by the determination that they also formed part of an astronomical observatory.
The first stones were erected by the farming communities of the Wiltshire downs and plains who were also using part of the site for burials (mounds). Iron age peoples rebuilt Stonehenge on at least four occasions. The technical skills required to bring the stones to the site, cut them into shape and then erect them according to a carefully pre-arranged pattern, make Stonehenge and engineering masterpiece. The main phase of the building alone must have taken a force of 1000 men over 10 years to complete.
The stones at Stonehenge are arranged so that on midsummer's Day a man standing at the center of the monument and looking through the opening between 2 of the outer circle of sarsen uprights (the scene in the presentation photograph) will see the rising sun pass directly over the upright "Heelstone", outside the monument. Midsummer's Day was an important occasion in the lives of the people who built Stonehenge; they saw the full glory of the midsummer sun as symbolizing re-birth after the darkness of winter. As late as the 1st century AD, when the Romans came to Britain, the Celts and their Druid priests were using the temple. It is thought that the original builders, some 2000 years previous to that had used it for sun worship.
The mathematical accuracy in the Heelstone's positioning, combined with other alignments indicating the exact position of midwinter sunset and 2 extreme positions of the midsummer moonrise during it's 18 1/2 year cycle has led scientists to suggest that Stonehenge and other stone monuments were designed as elaborate observatories. from them, Bronze Age priests might have been able to build an accurate calendar of the seasons for use in agriculture, and to predict eclipses of the sun and moon. The sightings could be taken along the sides and diagonal of a rectangle, marked out by the monument. Use of the rectangular layout would have been impossible if the monument was placed as little as 30 miles to the north or south.
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Post and Lintel construction
2. Egyptian Temple
3. Parthenon, Greece
4. Modern Architecture
5. Aqueduct, 1st Century AD, Roman, Pont du Gard, Nimes, France
The Romans methodically developed water-supply systems as part of urban planning. Water was carried from the source to the city by gravity flow, requiring the building of channels with a continuous, gradual decline over distances often exceeding 50 miles.
The Pont du Gard is one of the most impressive examples of Roman engineering skill.
Each large arch spans some 82 feet and is constructed of uncemented blocks weighing up to 2 tons each. The small top arches are placed in groups of three over the larger arches. The finished aqueduct carried water over a distance of about 30 miles and provided each inhabitant with about 100 gallons of water a day.
6. Colloseum, 1st Century AD, Roman
The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built.
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The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,[5][6] having an average audience of some 65,000;[7][8] it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles (for only a short time as the hypogeum was soon filled in with mechanisms to support the other activities), animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
7. Interior of St. Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome, 1746-1754, Giovanni Paolo Panini, Italian, (1691-1765) 1.545 x 1.970 m oil on canvas, Aelsa Mellon Bruce Fund, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Carlo Maderno lengthened the arm of the cross in Saint Peter's Church in 1606. A gigantic barrel vault is held up with squarish piers that are highly decorated and designed to appear light in weight. The brad nave seems even wider because of the huge archways that open into extremely large side aisles, which again open into chapels. We can appreciate the enormous size and elaborate decoration in this painting by Panini. The piers are of colored marble and sculpture is added to painted spaces. This interior, from the entrance to the end of the apse is longer than 2 football fields. The structure over the high alter, under Michelangelo's dome, is about the height of a ten story building. This is the interior of a building using rounded arch and dome construction. Another famous building with these same basic elements is the Capitol Building in Washington DC.
Pointed Arches
8. Stained Glass Example
The Middle ages saw the invention of the pointed arch (Notre Dame Cathedral). Stronger, thinner walls enabled the use and development of stained glass
9. The Brooklyn Bridge, 1939, Joseph Stella, Italian/American (1877-1946), Oil on canvas, 70 x 42 in. (177.8 x 106.7 cm) Whitney Museum of Art, New York
The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling and built from 1869-1883. This suspension bridge which spans the East river between Manhattan and Brooklyn was an engineering first which was admired and copied by generations of engineers. Between 2 great towers with pointed arches, hang the cables of woven steel which support the road bed of the bridge.
Joseph Stella was inspired by the American City, especially by its movement and tempo. He was born in Italy but came to America at the age of 19 where he began his career as an illustrator. A trip to Europe brought him in contact with the Cubists and Futurists. both of these influences can be seen in this painting of the Brooklyn Bridge. The energy of the new Industrial Age can be seen in the sequence of position which suggests motion. He follows the Cubists when he paints a subject as if it can be seen simultaneously from a variety of points of view. The brilliant colors suggest the artificial lights of the city.
10. Travel Posters, Various locations
A. Greece - Santorini (Thira)
You can compare Venice with this town in Greece also built by the water. Can you see how the builders of these churches and houses made the best use of the hilly site on which the buildings would stand? Can you see rounded arches made into domes? Compare these domes with our next travel poster.
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B. Moscow - Cathedral of St Basil the Blessed
The onion-shaped domes of the Church of St Basil are a development of the Byzantine Dome. This was a very important influence on the architecture of many churches throughout Russia and eastern Europe. There is a great detail in the mosaic and tile that decorate this magnificent building.
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C. New York - The Chrysler Building
An enduring architectural masterpiece, the Chrysler Building was long the symbol of New York before the Empire State Building eclipsed it in height and size. It was finished in 1930 and rises well over 1000 feet. The widespread use of steel led to ever taller skyscrapers. Seen in this poster is its sunburst tower with its overlapping projections pierced by sharply pointed triangular windows. the design is called "Art Deco".
Identify some of the architectural structures in these posters
10. Doorways of Harvard Square, Poster
Identify some of the architectural structures in this poster. Can you find any of these architectural elements in Sandwich?
Additional LInks