greek influence on neoclassical architecture.docx

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History of Architecture (AP313) | Term Paper | 2013

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Influence of Greek Architecture on NeoclassicalArchitecture

Term Paper for History of Architecture (AP131)

Purnima Pawa

Roll Number: 05616901611

Sushant School of Art and Architecture

ABSTRACTGreek architecture is the art of building that arose on the shores of the Aegean Sea

and flourished in the ancient world. Temples are the main features of Ancient Greek

architecture. It is distinguished by its highly formalized characteristics, both of

structure and decoration.

The Greek architecture was revived through Neoclassism in the 18th century. As the

age of Baroque and Rococo came to an end, appreciation for classical

restraint resurfaced. the excavation of numerous ancient ruins, both Roman (e.g.Pompeii) and Greek (e.g. Athens) accelerated this trend, which rekindled interest in

antiquity and expanded classical architectural vocabulary.

The neoclassical architecture was greatly affected by the distinct architectural styles

of the Greeks and Romans which were made clear by the excavations. This resulted

in designing pure Greek, pure Roman, or Greco-Roman hybrid buildings. All three

options proved popular.

Neoclassicism spread across Western Europe (especially in the north) and the United

States, and to a lesser extent to Eastern Europe.


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This paper highlights the influence of Greek architecture on neoclassical

architecture and how neoclassical architecture came up as a revival of ancient Greek

architecture. The temples of ancient Greece were the inspiration for Neoclassism

but the style was modified somewhat to suit modern (nineteenth century) usage.

Hence complex plans came up in the neoclassical period and in some, reflection of

the Parthenon in Athens can be seen.

Most Ancient Greek temples were rectangular whereas neoclassical building was a

combination of a square and circle. A comparison in terms of plan is done taking

examples like the Parthenon (447-38

BCE), Athens Greece, Temple of Hephaestos(449-44 BCE), Athens from the classical

Greek period and Gucevicius, Juan de Villanueva, El PradoMuseum, Madrid, Spain

(1785) in Europe Latrobe, Baltimore Basilica(1806-1820) in America.

PAPER

ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE

Greek architects provided some of the finest and most distinctive buildings in the

entire Ancient World and some of their structures, such as temples, theatres, and

stadia, would become important features of towns and cities from antiquity

onwards. In addition, the Greek concern with simplicity, proportion, perspective,

and harmony in their buildings would go on to greatly influence architects in

the Roman world and provide the foundation for the classical architectural orders

which would dominate the western world from the Renaissance to the present day.
http://www.ancient.eu.com/temple/http://www.ancient.eu.com/cities/http://www.ancient.eu.com/greek/http://www.ancient.eu.com/Roma/http://www.ancient.eu.com/Roma/http://www.ancient.eu.com/greek/http://www.ancient.eu.com/cities/http://www.ancient.eu.com/temple/


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There are five orders of classical architecture - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and

Composite - all named as such in later Roman times. The first three were created by

Greek architects and they hugely influenced the latter two which were

combinations rather than genuine innovations.

The most characteristic Greek building is the colonnaded stone temple, built to

house the cult statue of a god or a goddess. The typical temple had a rectangular

inner structure known as a cella which was divided by two interior rows of columns.

Most temples faced the east and visitors entered on that side through a colonnaded

front porch.

Figure 1: Plan of a typical Greek Temple

Ref: http://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/GreekTemple_WA.html

NEOCLASSISM

1. Stereobate (or

substructure).

2. Stylobate.

3. Colonnade (orperistyle).

4. Porch (or

pronaos).
http://www.ancient.eu.com/corinth/http://www.ancient.eu.com/Roman/http://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/GreekTemple_WA.htmlhttp://www2.palomar.edu/users/mhudelson/StudyGuides/GreekTemple_WA.htmlhttp://www.ancient.eu.com/Roman/http://www.ancient.eu.com/corinth/


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Neoclassical architecture was the architecture that occurred between 1750 and

1848. It was the recovery of the architecture of classical Greece. It was started after

excavations took place the Roman ruins in Pompey and Herculaneum were

discovered. It was also a reaction against the Baroque and the Rococo.

Purer forms and more severe forms were the needs of Neoclassical. It became

popular after the works of the Italian Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) were made

popular in Europe. The architecture reflected the trend towards romanticism in

Europe. It tried to recreate the lost world of classical Greece and Rome, places that

were supposed to have purer art forms.

The architecture was characterized by the simplicity of geometric forms, the

dramatic use of columns (especially the Doric) and blank walls. The scale was also

grand. Simplicity, symmetry, clean basic line and functionality were important.

Dramatic curves were considered unnecessary. The appearance was monumental

GREEK REVIVAL

In the early 19th century certain architects began to synthesize classism with Greek

design, as in the St. Madeleine church in Paris. The fascination with Greece

increased in the 1830s following the liberation of Greece from Turkish occupation.

The impact of liberation of Greece was great on the European consciousness as it

breathed new life into the neoclassical movement. The artistic prominence of the

Parthenon came into focus in the 19th century.

The neo-Greek movement took on a more strident form as can be seen in Valhalla

designed by Leon von klenze. The movement was relatively short lived in the

continent because it had to compete with the other architectural styles.in Scotland


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on the other hand the Greek style became an important expression of its national

romantic fervour. This was so because the country was eager to express itself as

autonomous after the rapid increase in the economy. The style can be seen in the

Royal Scottish Academy Building in Edinburg and St. Vincent Street United

Presbyterian Church in Glasgow.

The most impressive examples of Greek revival were in the United States. The

Americans saw their nation as the land of opportunity, where they could return to

classical values without any legal liability of custom. The modern builders guide

that was published in 1833presented detailed engravings of the

classical orders and their sources in the ancient temples. The Greek revival includes

the Old Shawnee town Bank (1836), the James Dakin Bank of Louisville among the

many.(1)

EARLY GREEK ARCHITECTURE:

PATHENON

When work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC, the Athenian Empire was at the

height of its power. Work on the temple continued until 432. It symbolizes the

power and influence of the Athenian politician, Perikles, who championed its

construction.


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The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a

rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side, and a colonnade (8 x

17) of Doric columns extending around the periphery of the entire structure. Each

entrance has an additional six columns in front of it. The larger of the two interior

rooms, the naos, housed the cult statue. The smaller room (the opisthodomos) wasused as a treasury. Here is a plan of the temple:

Figure 2: Plan of the Parthenon

http://www.goldennumber.net/parthenon-phi-golden-ratio/
http://www.goldennumber.net/parthenon-phi-golden-ratio/http://www.goldennumber.net/parthenon-phi-golden-ratio/


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Figure 3: Details

http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_med_civ.htm

It was built to replace two earlier temples of Athena on the Acropolis. One of these,

of which almost no trace remains today, stood south of the Parthenon (between the

Parthenon and the Erechtheum). The other, which was still being built at the time of

the Persian sack in 480, was on the same spot as the Parthenon. We know the

names of the architects (Iktinos and Kallikrates) and also of the sculptor (Pheidias)

who made the massive chryselephantine cult statue of the goddess.

TEMPLE OF HEPHAISTOS
http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_med_civ.htmhttp://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_med_civ.htm


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The temple located in Athens is a peripheral temple on the west side of the Gora. It

was built in ca. 449BC-444Bc.

It is a Doric peripteral temple with 6 x 13 columns. The Cella with a pronaos and an

opisthodomos can be seen in the plan. The Interior is with superimposed with Doric

colonnade along 3 of the cella walls, but the original number of columns is

uncertain.

Figure 4: Plan of Temple of Hephaistos

https://encrypted-

tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQE_6k5AqhNzRCjoQsBWBaWoiwDCo4KMSjJb2YDKg

Xws9kh4iSt


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NEOCLASSIC ARCHITECTURE IN EUROPE

El PradoMuseum, Madrid, Spain

The building, in a neoclassic style, has a rectangular floor and four big interior

courtyards.

Figure 5: Entrance ofEl PradoMuseum

http://www.123rf.com/photo_7353727_statue-in-front-of-a-museum-el-prado-

museum-museo-del-prado-madrid-spain.html


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Figure 6: Ground Floor Plan

https://encrypted-

tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSi1DnD9wEh3BxlNpg1NYJ3rA7SgjWD2rWrFp

9NHTLbN1a9XG1r

Presence of internal courtyards

Doric columns

Presence of internal vaults

East Entrance


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Figure 7: Plan: the Parthenon

Absence of internal courtyards Doric columns No vaults

NEOCLASSIC ARCHITECTURE IN AMERICA:

BASILICA AT BALTIMORE

Figure 8: Entrance of the basilica


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U. Penn. slide coll.: gift of G. B. Tatum, 1966.

Figure 9: Plan of basilica of baltimore

F. Kimball, "Latrobe's Designs for the Cathedral of Baltimore" Architectural Record, vol. 43

(June 1918).

The Baltimore Basilica designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe was built from 1806-

1821. The neoclassical basilica freely and soberly translates the spirit of ancient


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Greek architectural principles and proportions to result in a distinctively American

architecture.

The basilica is a cruciform building with an elongated nave and apse, constructed of

brick clad in porphyritic granite. A wooden dome with copper sheathing is topped

by a simple cross and is set on an octagonal drum. This octagonal drum tops the

rear portico of the church. The plan unites two distinct elements: a longitudinal axis

and a domed space.

The hexastyle front portico, added in 1863, has Ionic columns. The large central

door is flanked by two smaller doors and has a square window above to light the

choir. Along both sides of the cathedral is a series of small stained glass windows

set in recessed arched panels. Plain panels fill the wall space between the windows

and cornice. Two square towers with arcaded belfries and onion domes are located

on the west end of the nave. These were added from 1831 to 1837. Internally, the

cathedral is vaulted by several shallow domes, and the entire structure exhibits an

exceptionally good mixture of spherical and cube-like shapes. The cathedral lot is

surrounded by an iron fence with Greek Revival gateposts at the west entrance to

the grounds. This was designed by Robert Cary Long in 1841. (2)

DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN PLAN


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Figure 10: Plan of Temple of Hephaistos

Rectangular plan Doric colonnade Absence of domed space Absence of square towers

North

Hexastyle front portico


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Figure 11: Plan of basilica of Baltimore

F. Kimball, "Latrobe's Designs for the Cathedral of Baltimore" Architectural Record, vol. 43

(June 1918).

cruciform building Ionic columns

West

entrance

Hexastyle front portico

Domed space

Square towers


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Figure 12: Column Details

http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/doric/source/1.html


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Bibliography

1) Frank Ching, A Global History of Architecture, 2007

2) Mary Ellen Hayward, Frank R. Shivers, Jr, The Architecture of Baltimore: An

Illustrated History

3)http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM15R9_The_Baltimore_Basilica_Americ

as_First_Cathedral

(4) Western Architecture: Classicism, 1750-1830, Encyclopedia Britannica.

Accessed June 2009

Greek Revival, Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed June 2009

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