Enlightened Architecture

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The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was a European phenomenon between the 17th and 18th century. It was a time of significant change to the status quo. Both the ruling monarchs and the catholic church was challenged.

One monarch whose rule was inspired by the Enlightenment was Catherin, the grate of Russia. When I looked at PAD studios lecture on women in the workplace, they spoke about the qualities of female leaders. Cathrin built a vast empire but also played a nurturing role. Sponsoring and supporting schools. In true enlightenment spirit, she embraced science. Testing the smallpox vaccine and making it available to her subjects.

Another key player was Sir Issac Newton, a British Scientist. His most famous piece of work was on gravity. However, he produced lots of other work, including a range of guidelines for science experiments. One guideline was that anyone should be able to repeat the experiment. Thus, improving the availability of science to non-elites.

Portugal benefited from enlightened thinking after a catastrophic earthquake on 1st November 1755. Marquis de Pombal used the churches inability to provide solace to the people to rebuild Lisboa. He used classical geometric architecture to give the city streets a logical layout. Usurping the churches power and becoming a key advisor to the king.

French Revolution (briefly) 

The french revolution was a consequence of both Enlightenment and its censorship. Add to that two young monarchs and a ton of national debt, which the upper classes refused to accept the consequences of.  It was a bloody event that lasted from 1789 to 1804, when Napoleon became Emporer.

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism used simple classical architecture to present a rationale athstetic compared to the highly ornate baroque, romantic and gothic styles.

Boullee

If you looked at Boullee's, ink and wash drawings, of Newton's cenotaph, you wouldn't need to be told that he was inspired by the pyramids. The massive sphere towers in the distance. Informing its onlookers of the importance of its primary inhabitant. The classically smooth exterior could convince you of the existence of gods. If Newton was alive in ancient Egyptian times, perhaps he would be seen as a god, like the Imotep of his day. Or maybe that's just how Boullee sore him.

Boullee(1728-1799) wanted to become a painter, but his father encouraged him to be an architect. Many of his works were not fully realised, giving him the nickname "paper architect." However, his teaching and theories were an inspiration to many. He studied and taught nature and volume. He showed how classical architecture was applicable in any age. His library reading room takes you back to antiquity, but it would not be out of place in the modern world. A place to relax and read while sharing ideas.

Ledoux


Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, (1736 -1806, Paris) designed gates into Paris before the revolution. They also doubled as a toll booth for the salt tax. Salt was taxed so heavily that there was a smuggling and robbery trade. This goes to show just how much of an influence an architect can have on the public. Though other architects would have taken the job if he hadn't. The effectiveness of the gates was down to his mind alone.

However, his design for a utopian salt works inspired many 19th-century Utopian socialists. Ledoux created an industrial space that aimed to benefit both workers and employers. Because of the dangers surrounding salt production, the factory had to be high security.

Other works utilised the elements and proportions of classical architecture. The use of simple Doric columns in the Barriere de la Villette produced a simple grandeur. Its strong, clear use of lines communicates a place of rational activity. My favourite of his pieces, the pyramid building, has a strange mix and match of European and African classical forms, which somehow fit comfortably.

Bibliography

 

Ching, F.D.K., Jarzombek, M. and Vikramaditya Prakash (2017). A global history of architecture. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

 

Covington, R. (2006). Marie Antoinette. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/marie-antoinette-134629573/.

 

Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Marquis de Pombal | Biography & Facts. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marquis-de-Pombal [Accessed 12 Jun. 2021].

 

Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Understanding Newton’s Laws of Motion. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/summary/Understanding-Newtons-Laws-of-Motion.

 

Étienne-Louis Boullée | French architect | Britannica. (2020). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Etienne-Louis-Boullee Ejiptian monuments.

 

Mcphee, P. (2017). French Revolution. Carlton: Melbourne Univ Press, p.Chapter 1.

 

Miller, M. (2018). AD Classics: Cenotaph for Newton / Etienne-Louis Boullée. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/544946/ad-classics-cenotaph-for-newton-etienne-louis-boullee.

 

Morey, A. (n.d.). Tombs, Hotels and Libraries. The beginnings of Étienne-Louis Boullée. [online] Archinect. Available at: https://archinect.com/features/article/150075129/tombs-hotels-and-libraries-the-beginnings-of-tienne-louis-boull-e.

 

port.kanopy.com. (n.d.). 1789—The French Revolution | Kanopy. [online] Available at: https://port.kanopy.com/video/1789-french-revolution [Accessed 11 Jun. 2021].

 

port.kanopy.com. (n.d.). Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment | Kanopy. [online] Available at: https://port.kanopy.com/video/catherine-great-and-enlightenment [Accessed 11 Jun. 2021].

 

port.kanopy.com. (n.d.). Enlightenment Britain | Kanopy. [online] Available at: https://port.kanopy.com/video/enlightenment-britain [Accessed 11 Jun. 2021].

 

Stott, R. (2015). Society for Atheistic Spirituality to Construct Etienne-Louis Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/614908/society-for-atheistic-spirituality-to-construct-etienne-louis-boullee-s-cenotaph-for-newton [Accessed 11 Jun. 2021].

 

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2019). French Revolution - The Directory and revolutionary expansion. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution/The-Directory-and-revolutionary-expansion.

 

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux | French architect | Britannica. (2019). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-Nicolas-Ledoux.

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Heroes Of The Enlightenment Ep1 18. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC9s4WDST40&t=3s [Accessed 12 Jun. 2021].

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