French

Throughout time, the French era went through many styles, mostly centered around Romanesque and Gothic periods. During this time there was a big need for a designer, so the ornamaniste (or decorator) was born. One of these decorators was Francois I, a famous patron of arts. He was acknowledged for his traditional style, Gothic forms and Italian Renaissance ornament. His works inlude: Loire Valley, Chateau de Chambord, Chateau de Fontainebleau, Chateau de Blois, and the renovations of the Louvre.

One of the interesting traits of this time was that there was little need for new religious structures and they added more focus on park-like settings and exteriors. They also worked on many Chateaus at the time.
Chateau de Fontainebleau was one the the many. It included large structures, formal gardens, fountains, lakes, and elaborate interiors.

Modern Applications:

Peer Reviews

Spanish:

Amanda- Amanda's blog post was incredibly detailed. She did a very good job of providing in depth descriptions of the different styles used throughout Spanish history. Along with that, it was nice to see the direct connections between the historical events of the time such as the removal of the Moors and how it changed designs of the time.

Haley- In this blog, Haley does an excellent job of focusing on the key ideas regarding Spanish architecture while also including fun anecdotal facts. In particular, I found the information regarding number of castles in Spain both interesting and effective in helping to add personality to post. Finally, I feel that Haley's imagery was very good at demonstrating the different techniques discussed in her post. 

Spanish

The Spanish Period was a fusion of Christian Spain with Moorish Art Termed Mudejar. During this time there was a great loss to the handicrafts and commerce of southern Spain. However, they did take great influence from the Italian Renaissance, as well as Early Christian, Medieval, and several others.
One of their buildings included the Alhambra, Granada which was the last of the Spanish palaces completed before the expulsion of the moors.

Eventually, this era entered the Plateresco Phase (Silversmith's style) which took on a Gothic or Renaissance construction style.
They also had a Desornamentado phase which was an unornamented style of architecture. It was characterized by its austerity and applied to court, ecclesiastical and public buildings.
Most of their interiors included iron grills for windows, and openings, ad was as iron handrails. Other features included colored tiles, painted and carved ceilings, and plasterwork.

They also used a lot of walnut for furniture such as armchairs, benches, Vargueno, and tables.

Modern Applications:


 

Peer Review

Italian Renaissance:

Madelyn- I liked that Madelyn's modern applications fit well into the theme of the Italian Renaissance. I also really enjoyed that she gave a lot of information and focus on Da'Vinci

Alex- I really liked that Alex went into a lot of detail about the Florence Cathedral.

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance took place from 1400-1600 and is known as the "rebirth." This time period took place in Florence, Italy and involved many advances in art and literature. This shift in emphasis led to the recognition of many architects and artists, as well as business leaders.
One of the main buildings of the time period were the palazzo, which was a term to generalize a buildings with certain characteristics, such as symmetry, repeated windows and a heavy project cornice. There are many well known Palazzo, such as the Palazzo Medici, Davanzati, and Farnese.

The Villa Rotonda was another important building constructed at this time. It was created by a man named Andrea Palladio, who was the most influential architect of the Renaissance. His classical temple included stairs, six columns, entablature and pediment, a was designed with rooms arranged symmetrically around the dome.

As for interior advancements during the Italian Renaissance, their detail didn't fall short. May buildings had decorative moldings, doors with frames, elaborate ceilings, painted wall and ceilings decorations, brick, marble and more.

Modern Applications:
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Peer Reviews

The Americas:

Emma- Emma did a nice job summarizing the concepts of the early Americas and their advances in architecture. Her modern applications really hit the mark.

Erin K- Erin did a really good job explaining all of the civilizations of the Americas. She gave a lot of examples which was nice, but her modern applications could have been better.

China & India:

Hailey- Hailey had a nice over all summary of the accomplishments of early China and India and her modern examples were good.

Haley- I liked that Haley gave general information about China as well as facts about their architecture. she did a nice job explaining everything and her modern applications were good examples.

China and India

From 1600 B.C.- 1912 A.D. we begin to see the early Chinese and Indian civilizations.
China:
China has been the longest continuous civilizations in the world, lasting 4,000 years and holds the worlds largest populations. One of their architecture advances was the development of stupa, which are mounds of dirt which hold a permanent structure on top. The prototype was developed in India, but was transferred to China with the spread of Buddhism.
One of China's most well known structures is the Great Wall, which is made of stone, brick, wood and mud. It surrounds the northern part of China and is accompanied by watch towers.

 

China is also responsible for bringing many interiors to the modern culture. One of their many well known styles is their courtyard building style which focuses on orientation, layout, and symmetry. They also developed new kinds of chairs, tables, and other furniture. 

India:

Other than creating the prototype of the Stupa and courtyard designs, India wasn't known for their architecture or interior. They didn't have much furniture, which led to people sitting, eating, and sleeping on the floor.

Modern Applications: