Walls and Windows
Architecture and its design is an art form that combines a functional purpose and practical application with artistic expression. The aspect of purpose and practical application makes Architecture somewhat of an outlier in the art world. Creative, yet functional. Being extremely subjective, it is recognized that art and creative work such as Architecture include technical skill, beauty or abstract concepts through creativity or imagination. Like sculpture, Architecture is almost exclusively 3 dimensional with certain obvious restraints, while most other art forms possess almost unlimited creative freedom. Certainly though, Architecture must be art. I experience similar reactions when viewing Architectural creations as I do when strolling through a museum looking at works mounted on pedestals or hanging from walls.
Part of the artistic appeal of the architecture we are surrounded by is the way basic geometric shapes are assembled in a manner that reveal depths and forms that otherwise remain hidden. Rectangles, squares, triangles and circles used to create such practical and functional, yet artistic structures.
Around the 17th century windows began to be added to more buildings as innovations in the manufacture of glass for windows made it more accessible to everyone. More windows meant more opportunities to create exterior designs with windows becoming features that were as decorative and ornamental as practical. The symmetry of the windows in the Methodist Church wall in this Gallery, representing balance and beauty, is comforting to the viewer. The placement of the windows and complimentary colors of the stained glass give the wall an elegance otherwise confined to works on canvases in museums.
I hope you enjoy this Gallery and see the color, shape and form that make up the buildings around us and can see the art in the Architecture. Please scroll down and select a photo view the Gallery. Enjoy.
