The Americas

The Americas consisted of four main groups of people, the Olmecs, which were the first dominant group, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. This period is very unique due to its isolation from other countries. Ceremonial centers were the nuclei of Mesoamerican settlements. There were temples to orient the town centers and pyramids to represent Gods and religions. The citizens were polytheistic and they believed in the act of human sacrifice for their Gods.
All of these groups of civilizations are a mystery in the sense that Olmec and Aztec groups abruptly disappeared and their cities were deserted. The other two were conquered by the Spanish.
Each tribe made significant contributions. The Olmecs introduced hieroglyphic writing and produced the first calendar in the western hemisphere. Their artwork was very realistic and made from jade. They are also known for their large sculptures of stone heads. The Mayans-Tolters used the grid system to construct their cities and Aztecs invented the floating gardens to create a larger land area for their settlement. Structures built by the Incas were very impressive due to their lack of mortar and how precise the stone cut outs are especially with not having the wheel or iron tools.







Modern Applications




Olmec Tree of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYydq4HvTE0

this is a video about Aztec civilization

Peer Review: Gothic

Sammy Vogel- I enjoy the way she breaks up her paragraphs using pictures of examples of architecture. She does a great job introducing the time period by giving good information about the history and continues with stating the importance of religion during this time. She also gives information about the period's most prominent features such as pointed arches, flying buttress, and ribbed vaults along with history about them and which countries utilize these characteristics in their design.

Allysia Jaques- She did a good job expressing the importance of the flying buttress and the use of stain glass windows in addition to the period's "obsession" with light. She also showed good examples of past and present architecture.

Gothic

Gothic is the last style of the medieval period, before the Renaissance. The word Gothic was widely used int the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to refer to art that was specifically not Italian and not Renaissance. Architecture and design is a bridge between Romanesque and Renaissance. Gothic grew out of Romanesque. It is known for features such as the flying buttresses, stained glass, and ribbed vaults which also existed during the Romanesque period. The flying buttress supported the buildings which allowed churches to have multiple large windows. By using pointed arches in their architecture, walls were able to be built thinner and look more elegant because the force of the building's weight is pushed straight down instead of out to the side. There were several types of town layouts. Some were rectilinear where some town squares were designed to appear as a response to foot and vehicular traffic and often center on a public utility such as a well.






current applications







This is a video about Gothic architecture, style characteristics and history

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01uNqFaKpC8

Peer Review Islamic

Alex Richardson: Alex emphasizes the importance that religion has over Islamic design as well as how important their leader, Mohammed, is. Many impacting structures were created over this time, such as the Mosque, and she does a great job listing and informing the reader about them. I really enjoyed her examples.

Alecia: Islamic design was prominent in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Building the Mosque was a huge accomplishment and the first one was called Mohammed's Farm.Horseshoe and ogival arches were a main characteristic in Islamic design. I like the examples she gave and also that she slightly explained some history under her picture of the Taj Mahal.

Peer Review Romanesque

Paige S: She restates the most important aspects of the Romanesque time period which would be the architecture made of arches and vaults, the layout of the basilicas which gave them more usable space, and the importance of learning and religion. She also gave good examples.

Katie K: She introduces Norman architecture and some of its history which is very interesting. She also states the importance of religion and what most structures such as churches and homes were made out of and where we can locate a few today. Her current application examples are very strong.

Islamic

Mohamed is the main figure of the Islamic religion. Religion was the foundation to Islamic design. The mosque was the central facility for prayer and worship. Mosques had a perimeter wall, covered hall of columns, and courtyard. Design characteristics included classic capitols with the Islamic arch and horseshoe arch. Patterns in architecture were used that originated in textiles like carpets. Tile work was a huge part of design and decor as well as stone and brick with marble vaneer, such as the Taj Mahal.





current applications






This video shows islamic art and architecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Z5wZvjpk0

Romanesque

Romanesque is a style of art that arose in Italy and southern France around 800 AD. Charlemagne was emperor during the Roman Empire and encouraged learning. He established schools and monasteries. Charlemagne also encouraged using the technology of Roman structures. Their architecture consists of arches and vaults which gave the name 'Romanesque'. Around 1600 churches were built between 1000-1100 during the religious movement and the emperor initiated pilgrimages to christian shrines. The churches were unique because a transept was added giving the building the shape of the crucifix. Roofs of churches were masonry, walls were painted rich greens, blues, purples, and gold. Tapestries and sculptures were also displayed in the church. Residential buildings were made of wood, mud, twigs, dirt floors, and had little warmth or light. There was typically one main room which most activities took place. Cities were crowded so there was not enough room to have rooms for one purpose which means there was also little privacy. Nobility had castles of stone which were drafty, wet and dark. Both were furnished with chests. They were a basic and important piece of furniture that had many uses.






Current Applications





This is a video about the Romanesque architecture of basilicas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSiD5Jinpuw

Peer Review: Byzantine

Jalee Gooch: I think she did a great job restating the dates of the time period because it does overlap with the Early Christian which explains the many similarities. She gives a lot of information on the history of the area, including the video, which tells about the Greek and Orient influences. She also gives a lot of good information about churches and has very good examples of applications.

Cally: She restates the history of Constantinople and the fall of Rome. The Byzantine culture was an extension of eastern cultures but had distinct characteristics. She highlighted important characteristics of history, architecture and art such as Hagia Sophia and the aspect of art being almost being entirely concerned with religious expression. She also shows great examples of past and current applications.

Peer Review: Early Christian

Allison Sanchez- It is important to acknowledge that the term Early Christian is used to describe the art and architecture that came from Western Europe and into the first Christian communities. Also, she emphasized the main characteristics such as centrally planned buildings and that the goal was to glorify God in the churches.

Maggie Roberts: Maggie points out the importance of the bathing process which was a huge part of their culture. The video that she provides on the catacombs is very interesting. The catacombs are so historic and important in understanding this early religion. She also shows great picture examples.

Middle Ages: Byzantine

The Byzantine time is associated with the western culture and influenced by the Greeks and Orient. Their basilicas were also more of a centralized plan and they combined the look of the dome from the east and the square base of the classical temple of the west to create their building style. This style is called pendentive construction. Churches had a centralized plan with circle windows and massive domes that gave a sense of importance to the exterior. The interior was separated by church and the nave and divided into bays. Flooring was tiled in marble, usually in geometric designs, and wall or ceiling surfaces were ornamented with marble, frescoes, mosaics and alabaster. Hollow tile was used for the dome and the domes were supported by square bases to distribute the weight.





current applications


pendentive construction

byzantine fashion

tiled bathroom                                                   marble bathroom

this is a video on the Byzantine Empire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWa8vOjmiMs

Middle Ages: Early Christian

The Early Christian time period was the "fall of Rome, rise of Christ".  Christianity posed a threat to the emperor so it was not tolerated like most religions. Many Christians were persecuted for their beliefs. Christianity was taught/followed by believers in private homes or in underground catacombs making it an 'underground religion' until Constantine recognized it as a valid religion in 313 C.E.  People met in homes or existing buildings but they needed new facilities due to the number of believers. Basilicas were built with a centralized plan who's main purpose was to glorify God. The exterior of the building was plain and simple where the interior was very elaborate. Masonry windows, clerestory windows, wood roof, and wood truss ceilings were used. Interiors were covered with frescoes of biblical accounts from the New and Old Testament.







current application


current centralized church

clerestory windows

wood truss ceilings


This is a video about the catacombs in Paris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzDOhnpDhgY