Point 4: Reflections

The beginning of design/architecture started in the ancient world in Egypt, Greece and then later in Rome. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages arose. During the Middle Ages, design previous to that was referred to as Classical and society during that time wanted to move away from those ideals. After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance arose. During the Renaissance, design in the Middle Ages was referred to as Romanesque and Gothic. Not long into the Renaissance, the city of Pompeii was discovered. This discovery led to a new trend in design. It was no longer trying to change and be different from the past. Instead it was about looking back into the past and bringing it to the present. This idea of bringing a past style back into the present is also known as a revival.

During the Renaissance, the current classicism derived from a current interpretation of the past and not a direct representation, which is why it was not considered a true revival but a new style of design/architecture. Classical design was used in new ways and it continued on into an embellished Baroque and Rococo. After these design periods came Neoclassicism, which also looked into the past for inspiration but with more accuracy – the beginnings of revivals. The rise of Neoclassicism was not only about looking into ancient world of classicism and its ideals but it also included other styles previous to Rococo. The biggest influence of Neoclassicism was Andrea Palladio and his villas and its most devoted disciple was Indigo Jones. An example of Jones’ work is The Queens House in England which has a strong Palladian floor plan. Although, Indigo Jones followed Palladio very closely and brought classicism back into the current trend, he was not the only one. Samuel McIntire and Christopher Wren also brought back classicism. John Vanbrough’s Castle Howard, in England, brought back with Gothic and Baroque styles. The idea behind these revivals was to go against the embellishments of Rococo and go back to a simpler more intellectual time with no excess.

The Supreme Court Building in Washington is a wonderful example of Neoclassicism and the revival of classic architecture. Its inspiration is more Roman than Greek which is more suitable based on the purpose of the building – government.  Its entrance has a statue on each side of the stairs leading up to the portico.  The portico has two rows of Corinthian columns holding an entablature with swags and a pediment with statues within it.  Upon arriving at the main door there are a set of Corinthian pilasters that fall in line with the columns.  Except for the title sign on the entablature, which states ‘Equal Justice Under Law, all the exterior details of the Supreme Court Building are from Roman architecture – including the purpose of the building.