Revivalism in Architecture

Revival in Architecture

Revivalism in architecture refers to the application of visual styles that consciously reflect the style of a previous architectural era. Architecture has considerably changed over the last centuries and across the numerous landscapes and cultures. All through the ages, architecture has been a mirror that reflects changes in civilizations, advancement in cultures and hopes of man. This also applies to other types of art and culture. However, architecture, on top of being an art, caters to the fundamental human need of shelter. Therefore, architecture forms a deeper reflection of what used to happen in a given place at a given time in history. If you need a architecture dissertation help, understanding the evolution of architectural styles and their cultural significance can provide valuable insights.

By studying revivalism in architecture, we not only get to understand the history of civilizations. Architecture in itself is a logical sequence of styles, events, beliefs, tendencies and techniques. This helps us to get a concrete understanding of the reason behind the style of architecture in the present time and age. We can also be able to predict the future of architecture, say in 100 or 1000 years to come.

The history of architecture is as long as the history of man, and, therefore, similar in complexity. Scholars date the origin of architecture to the Neolithic period - i.e. around 10,000 BC. This is when man stopped living in caves and started constructing housing structures according to their needs and preferred fashion. Architecture then was not driven by the mere desire to design an aesthetically appealing structure. By looking at the buildings constructed then, we better understand the drive behind the humans living at that time. The human perception of life was greatly expressed through architecture. In addition to this, they persistently strove to protect the built environment, as the rest of the heritage faded away and decayed.

The famous leader Churchill once stated that history is written by victors. This is also true in regards to the history of architecture. Buildings from ancient times that remain standing today were constructed by the most developed and powerful societies. Buildings with over a thousand years of age give us a hint of how well the dwellers watched over them. For instance, the best preserved ancient architecture is Roman architecture. This is not the oldest form of architecture. There are other styles of architecture that came after the Roman architecture but they no longer stand.

Considering the purpose of buildings, there are many reasons why buildings were constructed. Most of the surviving ancient structures were sacral meaning they were dedicated to the worship of gods and other religious functions. We also have a few secular buildings, which were erected for various human activities other than religious purposes. The purpose of buildings is a great indication of the inspiration for architectural design. Generally, the old civilizations believed more in the after-life. That is why a good number of the ancient buildings still standing were actually tombs.

Some of the major architectural periods include: Prehistoric architecture (11,600 BC to 3,500 BC); Ancient Egypt (3,050 BC to 900 BC); Classical architecture (850 BC to AD 476); Byzantine architecture (527 to 565); Romanesque architecture (800 - 1200); Gothic architecture (1100 to 1450); Renaissance architecture (1400 to 1600); Baroque architecture (1600 to 1830); Rococo architecture (1650 to 1790); Neoclassicism architecture (1730 to 1925); Art Nouveau architecture (1890 to 1914); Beaux Arts architecture (1895 to 1925); Neo-Gothic architecture (1905 to 1930); Art Deco architecture (1925 to 1937); Modernist architecture (1900 to present); Postmodernism architecture (1972 to present); Neo-modernism and Parametricism (1997 to present). For this essay, we shall focus on Gothic architecture, to discuss the motivating factors and enabling events behind the architectural style.

Gothic revival architecture

The Gothic revival is a popular architectural movement that kicked off in the late 1940s in the country of England. It started off slowly but reached its peak in the early 19th Century. This is when more admirers of the Gothic style sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture. The original Gothic architecture had developed in France in the twelfth century. It was majorly a style for churches to emphasize the divine. It involved complex but accurate mathematical calculations and proportions. The prevalent style at the beginning of the 19th Century was the neoclassical style of ancient Greece and Rome. The neoclassical style of the 18th century is said to have been associated with radical and liberal perspectives. Contrary to this, the Gothic Revival was linked to “Traditional” perspectives, including conservatism and the monarchy. This was a time when industrialization was in good progress. The common man did not want the use of machinery and factory production. The preferred the earlier pre-industrial model, terming it as a golden age (Brooks, 1999).

From Neoclassim to Gothic Revival

Many reasons exist as to why man decided to change from the Neoclassism to the Gothic Revival. First of all, the general Romantic revolution, sparked by an interest in Medieval times, produced a lot of Gothic tales and romances. Authors such as Horace Walpole and Sir Henry Scott set their romance tales in medieval times. They wrote novels that stirred up a romantic rememberance of the medieval times, including things such as haunted castles, knights and armor. This way, they created a feeling of reminiscence and longing for that period. Most paintings in this period also depicted ruins of medieval castles and abbeys. It is said that Horace Walpole’s home, Strawberry Hill, is one of the first documented examples of Gothic Revival. He added turrets, cloisters and a host of other floursihes to it. Secondly, the architectural theorists at that time were interested in carrying over the liturgical importance of Gothic architecture to their own times (Eastlake, 2006).

The origin of the Gothic Revival movement was strongly associated with Catholicism and a re-awakening of the Anglo-Catholic and High Church belief. Gothic revival architecture borrowed a lot from the ornamental style and concepts of construction of its medieval origin. A lot of Gothic Revival structures were constructed during the 19th and early 20th centuries across the world (Eastlake, 2006).

Notable Gothic architects

In America, the Gothic style was advanced by two main architects - Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing. The United States at that time had started to lose interest in the Greco-Roman Classicism. The two architects promoted the Gothic style as appropriate for rural environments, claiming that its complex and irregular form fitted well into the natural landscape. Alexander Jackson Davis authored the book Rural Residences in 1837. Indeed, he built the first American Gothic house in Baltimore, MD. Thereafter, the Gothic style was widely used for the construction of country houses mostly in rural areas or small towns. The first church in the USA to be built in the Gothic Revival style was the Trinity Church on the Green located in New Haven, Connecticut. Another prominent Gothic Revival building in the US is St. Patrick’s Cathedral, located in New York. Further up in Canada, the Gothic Revial also spread wide. The first Gothic Revival structure in Canada was the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montrel, Quebec. It was the largest church in America by 1824, the year it was completed. In England, James Wyatt is credited as one of the architects who widely used the Gothic style to construct buildings. The best of his works that stand up to date is the Ashridge Park. It should be noted that, at the onset of the 19th Century, while the Gothic Revival style was widely adopted in the construction of churches, the classical style was still seen as a more appropriate style for construction of public and commercial buildings (Hitchcock, 1961).

Churches also widely adopted the Gothic revival style. The style featured castles like towers with crenellated parapet, high spires, parapets and tracery window. The windows and entries were distinctly arched and pointed. The Gothic revival style also incorporates the Carpenter Gothic style. This featured vertical board and batten siding, incised wooden trim and pointed arches. The term Carpenter Gothic style was coined as a result of the wide use of decorative wood elements on the exterior (Hitchcock, 1961).

Main features of Gothic Revival architecture

The number one dominating feature of the Gothic Revival style is the pointed arch. This was used for doors, windows and other decorative elements such as porches, dormers and roof gables. Almost every surface is decorated with a host of shapes and patterns. Other distinct features of the Gothic revival style include steeply pitched roofs and front-facing gables. These generally had a delicate wooden trim referred to as vergeboards or bargeboards. Another term used to refer to the wooden trim is gingerbread. Most Gothic Revival style buildings have porches with decorated posts and slender columns. The posts are normally joined with flattened arches or side brackets. Gothic revival buildings are known to be rich in colour and decoration. The are mostly irregular in appearance and lay much emphasis on the vertical appearance (Donat, 1967).

Gothic revival architecture is also characterized with stone and brick structures. The support columns for the arches are characteristically smaller. They go all the way to the roof and form part of the vault. The vault has three faces and rises to a peak in the centre of the ceiling of each bay. The combination of slender columns and lighter systems of thrust makes it possible to have larger windows and therefore more light in the Gothic Structures. Yorke (2017) stated that the soaring ceilings and application of brighter light had revolutionised the ecclesiastical design by transforming the cold and distant interior of cathedrals into inspirational ones. He further argued that this increased the moral values and spiritual beliefs among the people. The steep angles replaced the rounded pillars of Romanesque. They were developed to create the impression of “Reaching towards heaven” (Hamlin, 2010).

The gradual transformation from Romanesque style of architecture to Gothic style architecture saw the incorporation of different materials such as stained glass windows, flying buttresses and colourful interior. This can be seen in Sainte Chapelle in Paris, where the accentuated brightness and coloured interior presented a cheerful impression. In addition, the moral scriptures and rationality in using architectural materials illustrated God’s power over mankind and the universe as a whole (Curl, 1990).

Examples of Gothic Architecture

The largest and most theatrical Gothic Revival building in the world is the Palace of Westminster, also known as the House of Parliament. Sir Charles Barry and A. W. Pugin undertook the reconstruction of the building after being destroyed by fire in 1834. Pugin is credited to have greatly fuelled the Gothic Revival Style. He believed that it was the only true Christian architecture. He influenced other architects to stick to the principles of Medieval art. He also designed many churches in England in the course of his career. He also wrote the book Examples of Gothic Architecture and Specimens of Gothic Architecture. This included several architectural drawings for Gothic structures. His book formed the standard of the Gothic revival throughout the 19th century. William Burges was also a notable English architect in the early 19th century. He got his inspiration mainly from the Middle Ages, East Asia and the Islamic world. His most notable designs in the Gothic Revival style include the Cardiff Castle Castell Coch, both located in Britain (Rudiments of ancient architecture, 1804).

Another figure that greatly influenced the Gothic Revival architecture is John Ruskin. He was one of the greatest art critics of the day. He wrote two books - The Seven Lamps of Architecture and The Stones of Venice. John Ruskin urged the masses to get back to the spiritual values which were predominant during the middle ages. He had a feeling that the spiritual values had greatly declined at the time he was living. He states that the quality of medieval craftsmanship reflected the morally superior way of life of the medieval world (Prina and Demartini, 2006).

Over to France, the French architect Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-duc inspired even more architects to stick to the Gothic Revival movement. A number of scholars however term his work as weak Gothic (Prina and Demartini, 2006).

Advancement of Gothic architecture

The Gothic Revival architecture was used for its picturesque and romantic qualities. A good example is the Strawberry Hill - home to the famous English Writer Horace Walpole. Another notable example is the Fonthill Abbey, an eighty-two metres high tower designed by James Wyatt. This was constructed under French King Louis VI and Louis VII. It is particularly said to have unified all elements of Gothic architecture. It spots pointed arches, clustered columns, and cross-rib vaulting, which together portray a coherently whole structure (Pevsner, 2009).

At the onset of the Gothic Revival, the buildings were majorly haphazardly picturesque. Early Gothic Revival Structures were built without much concern on authenticity. As the Gothic architectural era advanced, more people migrated to a more conscientious medieval English style. Later phases of Gothic Revival structures incorporated more archeological study and scholarships so as to mimic the original Gothic style as much as possible. Later on, architects saw the need to create elegant and magnificent landmarks using the Gothic style. The Gothic Revival began to lose force after the third quarter of the 19th century. As new materials were discovered and people started having real concerns over the functionalism of the Gothic Revival architecture, the Gothic Revival started dwindling. Today, only isolated examples of the style are found on the continent (Rudiments of ancient architecture, 1804).

Towards the late 19th Century, Gothic Revival architecture mixed with other European styles to make it more appreciable. Gothic architecture found its way into urban settings, specifically in duplexes and row houses. The interlinking of Victorian style and Gothic Revival style architecture generated a new style known as Victorian Gothic. At the beginning of the 20th century, a special variation of the Gothic Revival style, known as Collegiate Gothic style, sprung up. This was basically used for erection of educational buildings (Rudiments of ancient architecture, 1804).

Moving on into the 20th century, technological developments such as the steel frame, the incandescent light bulb and the elevator were introduced. Architects no longer saw the need to use interior columns of load-bearing masonry, which is characteristic of Gothic Revival. The invention of the light bulb also made obsolete the need for tall windows. Still framing rendered the use of rib vaults and flying buttresses obsolete. With steel frames, buildings could have wider open interiors with less columns interrupting the view. Fifty years into the 20th century, Gothic Revival was partially replaced by Modernism. The modern architects saw Gothic Revival as a form of honest expression. They however changed the trend by using rectangular frames and iron girders. This is not to say that Gothic Revival stopped completely. A number of massive Gothic buildings were still being built after mid-twentieth century. Good examples are the Washington National Cathedral and the Liverpool Cathedral by Giles Gilbert Scott. Ralph Adams Cram was the main Gothic proponent during this period. He built the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York, which is said to be the biggest church in the entire world (Donat, 1967). Ralph Adams Cram also built other structures at Princeton University using the Collegiate Gothic style. In his own words, he said that “the style hewn out and perfected by our ancestors has become ours by uncontested inheritance. Perhaps the latest Gothic buildings are the St George’s Hall and the octagonal chamber at Windsor castle. The tower added to St Edmundsbury Cathedral is also a good example of modern Gothic Revival.

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