Art and Architecture

The Essential Qualities of Art

Very often, we judge something as art or architecture by its functionality (architecture has a practical
function while art does not) but after the previous discussion, it is clear that it is not always possible
to draw a clear line between art and architecture. Throughout history, there have been various
interpretations of art or architecture.

Art ... a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or
imagination...

The various visual arts exist within a continuum that ranges from purely aesthetic purposes at one
end to purely utilitarian purposes at the other. Such a polarity of purpose is reflected in the
commonly used terms artist and artisan, the latter understood as one who gives considerable
attention to the utilitarian. This should by no means be taken as a rigid scheme, however. ...In
cultures such as Africa and Oceania, a definition of art that encompasses this continuum has existed
for centuries. In the West, however, by the mid-18th century the development of academies for
painting and sculpture established a sense that these media were “art” and therefore separate
from more utilitarian media. This separation of art forms continued among art institutions until
the late 20th century, when such rigid distinctions began to be questioned.

— Encyclopaedia Britannica (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/630806/art)

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form
such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or
emotional power. — Oxford Dictionary

There are three forms of visual art: Painting is art to look at, sculpture is art you can walk around,
and architecture is art you can walk through. — Dan Rice, American entertainer

‘ Firmitas, utilitas, venustas (Strength, usefulness, beauty) — Vitruvius, de Architectura (Ten Books
on Architecture)

In architecture as in all other operative arts, the end is to build well. Well building hath three
conditions. Commodity, Firmness, and Delight. — Henry Wotton

The essential qualities of architecture

Is architecture really as simple as ‘art that you can walk through’ as stated by Dan Rice? In the
contemporary world, artists and architects are no longer limited by the traditional materials or ways
of expression. There are non-functional or virtual buildings, and there are also unconventional art
pieces such as three-dimensional paintings or sound sculptures. To understand the primary
similarities and differences between art and architecture, it is perhaps easiest for us to go back to a
very basic interpretation.
Vitruvius, a Roman architect, wrote in his Ten Books of Architecture that a building should possess
the qualities of ‘firmitas, utilitas, venustas’ which roughly translate as ‘firmness, usefulness and
beauty’. Throughout history, different people have interpreted these Latin words in different ways:

‘comodità, perpetuità, bellezza (convenience, permanence, beauty)’ — Andrea Palladio, Italian

architect

‘commodity, firmness, delight’ - Henry Wotton, The Elements of Architecture,1624

In modern English, Wotton’s words can be expressed as ‘usefulness, strength and beauty’.

In the picture, a boy is enjoying himself in Casa Luis Barragan, Mexico, a building designed by Luis
Barragan

Architecture is an art when one consciously or unconsciously creates aesthetic emotion in the
atmosphere and when this environment produces well being. — Luis Barragan

A well-designed and constructed building is not only useful. A pleasant architectural space can also
bring joy to the people who use it.

ARCHITECTURE INSPIRED BY ART

It is very easy to find artistic elements in a building. For example, in both traditional western and
eastern architecture, the different building parts such as the roof, columns and beams are heavily
ornamented with painted reliefs and sculptures. On the other hand, there are also artworks which
are inspired by architecture. Is it possible to appreciate architecture the same way we appreciate
art?

Architecture is always dream and function, expression of a utopia and instrument of a

convenience. — Roland Barthes, The Eiffel Tower and Other Mythologies