What are some stunning examples of world art and architecture?

[Cyrus]

In this thread I hope to share various things I find on the internet about various cultures around the world. I would like to find things about art and architecture mostly, but at this point its too early to tell. I was going to do this in the other thread I started on Santiago Calatrava, but the title was his name, which would not be right, and the content was all over the map. Most of what I put will be ripped off from sources, I hope that's ok, :tongue: .

 

[JasonRox]

In this thread I hope to share various things I find on the internet about various cultures around the world. I would like to find things about art and architecture mostly, but at this point its too early to tell. I was going to do this in the other thread I started on Santiago Calatrava, but the title was his name, which would not be right, and the content was all over the map. Most of what I put will be ripped off from sources, I hope that's ok, :tongue: .

Why not learn the real culture?

The architecture and the art isn't "real" culture. If that's what you want, then go for it.

Culture to me is more like the lifestyle, attitude, and so on.

That's what I usually talk about when people ask about Quebec and what not.

 

[Cyrus]

My first entry is on the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain. I thought this would be appropriate, as it is on the cover and throughout the chapters in James Stewarts, "Calculus, concepts and context."

The structure, designed by Frank Gehry's architectural firm and opened to the public in 1997, immediately vaulted to prominence as one of the world's most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism. The museum's design and construction serve as an object lesson in Frank Gehry's style and method. Like much of Gehry's other work, the structure consists of radically sculpted, organic contours; the Guggenheim Bilbao claims that it does not have a single flat surface in the entire structure. Part of the building is crossed by a highway bridge, and a large portion of the structure is sheathed in paper-thin titanium panels.

The building, sited as it is in a port town, is intended to resemble a ship. Its brilliantly reflective panels resemble fish scales, echoing the other organic (and, in particular, fish-like) forms that recur commonly in Gehry's designs, as well as the river Nervión upon which the museum sits. They also cause the building to appear to change shape throughout the day when viewed from the street.

Also in typical Gehry fashion, the building is uniquely a product of the period's technology. Computer aided design and visualizations were used heavily in the structure's design. Computer simulations of the building's structure made it feasible to build shapes that architects of earlier eras would have found nearly impossible to construct. During its construction, stone panels were cut by lasers.

Also important is while the museum is a spectacular monument from the river, on street level it is quite modest and does not overwhelm its traditional surroundings.

The museum was opened as part of a revitalization effort for the city of Bilbao and for the Basque Country. Almost immediately after its opening, the Guggenheim Bilbao became a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the globe. It was widely credited with "putting Bilbao on the map".

The exhibitions in the museum itself change often, but most exposed work concerns 20th century art; traditional paintings and sculptures are often in a minority compared to installations and electronic forms. Some art enthusiasts feel that the building itself far too often overshadows the museum's collection.

Naturally, I will start with the famous picture we have all seen in Stewart:

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/m/images/museu_gug.bilb.1.lg.jpg

http://www.mykreeve.net/bilbao/riverside_and_guggenheim_museum/guggenheim_bilbao_curves.jpg

http://lunapark.quuxuum.org/albums/Basque/guggenheim_04.sized.jpg

I find the spider to be very disturbing and out of place .

http://www.netropolitan.org/gehry/bilbao_town.gif

^I find this picture to be very important because it shows that the lines serve many functions. From this perspective, the lines follow the flow of the mountain as seen down the street in constrast to the linearity of the old style buildings. Its a nice departure from the norm.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Guggenheim_detail.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/de/Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg/800px-Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg

http://canales.elcorreodigital.com/guggenheim/albumfotos/interior4.jpg


It’s interesting to note how the titanium panels change color from a golden tone to a muted steel depending on the sunlight.

 

[Cyrus]

Carrying on the theme of museums, for the time being: I will place the images in here from the last thread on Santiage Calatrava:

The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) is located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The museum's history began in 1888 when the Milwaukee Art Association was created by a group of German panorama artists and local businessmen; its first home was the Layton Art Gallery. In the early 1900s the Milwaukee Art Institute was founded. The Milwaukee Art Center (now the MAM) was formed when these two groups joined in 1957.

The MAM's permanent holdings contain an important collection of Old Masters and 19th-century and 20th-century artwork, as well as some of the nation's best collections of German Expressionism, folk and Haitian art, American decorative arts, and post-1960 American art. The museum holds a large number of works by Georgia O'Keeffe.

The MAM recently gained international recognition with the construction of the new white concrete Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava (his first American commission), which opened on May 4, 2001. The structure contains a moveable, wing-like brise soleil (pictured below) which opens up for a wingspan of 217 feet during the day, folding over the tall, arched structure at night or during inclement weather. The building has since become a symbol for the city of Milwaukee. The galleries themselves are contained in the MAM's older building, a 1957 Eero Saarinen commission (along with the Milwaukee County War Memorial) added to by Kahler, Fitzhugh and Scott of Milwaukee in 1975.

http://www.digischool.nl/ckv1/architectuur/calatrava/milwaukee2.jpg

Interior:

\/ This is one of my favorite images I found online, it reminds me of a magazine shoot from the 70's. It gives me the sensation of being inside a sanctuary, while outside it is a crisp cool day. The air is thick, if fills your lungs when you take a deep breath. You can taste the quality of the air. The kind of feeling you can only get on a cool fall day.

^The perfect contrast of the sterile and muted whites and grays with the vivid colors of life in the sculpture. It is a wonderful contrast.

It's interesting to note that both this museum and the one in Spain are located near the water have have the feeling of a sail boat.

 

[Monique]

What does the architecture of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao (designed by a Canadian) have to do with Spain's culture?

 

[Jonny_trigonometry]

ya, because there is a museum here in minnesota which sort of resembles the Guggenheim, but Minnesotans have a different culture than Spaniards.

http://www.wholeo.net/Trips/Travel/MN/3-19jun1aWeisman.jpg

 

[Jonny_trigonometry]

Ok, I found out that the Weisman was designed by the same dude that designed the Guggenheim, Frank Gehry.

This is pretty neat

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Prague_-_Dancing_House.jpg

here's the wiki on Frank Gehry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry

 

[Astronuc]

What does the architecture of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao (designed by a Canadian) have to do with Spain's culture?

Nada!

The Guggenheim museum in Bilbao has to do with the Guggenheim Musesum and Gehry. The only thing relevant to Spain is the fact that that particular museum is in Spain, and possibly contains some Spanish art.

Culture is reflected in art and architecture as long as it is home grown, i.e. indigenous. I don't even know what 'culture' Gehry represents.

All I know is that I have a adverse reaction to his buildings. But that's me.

As for the MAM, being an engineer, the waste of material comes to my mind.

 

[loseyourname]

Gehry also designed the recently completed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, another strangely shaped building:

 

[Cyrus]

I think it looks very nice. Can one of the mentors edit the name of this thread so that it says "World Art and Architecture." I gave it a poor title by calling it culture. Thanks.

 

[Cyrus]

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center:

Saul Baizerman
Nike, bronze, 1949-1952

Deborah Butterfield
Woodrow, bronze, 1988

Alexander Calder
Octopus, steel, painted, 1964

Alexander Calder
The Spinner, aluminum, steel, paint, 1966

Tony Cragg
Ordovician Pore, granite, steel, 1989

Mark di Suvero
Arikidea, Cor-Ten steel, steel, wood, 1977-1982

Mark di Suvero
Molecule, steel, paint, 1977-1983

Barry Flanagan
Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers, bronze, limestone, 1983

Wim Delvoye
Caterpillar #5, laser-cut steel, stainless steel, 2002

Frank Gehry
Standing Glass Fish, 1986
wood, glass, steel, silicone, Plexiglas, rubber
264 x 168 x 102 in

Charles Ginnever
Nautilus, Cor-Ten steel, 1976

Georg Kolbe
Junge Frau (Young Woman), bronze, 1926

Jacques Lipchitz
Prometheus Strangling the Vulture II, bronze, 1944/1953

Henry Moore
Reclining Mother and Child, bronze, 1960-1961

Standing Figure: Knife Edge, bronze, 1961

David Nash
Standing Frame, charred white oak, 1987

Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Spoonbridge and Cherry, aluminum, stainless steel, paint, 1985-1988
The spoon weighs 5,800 pounds and the cherry 1,200 pounds.

Judith Shea
Without Words, bronze, marble, limestone, 1988

Tony Smith
Amaryllis, Cor-Ten steel, paint, 1965/1968
Kelly's Double Curve is in the background. ( I like these two)

All of the wonderful photographs on these six pages were taken by my brother, Douglas Miller, who generously photographed them for my website. He owns the copyright.

I don't think there is any problem here, I am not using them for profit and I have sourced the pictures.