In-depth Notes on 19th Century Architecture and Art

Chapter 1: Introduction to 19th Century Architecture

• Architectural Styles: The early 19th century was dominated by two architectural movements: neoclassicism and romanticism. Each style served distinct purposes:

  • Neoclassicism: Often used for secular public buildings to convey ideals of grandeur, timelessness, and concepts like democracy.
  • Romanticism: Particularly exemplified by the Gothic revival style. Gothic architecture was not just aesthetic; it evoked a sense of spirituality and unity.

• Houses of Parliament:

  • A catastrophic fire in 1834 destroyed the original Parliament building in London.
  • A competition ensued to design a new building, specifically using Gothic or Elizabethan architectural styles.
    • Perpendicular Gothic: An English style emphasizing verticality and magnificence.
    • Elizabethan Style: Another style associated with English cultural heritage.
  • Architects: Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin were the victors of the competition; Barry oversaw the entire project, while Pugin focused on the Gothic design.
  • Pugin published Contrasts in 1836, praising the spirituality and craftsmanship of the Middle Ages.

• Architectural Critique:

  • Pugin critiqued the Houses of Parliament's designs for appearing too Greek due to their horizontality and symmetry.
  • He believed it reflected classical, rather than Gothic, aesthetics. However, the building is widely recognized as an exemplary Gothic revival architecture.

• Neoclassicism in America:

  • Neoclassicism became the dominant style in America, known as Federal Style.
  • Thomas Jefferson: An instrumental figure in promoting this style, admired Italian architect Andrea Palladio.
    • His home Monticello reflects Palladian design elements and uses local materials, integrating the building with the landscape.

Chapter 2: New Artistic Medium

• Transportation: The first passenger railway in England began operations in 1825. This improved travel efficiency significantly. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s symbolized national expansion in the US.

• Communication Technologies: The telegraph (1830s) transformed communication, allowing for instant message transmission across distances. The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1870s further advanced real-time communication.

• Urbanization: The latter half of the 19th century saw rapid urbanization and the use of electricity leading to modernization in urban settings. The advent of industrial materials such as steel allowed for taller and more complex structures, giving rise to skyscrapers.

• Social Changes: Industrialization fostered stark class divisions, leading to the publication of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848, critiquing capitalism and advocating for the working class.

• Realism Movement: Emerging during social upheavals, realism sought to honestly depict everyday life, often focusing on the working class, as seen in the works of Gustave Courbet.

• Scientific Influences:

  • The works of Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology and Charles Darwin's On The Origin of Species in the 1830s and 1859 challenged established beliefs about life and the Earth's history, impacting landscape painting during the period.

Chapter 3: Projected Image

• Photography's Emergence: The 19th century marked the invention of photography. Earlier methods, such as camera obscura and camera lucida, were transitioned to practical photography with the introduction of light-sensitive processes.

• Daguerreotypes: Developed by Louis Daguerre, these were one-off images produced on silver-coated plates exposed for 20-30 minutes. They displayed exceptional detail but could not be replicated.

• Wet Plate Collodion: This method allowed for creating negatives, enabling multiple prints from a single image, making it cheaper and more practical than earlier techniques. It became prevalent during the American Civil War, focusing on soldier portraits and battle aftermath images, mainly by photographers like Alexander Gardner and Timothy O'Sullivan.

Chapter 4: Visual Documentation of War

• War Photography: The Civil War is noted for being the first war extensively documented through photography. Photographers faced challenges due to the slow exposure times and the cumbersome equipment required for developing photos on-site.

• Images of Loss: Images were often stylized or staged, as seen with O'Sullivan's work that documented battlefield aftermath. The use of selective focus influenced viewer perception and emotions regarding war imagery.

Chapter 5: Realism and Modernity

• Realist Artists: Artists like Courbet utilized new painting methodologies to represent laborers and the working class, advocating for social change and drawing attention to human dignity amidst harsh working conditions.

• Bonheur's Horse Fair: This significant work displayed an energetic portrayal of an animal fair, challenging gender norms in the art world by using large formats and themes typically dominated by male artists.

Chapter 6: The Rise of Modern Art

• Manet's Influence: Manet emerged as a pivotal figure in modern painting, famous for works that broke academic traditions and addressed contemporary subjects.
• The Painter of Modern Life: The movement urged painters to capture beauty in modern life rather than relying on the past, leading to innovative interpretations in Manet's art.

Chapter 7: Conclusion

• Artistic Transformation: The late 19th century embodied significant transformations in art, influenced by social, political, and technological changes, paving the way for modern art and challenging established norms in both subject matter and technique.