Architecture Contrast and Compare

The paper evaluates two portions of architecture namely the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City and the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris. Both works of art stem from the baroque and rococo architectural styles. To begin with, style in architecture is a cluster of typical small print that differentiates it from the rest of architecture. Such distinctiveness makes a structural building into a special work of art that delights the human soul with enthusiasm. As such, baroque and rococo represent theories of that time because they stemmed out at an generation when there was a high demand on grandeur, a deluxe design that would venerate their authority, the power of building holder, largely of nobility, emperors and cathedrals (Northrup et al., 2015).

Both architectural styles endeavored to demonstrate and inspire highly responsive effects in their structural edifices. The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City is an example of Baroque structural design. The building is largely superlative and delightful. Materials used in the construction include stones, mortar, wood, steel glasses, and tiles among others. In terms of elegance, the Baroque style is analogous to rococo architecture (Norget, 2016). Both styles are startling with superfluity as well as the splendor of their huge space, elegant beautification, and imposing magnificence. And yet, the two styles have different origins.

While Baroque originated from Italy in the 1500s, the rococo style emerged from France in the early 1700s (Roth & Clark, 2013). Based on their origins, it becomes evident that baroque is the discrete, autonomous are of art, whilst rococo is simply a furtherance of baroque. In addition, the Papal Basilica represents the concept of endlessness, common and diverse world. It depicts the antagonism between pious and material prowess, cathedrals and kingdoms, elusive and theatrical. On the other hand, the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris projects the Rococo style of architecture (Ellis & Ginsburg, 2017). The building is characterized by a well-lit, more lively, subtle and fantastic style. Like the Papa Basilica, materials used in the construction include stones, mortar, wood, steel glasses, and tiles among others.

Moreover, the architecture is a departure from the dense, overpowering and colossal decoration of the baroque designs. The hotel is therefore marked with beauty and carelessness provided by rococo in its style. As such, painting and pieces of art were also significant elements of design in the hotel mainly for artistic beauty and mental contentment. According to Roth & Clark, (2013), the aspect of mental appeal is, however, realized through massive framing. Another different feature is that the Papal Basilica comprises of curved forms, a wasteful and intricate application of columns and ornate sculptures as well as paintings for adornment. Sculptures and paintings were used to make an illusion of irrelevancy of walls and ceilings in this type of design. The aspect of endlessness in the Papa Basilica is created through engorged spaces. However, when it comes to the Hotel, the mirrors are used to create illumination, pure and playful environment in the structural edifice.

In both buildings, carvings and ornament are evident. And yet, the highly expanded adornment on the hotel resonates well with the rococo architectural movement. The complexity, vastness, and thickness of ornaments used on the Papa Basilica building demonstrate the moods of that epoch. This is also true in the hotel, which embraces the rococo architecture where fanciful, frivolous and lively scrolls prevailed. According to Roth & Clark, (2016) architecture is simply a part of art largely interconnected with other sections of art. As such, the structural design does not give complete contentment of what is perceptible. In this regard, the currents under which the two pieces of architecture were developed were influenced by painting, sculpture, and prose. The themes represented in baroque architecture are quite different from what is evident in rococo style. In baroque, actual structures are depicted with divergences of radiance, whereas in rococo, nonsymmetrical yet magnificent and refined designs are projected.

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References

Ellis, C., & Ginsburg, R. (Eds.). (2017). Slavery in the City: Architecture and Landscapes of Urban Slavery in North America. University of Virginia Press.

Norget, K. (2016). Neo-Baroque Catholic Evangelism in Post-Secular Mexico. The Transatlantic Hispanic Baroque: Complex Identities in the Atlantic World, 273.

Northrup, C. C., Bentley, J. H., Eckes Jr, A. E., Manning, P., Pomeranz, K., & Topik, S. (2015). Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present (Vol. 1). Routledge.

Roth, L. M., & Clark, A. C. R. (2016). American Architecture: A History. Hachette UK. baroque

Roth, L. M., & Clark, A. R. (2013). Understanding architecture: Its elements, history, and meaning. Westview Press.