Purchase Solution

comparison of churches

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Comparing a contemporary 20th century work of art to a historically similar work of art and select a 20th century work of art and a similar work of art from the past. Identify each piece, each artist, the era of the historical piece, and the characteristics to be compared. Compare and contrast both pieces on elements such as style, tension, balance, composition, subject, and so forth. Explain the creative process involved which resulted in the creation of each piece.

Conclusion on the comparison of these two churches.
Basilique Saint-Denis, or the Church of St. Denis, in Paris
Richard Meier's Jubilee church (modern day church).

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

A comparison of these two churches is modeled.

Solution Preview

Just as the use of Gothic style in structure and form were radical and unusual in the time period of the Middle Ages, so many modern techniques of architectural design seem so today. This is nowhere near as apparent as when comparing two phenomenal works of their period, the Gothic Church of Saint-Denis in Paris, and the Jubilee Church by Richard Meier in Rome.
The technical revolution in architecture known as "Gothic" began at the end of the 12th century and lasted just over two hundred years. The advances made in architecture paralleled those in intellectual life. Gothic architecture was generally tall and inspiring and was a significant structural improvement upon the Romanesque buildings that preceded it. Even though the Gothic era roughly lasted two hundred years (12th-14th century), it was long enough to voyage deep into the beautiful and complex world of architecture. These contributions revolutionized the building habits of the time, as well as, have a profound influence on the social, religious and political culture throughout the European world. This essay will provide a brief history of the Gothic Era and detail the essential elements of Gothic style. Also, insight will be provided on the influence Gothic Style had on the people and culture during the Middle Ages and how it has transcended to Modern times (Frankl, 2001).
The historical style itself originated at the abbey church of St. Denis in Saint-Denis, near Paris, where it exemplified the vision of Abbot Suger. The first truly Gothic construction was the choir of the church, known as the Abbey of St. Denis, consecrated in 1144. The architectural structure of the Abbey of St. Denis differed from previous churches in many ways. Most churches had wooden rafters, which were replaced with stone vaults, but Abbott Suger decided to replace the stone vaults with pointed arches and
complex ribbed vaults. The pointed arches allowed for the stretching of the walls to an extreme height which later became a fundamental element to the ribbed groin vault.
The scholar H. W. Janson (1974) describes the Abbey of St. Denis this way, "...the entire plan is held together by a new kind of geometric order: it consists of seven identical wedge-shaped units ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
Photography

Test your introductory knowledge of photography.

Impressionism

Test your knowledge of Impressionism with these six questions.

File Formats

Which file format would you choose?

Nicolo Paganini: Introduction to the Composer

This quiz introduces the composer, Nicolo Paganini. Nicolo Paganini played several instruments and earned an award in Rome, along with many other lifetime achievements. Test your musical knowledge!

Artistic Materials

An introductory quiz for students of studio art or art appreciation.