The aim of the course is to examine the development of architectural trends within the wider context of the Western Art, from the beginning of the 19th century till 1960s-1970s. Architecture is also presented through the political and social context and the technological development of each period.
References of the architects of the modern movement on the syntax of classical architecture, the plasticity of the Byzantine-Islamic domes and their evolution within a wider Mediterranean tradition, the radical structural system of Gothic cathedrals and the “organic” architecture of the Baroque, are some of the angles analyzed in the course of the history of architecture of 19th-20th century, with the aim of actualization of the architectural works of previous periods.
Contemporary architectural space is not defined solely by the current theories about him/it, but also through the solid knowledge of what has preceded it and its long term transformation.
Kenneth Frampton, Modern Architecture: A Critical History (World of Art), Thames & Hudson, London, Fourth edition (2007)
David Watkin, A History of Western Architecture. Watson-Guptill, NewYork, 2005.