Neo-Classical Architecture

18th – 20th Century AD

Background
1. Vitruvian principles of architecture
I. Vitruvius in his famous Ten Books on Architecture
or De architectura identified the major attributes of
architecture based on the architecture of the
antiquity
II. Vitruvius asserted that any structure must possess
three vital characteristics – firmitas, utilitas and
venustas meaning solidity, utility and beauty, which
is also known as Vitruvian triad
III. The Greeks studied proportion, which was carried
forward by Vitruvius in the study of anthropometry
where the proportions of the human body is seen as
the basis of every object
IV. Written in Latin in around 15 BC, this is the one of
the few surviving books from antiquity
V. It is divided into ten sections and covers every
aspect of Roman construction and architecture
2. French Revolution
A social movement starting in France in 1789 AD and lasting for 10 years i.e. 1799 AD.
It is marked by four distinctive phases namely,

i. Moderate stage (abolishment of feudalism)

ii. Radical stage (Declaration of republic)
iii. The directory (collapse of Directory by Napolean)
iv. Age of Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleonic wars, Napoleonic code)

This movement was seen as a movement against nobility or clergy primarily by the
peasant class.

French revolution has been regarded as the demise of absolute monarchies and
theocracies being replaced by republics and democracies.

It strived to achieve ‘liberte, egalite and fraternite’ and abolish division along lines of
religion, societal hierarchies. It is believed to be the genesis of liberalism, socialism,
secularism and democracy which eventually spread across the world
2. French Revolution (contd.)
French revolution also saw a parallel movement in the society with the uprise of a
movement known as Age of Enlightenment.

This movement lasted from 1790 – 1800 AD. This marked the era where individualism
and reasoning and analyses was encouraged. It challenged the authorities of religious
leaders and aristocratic class.

This movement was also coincided by the Scientific revolution spear headed by Sir
Isaac Newton.

This period was also overlapped by the Industrial Revolution which began in 1760 and
lasted till 1840 AD.
Introduction
After French revolution there were two fundamental changes in the society. It marked
the following –
a. The decline of aristocracy and rise of bourgeoisie
b. Advance in technology leading to laying of new infrastructure (roads and canals)
increase in productive capacity

This was also highlighted by rise of new technical institutes and humanist disciplines
(sociology, aesthetics, history and archaeology)

This period was secular by all means and inspired a generation of architects to look for a
true style through precise reappraisal of antiquity.

Their idea was not to simply copy their predecessors but to follow the principles on
which their work had been based. This led to massive archaeology excavation and
inquiry into the works of four civilizations – Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek and Roman

Meanwhile measured drawings of all the excavated sites were prepared and published,
which led to division of architects/designers
Neo-classical architecture in France

Le Roy and Winckelmann promoted Greek architecture as the true style

Piranesi promoted Etruscan and Roman architecture as the true style

Piranesi later in his career gave up

architectural works and indulged in
imaginative and fictional works
 Shipwreck in stormy sea by Joseph Vernet, 1773 AD, National Gallery, London

“Beauty may be accentuated by light, but either intense light or darkness (the absence of light) is
sublime to the degree that it can obliterate the sight of an object. The imagination is moved to awe
and instilled with a degree of horror by what is "dark, uncertain, and confused.” – Edmund Burke
(source: wikipedia)
Neo-classical architecture in England
Rococo was never accepted as a contemporary style form in England, instead indulgence
of builders in Palladianism was observed which was seen as a reaction to the expression
of the excess of Baroque art
The ideologies of Palladio during Renaissance can be summarized as Vitruvian
in nature, he adhered to the principles of Roman architecture sans the
ornamental part. Proportions of individual rooms within a building were worked
out (3:4 or 4:5) and the whole building eventually adhered to the principles of
such proportions.
Palladianism can primarily be observed in England, and USA.
However, by 1750 AD designers in England were sorting up to understand the
architecture of antiquity itself.

James Stuart came up as an proponent of Greek architecture as the genesis of true style
George Dance supported the Piranesian theory of Roman architecture being the genesis
of true style. He designed the Newgate Gaol based on

the same principles. However, the

space organization followed Neo-
Palladian principles
Reaction to Vitruvian principles

John Soane, the pupil of Dance synthesized the influences of Piranesi, Dance , Robert
Adam and Baroque architecture
Thomas Hope was Greek revivalist and proposed Greek supremacy in understanding
antiquity architecture

Meanwhile, in France Claude Perrault questioned the Vitruvian proportions and

proposed a positive beauty (beauty achieved through standardization and perfection)
and arbitrary beauty (beauty expressed as a contextual expressive function)

Le Cordemoy replaced the Vitruvian architectural triad with his own attributes –
ordonnace, distribution and bienseance. The first two attribute indicate correct
proportion and disposition of classical orders and the third talks about fitness of use of
these (he strongly opposed the use of classical orders in commercial or institutional
projects). He proposed ornamentation in buildings based on propriety and preferred some
buildings without ornamentation.
Jacques German Soufflot in 1755 AD
started working on the famous church of Ste
Genevieve in Paris commonly called the
Pantheon. Although an admirer of Gothic
architecture, he was deeply moved by the
Doric temples at Paestum.

In Pantheon, Paris he wanted to recreate the

vastness and lightness of Gothic buildings
using classical architectural elements.

The plan form of the church is a Greek cross

where the nave and the aisle are covered by a
system of flat domes and semi-circular arches
supported on internal peristyle
Blondel started an architectural school in 1743 AD and became master to visionary
generation of architects Louis Boullee, Jacques Gondoin, Nicholas Ledoux etc.

Boullee evoked the sublime sensation of terror and tranquility through his grand
conception of spaces. He utilized light more than any other ‘Enlightenment’ architect to
evoke the presence of divine.

His un-built project, cenotaph of Sir Isaac Newton substantiates his ideology fully.
Boullee believed in the philosophy of expression through architecture which his
distracters called ‘talking architecture’ a skill acquired in the Beaux Arts architectural
school
Cenotaph for Sir Isaac Newton
Louis Durand, pupil of Boullee, mastered the art of grandeur and extravagance but
could represent them in normal, economic building typology.

During the final phase of French Revolution i.e. Napoleonic era many public buildings
were required to be built which would represent the grandeur and authority, albeit
without sacrificing the economical viability.

Durand devised a universal building methodology of modular architecture for different

spatial typologies. Different formats could be formed by simple permutation of these
modules for plan and elevations.

Durand was critical of the design of Pantheon, Paris for its extravagance in structure
(206 columns and 612 m wall) and proposed a similar sized circular church which
would need only 112 columns and 248 m of wall length.
Ledoux prepared a scheme for salt works for Louis XVI. However, he expanded the
initial semi-circular scheme to an oval shaped form. This oval core formed the core of
the his ideal city, Chaux, 1804 AD.

This was one of the earliest example of industrial architecture being practiced. The
production units were integrated with the workers’ colony. Classical elements like
colonnades and pediments were used to depict hierarchy of residences in the city.
Neo-classical architecture during final stage of French Revolution
During the final phase of French Revolution, Neo-Classicism evolved from the need of
accommodating new institutions of bourgeoisie society and represent the emergence of
new Republican state.

Neo-classicism played the key role in bourgeoisie Imperialist style.

The Imperialist style had two distinct manifestations namely, Napolean’s Style Empire in
Paris and Frederick II’s Francophile ‘Kulturnation in Berlin

Eclectic use of antique motifs to create instant Symbolized the triumph and superiority of the race. E.g.
heritage of Republican state. E.g. Triumph Arc, Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.
Caroussel Based on the design of propylaea of the Greek Acropolis
Prussian state formed after the fall of Napoleon in 1815 AD
had few architects contributing to the cause of Neo-
classicism. Karl Fredrich Schinkel though initially awed
by Gothic architecture resorted to Classical architecture
after the rise of Prussian nationalism, to represent political
idealism and military prowess.

Influence of Durand on Shcinkel’s architecture is evident in

the Altes Museum at Berlin. Following the modular spatial
arrangement of a museum – a central rotunda, peristyle
around a courtyard was retained and the side wings
eliminated. The wide entry steps, the peristyle, eagles and
statue of Dioscuri symbolizing the aspirations of Prussian
empire. However, Schinkel moved away from Durand’s
representation architectural expressions – a small passage
connecting the peristyle to a narrow space with two
symmetrical staircases is seen as such a manifestation.
Architecture post French Revolution and way ahead…
Henri Labrouste
He carried forward Blondel’s Neo-Classicism in
19th century AD. Labrouste studied Greek temple
at Paestum. He was the first to argue that Greek
structures were brightly colored. He advocated
on the primacy of the structural system and
ornamentation being a derivative of the
construction.

In 1840 AD, Labrouste was commissioned the

job of designing the library for the Pantheon,
Paris. His design consisted of perimeter walls
housing book stacks and enclosing a rectilinear
space and enclosing the rectilinear space which
had an iron framed barrel vaulted roof above,
divided into 2 bays.
Such structural rationalism was also seen in the reading room and book
stacks at the Bibliotheque National, Paris (1860-88 AD)

The concept behind the precision of this new aesthetics was fully exploited
during Constructivist period in mid 20th century AD.

By the middle of 19th century AD, Neo-Classicism had two major sub parts,

Neo-Classicism

Structural Romantic
Classicism Classicism

e.g. Labrouste, Cordemoy, Langier, e.g. Schinkel, Ledoux, Boullee, Gilly;

Soufflot – emphasized structural Stressed on physiognomic character
systems. of the form
- Prisons, hospitals and railway - University museum, libraries
stations
Structural Classicism

i. Began in 1802 AD by the work of Rondelet and concluded by the end of the
century in the writing of Auguste Choisy (1899).

ii. The main theme being all stylistic transformation are merely logical
consequence of technical development

iii. Choisy illustrated the structural determination with axonometric projections

which revealed the essence of a form in a single graphic image portraying
plan-elevation-section. This philosophy and understanding made him one of
the pioneers of Modern Architecture

iv. The synthesis of knowledge of structures in antiquity and their transposition

to say the Gothic era (e.g. structural transposition like the 18 th century
projection of Gothic structure into Classical syntax) found its parallel in
Choisy’s characterization of Doric as wooden structures transposed in
masonry (the same kind of transposition was later practices by Auguste
Perret in replicating wooden framing in RCC)
v. Choisy was however, adept in responding to Romantic sensibilities as well as he did
as a Structural Rationalist
vi. The principles of ‘Classical Elementarist Composition’ was handed over to the
modern era architects of 20th century AD by Julien Guadet
 French Revolution

New order of society Industrial Revolution

Scientific Revolution

Search for true style New requirements

Vitruvian/Palladian Critics: Perrault, Le Sublime and grand

principles Cordemoy architecture of Boullee

Followers: Le Roy,
Piranesi Durand’s Universal
Imperialist Style Building Principles

Structural Classicism Romantic Classicism