French architecture
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French architecture consists of architectural styles that either originated in France or elsewhere and were developed within the territories of France.
History
Gallo-Roman
The architecture of
Notable examples in France during the period are
Pre-Romanesque
The unification of the
Romanesque
Architecture of a Romanesque style developed simultaneously in parts of France in the 10th century and prior to the later influence of the
The
At Autun Cathedral, the pattern of the nave bays and aisles extends beyond the crossing and into the chancel, each aisle terminating in an apse. Each nave bay is separated at the vault by a transverse rib. Each transept projects to the width of two nave bays. The entrance has a narthex which screens the main portal This type of entrance was to be elaborated in the Gothic period on the transepts at Chartres.
Medieval
French Gothic architecture is a style of architecture prevalent in France from 1140 until about 1500, which largely divided into four styles, Early Gothic, High Gothic, Rayonnant, Late Gothic or Flamboyant style. The Early Gothic style began in 1140 and was characterized by the adoption of the
The High Gothic style of the 13th century canonized proportions and shapes from early Gothic and developed them further to achieve light, yet tall and majestic structures. The wall structure was modified from four to only three tiers: arcade, triforium, and clerestorey. Piers coronations were smaller to avoid stopping the visual upward thrust. The clerestorey windows changed from one window in each segment, holed in the wall, to two windows united by a small
Aside from these Gothic styles, there is another style called "Gothique Méridional" (or Southern Gothic, opposed to Gothique Septentrional or Northern Gothic). This style is characterised by a large nave and has no transept. Examples of this Gothic architecture would be Notre-Dame-de-Lamouguier in Narbonne and Sainte-Marie in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges.
Renaissance
During the early years of the 16th century the French were involved in wars in northern Italy, bringing back to France not just the Renaissance art treasures as their war booty, but also stylistic ideas. In the Loire Valley a wave of building was carried and many Renaissance chateaux appeared at this time, the earliest example being the Château d'Amboise (c. 1495) in which Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years. The style became dominant under Francis I (See Châteaux of the Loire Valley).
The style progressively developed into a French
Baroque
French Baroque is a form of
Probably the most accomplished formulator of the new manner was
The next step in the development of European residential architecture involved the integration of the gardens in the composition of the palace, as is exemplified by Vaux-le-Vicomte (1656–61), where the architect Louis Le Vau, the designer Charles Le Brun and the gardener André Le Nôtre complemented each other. From the main cornice to a low plinth, the miniature palace is clothed in the so-called "colossal order", which makes the structure look more impressive. The creative collaboration of Le Vau and Le Nôtre marked the arrival of the "Magnificent Manner" which allowed to extend Baroque architecture outside the palace walls and transform the surrounding landscape into an immaculate mosaic of expansive vistas.
Rococo
Rococo developed first in the decorative arts and interior design.
The 1730s represented the height of Rococo development in France. Rococo still maintained the Baroque taste for complex forms and intricate patterns, but by this point, it had begun to integrate a variety of diverse characteristics, including a taste for Eastern designs and asymmetric compositions. The style had spread beyond architecture and furniture to painting and sculpture. The Rococo style spread with French artists and engraved publications. It was readily received in the Catholic parts of Germany, Bohemia, and Austria, where it was merged with the lively German Baroque traditions.
Neoclassicism
The first phase of neoclassicism in France is expressed in the "Louis XVI style" of architects like
From about 1800 a fresh influx of Greek architectural examples, seen through the medium of etchings and engravings, gave a new impetus to neoclassicism that is called the
Early French Colonial Architecture
From the early 17th century to the 1830s the French possessed huge tracts of territory in
Second Empire
During the mid-19th century when
Beaux Arts
Another
Art Nouveau & Art Deco
Modernist and Contemporary
Some renowned modernist and contemporary French designers and architects include:
- Le Corbusier
- Robert Mallet-Stevens
- Frédéric Borel,
- Dominique Perrault,
- Christian de Portzamparc
- Jean Nouvel
- List of Post World War II French architects
- Examples of modernist and contemporary buildings in France
- Villa Savoye
- Notre Dame du Haut– "Chapel du Ronchamp"
- Le Corbusier buildings
- Villa Noailles
- Institut du Monde Arabe
- Jean Nouvel buildings
Regional architecture
French style can vary from being very modern to rustic and antique in appearance.
Provincial
One of the most distinctive characteristics of many French buildings is the tall second story windows, often
homes are stately and formal. They have steep hipped roofs and a square, symmetrical shape with windows balanced on each side of the entrance. The tall second story windows add to the sense of height.Normandy
In
Overseas architecture
French Colonial is a style of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture as an asset for tourism; however, in recent times, the new generation of local authorities has somewhat 'embraced' the architecture and advertise it.[5]
America
- Timber frame with brick or "Bousillage" (mud combined with moss and animal hair)
- Wide hipped roof extends over porches
- Thin wooden columns
- Living quarters raised above ground level
- Wide porches, called "galleries"
- No interior hallways
- Porches used as passageway between rooms
- French doors (doors with many small panes of glass)
See also
- Architecture of Paris
- Châteauesque
- Corons (French Urbanism)
- Enclos paroissial
- Fountains in France
- French architecture category
- French landscape garden
- Jardin à la française
- Gardens of the French Renaissance
- List of French architects
- Paris architecture of the Belle Époque
- Remarkable Gardens of France
References
- Notes
- ISBN 0-571-21427-4; see page 98 in the reset edition of 2002
- ISBN 0-85331-487-X.
- ^ Werner Jacobsen, "Saints' Tombs in Frankish Church Architecture" Speculum 72.4 (October 1997:1107–1143).
- ^ Gauvin Alexander Bailey, Architecture and Urbanism in the French Atlantic Empire: State, Church, and Society, 1604–1830. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2018.
- ^ Eng.hochiminhcity.gov.vn
- Sources
- Kalnein, Wend von (1995). Architecture in France in the Eighteenth Century. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300060133.
External links
- Media related to Architecture of France at Wikimedia Commons