Past event: http://www.greekgateway.com/news/ancient-greek-to-modern-architecture-with-greek-influence
The Power of Neo Classical Greek
Architecture
The
style of Greek Architecture from 2500 years ago is often copied to create a
sense of permanence. Public buildings,
financial institutions and even some private houses use the style to indicate
stability and importance. In 1960 John F
Kennedy accepted the Democratic Party nomination in the huge Los Angeles
Coliseum while speaking from a small podium for which the primary decoration was
a painted eagle. The huge size of the Greek
neo-classical stadium holding 80,000 people dwarfed Kennedy into relatively insignificance
at one end of the football field. Three
years later Martin Luther King made a profound impression speaking to hundreds
of thousands in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DD. When in 2008 Barack Obama accepted the
Democratic nomination for president in a Denver stadium holding 76,000 people the
producers emulated the well received and often mentioned grandeur of the Martin
Luther King “I've got a dream” speech.
They did this by backing Obama up with a neo-classical temple facade
containing 4 large Doric columns and 10 modest pilasters. Importantly they also embedded into these
structure two huge video screens projecting enormous images of whoever was
speaking. This stage received mixed reviews with Obama
detractors who ridiculed the wood and plaster construction of the stage as
opposed to the solid marble of most real Greek architecture. But for many people the stage managed to make
a strong impression of the historical significance of the occasion. It is probably difficult to imagine another
type of stage which would make the same impression of the historical
significance of the speech.
There
are three main types of columns used in Greek architecture. Doric is the least elaborate with no base and
a simple top. Ionic columns have a base
and a somewhat more elaborate top.
Corinthian columns have an even more elaborate top, sometimes very extravagant. In ancient Greece ordinary structures were
often constructed of materials which have not survived for over 2000 years but
major public and religious structures were often built of marble. Many of these marble structures survive to
this day and most of the damage to these ancient buildings has been caused by their
being mined for the stone or otherwise suffering at the hand of man. The ancient Greeks built their buildings to
withstand the ravages of time and the structures that were not completely destroyed
by man are very impressive indeed. Even
partially destroyed structures continue to impress.
In
ancient times the huge pillars were necessary to hold up the structure’s roof
but current pillars are an adornment whose purpose is give a sense of
grandeur. Neoclassical Architecture
offers an almost bottomless pool of symbolism. A large façade with multiple
columns evokes a since of historical importance and justice. Most other
architectural styles may be spectacular but they fail to produce the since of
permanence and important authority that Neoclassical architecture does. The U.S
Capitol, the Lincoln memorial, Jefferson Memorial, The White House are good
examples of this type of structure.. The list of public buildings in America
and overseas that shamelessly copy the style invented by the Greeks over 2,000
years ago is almost endless. The podium used in Obama’s speech was meant to tap
into the glory of Greek architecture and to a large extant was successful.
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Citations:
- http://www.semesteratsea.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1963_march_lincoln_memorial1.jpg
- http://blog.masslive.com/thefray/2008/08/mile-high-stadium-crowd-denver-obama.jpg
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg/1024px-The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg
- http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/highsm/11800/11889v.jpg
Current Event Article:
Obama Pldges Greeks
James M. Arlandson
Link:http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/retaliation.htm
Ancient Article:
July 3
Ancient Greek to Modern Architecture with Modern ZInfluence 1, 2013-
By: Claude Hermann Walter Johns
Link:http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/hamcode.asp
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