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European Architecture - A Concise History: An Eight Part Course with Dr. Luca Orlandi
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Led by an Architectural Historian, Luca Orlandi, this course will zoom in on the European architectural panorama between 330 AD and the early 20th century, focusing on the main protagonists and movements that characterized each period. Intended to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with increased knowledge about the richness and the complexity of architecture in Europe through the two millennia.
Our first session will examine the Holy Roman Empire's monasteries and religious architecture.
Lecture Two – The Vertical Line and the Light of God:
From there we move into a discussion of Gothic Architecture and the end of the Middle Age.
Lecture Three – 'Homo ad Circulum':
Following the end of the Middle Ages, we will explore the rebirth of the classical world – through Humanism, Renaissance, and Mannerism.
Lecture Four – A Sense of Infinity
Our fourth conversation will review the popularity of the Baroque movement, in which extravagant palaces and gardens spread across the continent.
Lecture Five – The Enlightenment Period and Neo-Classicism:
From there we move into the rise in popularity of the classics – when popular architectural fashions began to reinvent and re-examine the past.
Lecture Six – The Age of the Machines:
Together we will discuss the Industrial Revolution's impact on the fields of Architecture and Engineering. We'll study Orientalism and Revivalism movements, the Romantic vision, and leading architects who were searching for new frontiers to explore.
Lecture Seven – Art Nouveau:
On the eve of World War I, a brand new style of thinking emerged. Between 1890 and 1910, the organic line reemerged in designs across the continent as everyone took steps towards a modern world. Our sixth conversation in this course will closely examine several masterpieces in the Art Nouveau architectural style across the continent.
Lecture Eight – Modernist Movement:
Post-war, there was a sense of domineering form and function, unlike anything the world had ever seen. The final session of our course will explore the avant-gardes who used glass, steel, and reinforced concrete to pave the way into the 20th-century.
Luca Orlandi is an architect and an architectural historian. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at University of Genoa (Italy) and obtained a PhD in 2005 from the Polytechnics of Turin (Italy), within the program: History and Critics of the Architectural and Environmental Heritage. He lives in Istanbul and works as Assistant Professor Dr. in the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Özyeğin University (OZU). He teaches courses such as: History of Architecture, Contemporary Architecture, and Architectural Design Studio. He often participates in lectures, seminars, and workshops in other Turkish universities and abroad, mainly in Italy. He is an active member of ICOMOS Italy and his fields of interest cover several topics like Ottoman Architecture and Master Sinan, Contemporary Turkish Architecture, as well as Genoese Heritage in the Orient and Travelogue and Narratives about the Levant.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
An outstanding review of European Architecture presented in a very well-organized and interesting way. Dr. Orlandi has a wonderful was of teaching - he is very knowledgable and serious about his subject, but at the same time he finds humor in many things. I was sorry when this 8-part series came to an end.
Dr. Orlandi took us on a great tour of European Architecture from early Christian times to Modernism. For each epoch he gave examples from different European countries, put architechture in context with history and society, and explained how the architectural stiles related to each other.
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Dr Ronaldi covered a vast amount of information in a limited time situation. His presentation was well-edited for this constraint, yet very informative especially for someone such as myself with limited knowledge of the subject matter. He made the evolution of architecture Very clear and introduced periods of architecture for which I would like to develop more information. Overall I thought this was one of the best courses I’ve taken from Context and I would like Dr. Orlandi to offer more courses. Perhaps he could do a course on the development of ottoman architecture going to the modern day. As well, perhaps Dr. Orlandi could offer In-depth courses on specific periods of European architecture
Very informative