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ancient greek architecture, similar to today architecture....?

i've been looking for ancient greek architecture similar to today.. help!!!!

Public Comments

  1. check "official" buildings like museums, state capitols, courthouses, etc
  2. any thing with pillars on them, the greeks were the first to develop certain types of pillars. google Greek pillars in images and you can see them. :)
  3. the senate... and other goverment buildings. good luck!
  4. Flickr has a variety of pics http://re3.mm-a10.yimg.com/image/440466357
  5. United States Capitol Bank of Pennsylvania U.S. Supreme Court The White House check out Washington D.C.'s buildings
  6. I have perhaps not understood the precise point of your question. From the answers on record I feel that you are more interested in knowing the modern building comparing well with ancient Greek architectures. I for one feel that you are more interested in knowing the logic behind the adoption of the ancient model in modern architure. I enclose herewith a rather longish note on this aspect.Hope you find it relevant. The reuse of older art works in contemporary times is not an uncommon occurrence, and many examples can be seen throughout the day as one goes from place to place. Even when one is browsing through the World Wide Web can many uses of older art and architecture be seen(http://www.americanexpress.com/student/), The picture itself may not be exemplary of any one classical Greek building, but contains many elements of classical Greek architecture and design. The columns are what stand out the most in the architecture of this picture. The original Greek columns came in three different styles, or orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. All Greek columns consist of both a shaft and a capital, and sometimes there is a base as well. The shaft is made from round drums stacked one on top of the other. The main difference among the orders comes from the differences in the capitals. The Doric capitals are usually very simple and look like the weight of the roof is flattening them out. The Ionic capitals are a little fancier with a large volute, which looks like rams horns rolling off of the shaft. The Corinthian capital is much more complex with smaller volutes and many stylized acanthus leaves and rosettes, accompanied by a boss on the top of each side. All three types of columns rest on the floor of the building, which is often a temple. The floor of the temple is called the stylobate, and the foundations below that are known as the stereobate. The entablature and pediment rest on top of the columns, forming post and lintel construction. The entablature often contains friezes in the Ionic order, and metopes and triglyphs in the Doric. The metopes were often painted and the triglyphs may have symbolized wood cross beams that would have been used before the knowledge of stone construction was developed. The Ionic friezes often contained sculpted figures that relate in some way to the functionality of the temple or building. The pediment, which rests on the entablature, usually has the shape of an isosceles triangle with sculpture that varies from low relief to sculpture in the round. The organization of the columns around the main body of the temple varies in about five major styles. The first three have a small rectangular shaped building called a cella with two to four columns in front, as with the in antis style and the prostyle, or with an additional four columns in back as with the amphiprostyle temples. The last two styles consist of a larger rectangular building divided into two rooms, one functioning as a cella. These two styles are mainly differentiated by one row of columns surrounding the structure, called peripteral, or with two rows of columns, called dipteral. If one looks at the picture with these standards of Greek architecture in mind, some noticeable similarities and differences occur. The artist of this graphic, whether intentional or not, used a basic prostyle design and went from there. The basic prostyle shape can be imagined if one looks through the four columns in front to see a partial front wall that leaves open room for an entrance. The columns themselves are of a basic Doric design with the typical flattened out capital and base. However, the picture columns lack the entasis, or swelling of the shaft, that is usually found on the originals. The position of the columns also defy the standard positioning of columns in Greek architecture; correctly positioned columns would be evenly spaced in front of the wall with the entrance, these columns allow for an unobstructed view of the opening. There also appears to only be a stylobate that the building is resting on, the stereobate foundation is missing. This type of foundation that American Express is using is more often found in later Roman architecture. The entablature of the picture contains writing on it that would not be found on the Greek original. The alphabet used on the entablature itself contains some characters that are likened to the Latin language, with both the letters u and v sharing the symbol V. The differences go further with the pediment, which contains no sculpture of any sort. The majority of all Greek pediments would have had some sort of sculpture that would present relevant pictures and scenes that all ancient Greeks would have recognized. Ultimately, when one puts together the parts that make up the American Express picture, it could function as a prostyle Greek temple if it were back in classical Greece. The temple of ancient Greece functioned as a place of worship and community pride, and in the case of the Parthenon, as a city treasury. Processions and parades sometimes made their way to the temples, as they were the symbolic houses for the statues of the gods. The functionality of the temple in this graphic does not at all seem connected to religion or worship, although the placement of the American Express icon man could be similar to the placement of a statue of a god in ancient Greece. Both appear behind the wall of the temple, in what would be the cella. Perhaps American Express is saying that academics is our new religion, or that the American Express card should be our god. However, the use of the Greek temple combined with images of school books and institutions of learning is asking the viewer to make a connection. This graphic is connecting students and universities with the stereotype of classic Greek thinking, knowledge, and academia. American Express is assuming that people think that the ancient Greeks embodied understanding, science, art, humanities, and philosophy. The books and lamp are only evidence of this connection between the two. Similarly, the creators of this graphic are combining the idea of a place of learning with the Latin alphabet. All of these elements have evolved today to become symbolic and stereotypic of academia and knowledge, but the seriousness of what that stereotype brings with it is toned down in the graphic. Both the American Express man in the picture wearing sunglasses, and the friendly greeting banner fuctioning as the pediment attempt to bring a more casual appeal to students, who are typically younger. Where the Greek temple is appealing to a relatively broad group, the American Express graphic is trying to draw on a very narrow population of college age students. Also, one could draw a connection between the ability of a large Greek temple to draw people to it and the large amount of people that can view this one graphic on the web page. The relationship is direct; one temple in ancient Greece is visited by many, and one web graphic is accessed by many. The temple in ancient Greek times gave its message symbolically an directly to a large group of people via sculpture and statues. This one web graphic relies on associations of ancient symbols to convey its message to a large group of people. Therefore we can say that although the function of the temple and graphic are different, the properties are the same: they are both meant to be looked upon by a large amount of people. Thus the connection between ancient art and modern use is evident when one looks at everyday life, and even the latest in technology still uses the creations of the past.
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