VIS 120B Lecture 10: Nov 1 2018
Document Summary
Thought to be an ancient italic invention since it was used at the gates of city walls in etruria. This was before we could date them. They were built in the 2nd c bc, so not that old in comparison. Dates back to the 2nd millennium bc in the near east (mostly for gates) True arch got to europe thanks to the conquests of alexander the great. Arch doesn"t take hold in greek architecture. Used mainly for tunnels and foundations, occasionally for gates. Not very visible, never used in monumental art, purely utilitarian usage. The arch formed an extreme contrast to the morals associated with columnar architecture. Columns were thought to represent people, so they were important to supporting the entire structure (teamwork, humanity, civilization) Columns being upright were seen as a representation of the way that people subvert the nature of animals and stand upright, horizontal axes were seen as representing sleep, death, and submission.
