Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
History of Art and Architecture
Other languages of instruction: Spanish
Teaching staff
In addition to class hours, students will be attended to on demand through the teachers' institutional e-mails and, if a face-to-face meeting is considered necessary, by appointment.
Introduction
Compulsory subject.
1st Year Degree in Fundamentals of ARCHITECTURE.
1st Semester.
6 ECTS credits.
Module: Propaedeutic.
Language of instruction: English.
Class schedule: Monday 10:15 to 12:15h and Tuesday 15:30 to 17:30h.
PROFESSOR RESPONSIBLE: Dr. Maria del Pilar Morán García (mdpmoran@uic.es).
PROFESSORS: Dr.Paolo Sustersic (psustersic@uic.es), Dr.Jelena Prokopljevik (jprokopljevic@uic.es).
As its name indicates, the course introduces students to the study of the history of architecture, a fundamental aspect for their training as architects. The aim is not only for students to become familiar with the main styles, architects and buildings of Western culture, but also to become aware of the existence of other architectural traditions that overlap with it in time. It is also intended that, through historical knowledge of architecture, students reflect on questions such as what architecture is, what we call style, how the profession of the architect has changed throughout history, how buildings are integrated into their urban context, what relationship architecture has with the rest of the arts, etc. In addition, the course aims to provide students with the tools to be able to carry out a historical-critical analysis of buildings and thus be able to interpret the built environment that surrounds them and which they will have to face as architects. The subject covers the history of architecture up to the first half of the 19th century, in a not complete but solid summary, as the rest will be studied in the Composition subjects of higher courses.
Pre-course requirements
Upper-intermediate level of English, as the course will be taught entirely in English.
Attendance to both theoretical and practical classes is compulsory. Attendance will be recorded. Failure to attend more than 30% of the theory classes will result in the loss of at least the percentage corresponding to attendance (10%). Failure to attend more than 30% of the practical classes will result in the loss of 20% of the final mark.
Objectives
The course seeks to enable the student to:
- Know the development of the history of architecture from antiquity to the nineteenth century, through the main milestones of Western culture, but also knowing those of other latitudes.
- Identify and define the main architectural styles that have developed from antiquity to the 19th century. Know the buildings and architects associated with each of them.
- Know about the historical development of the city, in particular that of Barcelona.
- Approach architecture theoretically, making initial contact with the main writings and theories on architecture developed since antiquity.
- Become aware of the relevance of studying architecture from a historical point of view.
- Become aware of how the profession of the architect has changed throughout history.
- Be introduced to the historical and critical analysis of architecture, from a contemporary perspective.
- Be able to express their ideas both graphically and in writing, in a coherent and orderly manner.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 48 - To acquire adequate knowledge of the general theories of form, composition and architectural typologies
- 49 - To acquire adequate knowledge of the history of architecture.
- 54 - To acquire adequate knowledge of the aesthetics, theory and history of Fine Arts and Applied Arts.
- 66 - Ability to internalise architectural form.
- 69 - Ability to discover the critical-cultural dimension of the role of the architect
Learning outcomes of the subject
On completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify, compare and analyse the main buildings, architects and architectural styles of the Western tradition of architecture (Europe) from antiquity to the 19th century.
- Identify the main architectural traditions and typologies of other parts of the world, from antiquity to the 19th century.
- Know the historical evolution of the city, particularly that of Barcelona.
- To understand the main theories of architecture developed since antiquity.
- Understand how the profession of architect has developed at different times in history.
- Analyse buildings from a historical-critical perspective.
- Express their ideas orally, graphically and in writing.
Syllabus
The course consists of 60 hours of in person classes, 30 of which are theoretical (taught on Mondays) and 30 practical (taught on Tuesdays). The main contents of the course will be taught in the theory classes, while in the practical classes these contents will be reinforced by means of different exercises. On the one hand, in each practical class, students will work on a text, which will then be debated in groups of a maximum of 30 students. On the other hand, there will be critical sessions of the research work that students are asked to do. When deemed necessary, small sessions will be given in the practical classes to provide students with the tools to carry out this work in groups.
The texts selected for the practical sessions will be texts that complement the theory taught in lectures, whether they are treatises by architects of the period or texts by relevant historians who reflect on a style, architect or architectural tradition dealt with in class. For each text, the student will be asked to answer a questionnaire, which must be handed in at the end of the class and will be evaluated. The average of all the questionnaires completed will have a weight of 20% of the final grade.
Lectures will cover the following content. They will take place on Mondays between 10:15 and 12:15h. (2h/week).
Lecture 1:Introduction. What is architecture? What is and why to study History of Architecture?
Lecture 2: Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Lecture 3: Ancient Greek Architecture and Urban Forms.
Lecture 4:Ancient Roman Architecture.
Lecture 5: Early Christian + Romanesque Architecture.
Lecture 6: Gothic architecture + medieval cities.
Lecture 7:Eastern Europe and West Asia: The Orthodox tradition+ Architecture of Islam.
Lecture 8: mid-term exam.
Lecture 9: Rennaissance in Italy.
Lecture 10: Renaissance in Europe.
Lecture 11: Baroque Architecture.
Lecture 12: Architecture in the era of Enlightenment and Revolution. Neoclassicism.
Lecture 13: Towards other latitudes: South America, China, and Japan.
Lecture 14: What's next? The Nineteenth Century.
Lecture 15: Course review and exam explanation.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The course consists of four hours of class per week, two theoretical and two practical.
The theory classes will follow the structure of lectures on the various topics covered in the course. Attendance will be recorded.
The practical classes will consist of reading discussion sessions in groups of 30 people and revision and critique of the work that students must do for the subject.
- Research assignment: This is a written research paper in groups of three or four people, in which students will have to analyse an emblematic building in the history of architecture, from different cultures or historical periods. Students will have to produce their own graphic documentation, both analytical and descriptive of the buildings, which will also be summarised in a final panel.
The progress of the work will be reviewed in class with the teacher in charge of the group. In addition, there will be four workshops focused on the development of this work, in which students will be provided with tools for the historical analysis of buildings and the writing of texts. At the end of these workshops, the students will have to hand in some part of the content of the work. In this way, there will be three partial deliveries, a final revision and a final delivery:
- Week 4: partial delivery 1.
- Week 7: partial delivery 2.
- Week 11: partial delivery 3.
- Week 14: final review.
- Week 15: final delivery
- Reading discussions: in the rest of the sessions, students will be given several texts related to the subject explained in class the previous day. In each session they will have to answer a series of questions about them, and then discuss their answers with the rest of the students and the professor.
In addition, as part of the practical sessions, there will be three visits to the city of Barcelona, so that students can experience first-hand what they have learned in class. Thus, there will be tours visiting the Roman remains of the city, as well as the medieval city. During each visit, students will be asked to do a small drawing exercise which they will have to hand in at the end of the visit
- Roman Walls and MUHBA
- Monastery of Sant Pau del Camp or MNAC
- Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | COMPETENCES | ECTS CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Class exhibition | 48 49 54 | 1,5 |
| Class participation | 48 49 54 | 0,2 |
| Clase practice | 48 49 54 | 1,1 |
| Tutorials | 48 49 54 | 0,2 |
| Individual or group study | 48 49 54 | 3 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The course will be assessed through two exams, a midterm and a final, in addition to the different practical exercises and the research work proposed to the students.
- PARTIAL EXAM- 10%.
- FINAL EXAM-40% (In January, according to the academic calendar).
- VISITS+ATTENDANCE-10%.
- TEXT COMMENTS- 20%.
- GROUP WORK-20%.
In order to pass the course, it will be compulsory to obtain a 5 or more in the final exam, which will be held on the date indicated in the academic calendar and the average passed.
Bibliography and resources
For the study of the subject, the student will have the support of the presentations made in class, whose information must be completed with their own notes, and can also be completed with the information contained in the following books:
Ingersoll, R., Kostof, S.: World architecture: a cross-cultural history. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Disponible en línea: https://archive.org/details/richard-ingersoll-world-architecture-a-cross-cultural-history
Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. London: Laurence King Publishing, 6ª ed., 2015 ó 5ªed.,2011.
In addition, the following complementary bibliography is proposed:
a) Architectural history books and books on the history of the city:
- Benevolo, L., El diseño de la Ciudad. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1977.
- Benevolo, L., Historia de la arquitectura moderna. Madrid : Taurus , 1963.
- Blaser, W. Drawings of Great Buildings. Basilea, Boston, Stuttgart: Birkhäuser Verlag, 1983.
- Ching, F.D.K., Jarzombek, M., Prakash, V. A Global History of Architecture. Nueva Jersey: Wiley, 2007.
- Fletcher, B., The History of Architecture by the Comparative Method. Londres: Batsford, London, 2012.
- Gombrich,E.H. The Story of Art. Londres: Phaidon, 1968.
- Jolliffe,E. y Crosby,P., Architect: The evolving History of A Profession.Londres: Riba Publishing, 2023.
- Kostof, S., Historia de la arquitectura. Madrid: Alianza. Madrid: Alianza (vol 1, 2, 3), 1998(vol 1, 2, 3), 1998.
- Kostof, S., The City shaped: urban patterns and meanings through history. Londres: Thames & Hudson, 1991Hudson, 1991.
- Parker, J. H., Classic dictionary of architecture: a concise glossary of terms used in Grecian, Roman, Italian and Gothic architecture. Poole, Nueva York: New Orchard editions, 1986.
- Pevsner, N., An Outline of European Architecture. Londres: Thames & Hudson, 2009.
- Pevsner, N., Pevsner's architectural glossary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.
- Pevsner, N. A history of building types. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
- Stierlin, H., Encyclopedia of World Architecture. Friburgo: Taschen,1977.
b) Architectural Thery books:
- Alberti, L.B., Ten books on architecture. London : Alec Tiranti, 1955.
- Durand, Jean-Nicolas-Louis, Compendio de lecciones de arquitectura: parte gráfica de los cursos de arquitectura. Madrid : Pronaos, 1981.
- Palladio, A. The Four Books of Architecture. New York : Dover, 1965.
- Pugin, A.N.W. Contrasts. Leicester : Leicester University Press ; New York : Humanities, 1973.
- Rowe, C., The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1976.
- Serlio,S. The Five books of architecture: an unabridged reprint of the English edition of 1611. New York : Dover, 1982.
- Summerson, J., El lenguaje clásico de la arquitectura. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili, 1984 [1963].
- Vitruvius,M.P. The Ten Books on Architecture. Cambridge [etc.]: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
- Wittkower, R., Architectural Principles in the Age of Humanism. Londres: Academy Editions, 1998.
- Wölfflin, H. Renaissance and baroque. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967.
- Zevi, B., Saber ver la arquitectura: ensayo sobre la interpretación espacial de la arquitectura. Buenos Aires: Poseidon, 1971.
c) Monographies on specific architects, styles or architectural traditions:
- Argan, G.C., Brunelleschi. Milan: Mondadori, 1955.
- Argan, G.C., Renacimiento y Barroco. Torrejón de Ardoz: Akal,1987.
- Argan, G.C., Michelangelo architect. Michelangelo architect. Milan: Electa, 2004.
- Blunt, A., Borromini. Allen Lane: Penguin Books, 1979.
- Blunt, A., Art and Architecture in France 1500-1700. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
- Borsi, F., Bernini. Madrid: Akal, 1998.
- Brothers, C., Michelangelo, drawing and the invention of architecture. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2008.
- Carver, H., Form and Space of Japanese Architecture. Tokyo : Shokokusha, cop. 1955.
- Early, J., The Colonial architecture of Mexico. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1994.
- Fanelli, G., Brunelleschi’s Cupola: Past and Present of an Architectural Masterpiece. Florence: Mandragora, 2004.
- Frankl, P., Gothic Architecture. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2000.
- Heyden, D. and P. Gendrop, Pre- Columbian architecture of Mesoamerica. Nueva York: Harry N.Abrams, 1975.
- Martienssen, R. D.,The idea of space in Greek architecture, with special reference to the Doric Temple and its setting. Johannesburg: The Witwatersrand University Press, 1954.
- Robertson, D.S., Greek and Roman Architecture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1974.
- Schapiro, M., Romanesque Art. Selected Papers. Nueva York: George Braziller,1977.
- Scott, G., The Architecture of Humanism; A Study in the history of Taste.Boston y Nueva York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1914.
- Stierlin, H., Islam: Early architecture from Bagdad to Cordoba. Colonia: Taschen, 1996.
- Senseney, J.R., The art of building in the classical world: vision, craftsmanship, and linear perspective in Greek and Roman architecture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.
- Trager, P., The villas of Palladio. Boston: Little, Brown, 1986.
- Travenor, R., On Alberti and the art of Building. New Haven, London: Yale University Press, 1998.
- Wilson Jones, M., Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven, London: Yale University Press, Yale University Press, 2000.
- Worringer, W., Form Problems of the Gothic, Nueva York: G.E. Stechert & Co.,1910.