Architecture vs. Arts- 5 differences between Architects and Artists

Before I finally picked up my pen to write about this, I did some reading and I found out that this topic is quite an intellectual debate on some other Architecture blogs. I found some perceptions and opinions very intriguing too.

 I remember being in a History class where my favourite professor gave us reasons why Architecture is different from Fine Arts and I will be making references to that lecture.

To create a basis for comparison, I will liken a building to a product; an artwork (well... a building is not an artwork; I am even sometimes tempted to describe a building as a living entity… I might tell you why in a future article).

•  ·         An Architect creates artworks that have pragmatic utility.

The three pillars of Architecture are Function, Structure and Aesthetics.  Function is very basic; it makes Architecture. It defines how much, how high, how tall, even how beautiful. If a building were to be a piece of sculpture, then functionality is the tool in the hands of the creative Architect.

To begin a design process, an architect requires or drafts a brief where design problems are pointed out or created so that he can take pleasure in solving them by design. Compared to the kind of appraisal that a painting or a piece of sculpture is given, the true beauty of a building is seen in how all the design challenges have been solved to create a masterpiece. You cannot talk about the aesthetic value of a building without talking about the functionality; how well it serves the purpose for which it was built.

Even though it is quite rare to describe paintings or sculptures based on their functionality, it takes a deliberate intellectual exercise to make utilitarian meaning of them. On the other hand, an Architect has got to justify every element of his creation based on functionality. 

                                            

You will agree that the sweetest jury you’ve had is one where you were armed with answers for every question you had anticipated.

• ·         Architecture is localized Art

Think about the Burj Al Arab at Dubai or Frank Lloyd Wright's falling waters; remove these artworks from their context (location), and their very essence will be lost. Unlike a painting which can be relocated; the location of a building makes it what it is. 

This explains the necessity of all of the thinking that goes into the fitting of the building into its geographical context (drainage, topography, climate etc.), into making it socially sustainable in terms of access and again, and into making it functional (i.e Is the garden adjoining the living room? Or is the garage close to the kitchen store?).

An inaccessible building is just a piece of scuplture.

•  ·         Architecture is a public phenomenom

In Architecture, beauty is NOT in the eye of the beholder.  You are accountable to the public for your design. You can’t say that ‘oh, I used those long windows because I LIKE IT!’ Meanwhile, your painting can be yours truly, maybe on the wall of your room or under your bed but you cannot hide your Architecture; your building becomes a part of the landscape. It must be subjected to public scrutiny because it affects people directly and indirectly; clients, end-users, neighbours and passers-by.

You must be able to answer for if its impact on the environment, negative or positive? Is it sustainable ecologically, economically or socially? Finally, is the building altogether pleasing to look at, or an eye-sore? Does it contribute to the beauty of the neighbourhood or was it imposed negatively? Have you blocked off a road or blocked a drainage channel (we hope not!)  Or have you designed in consideration of the abiding rules and regulations of the locality of the building?

source: www.entablature.com       

•  Architecture features technology

Architectural edifices are technical products; artworks that conflate function and structure. You could say that some techniques go into making music and sculptures but the aesthetic feature of Architecture is unique in that it is a solution to contextual contradictions.

 

 Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

• ·         Architecture is an art of the ensemble

As a matter of aesthetics, design in Architecture involves putting together elements from multiple categories. A high level of intellectual exercise is involved in bringing together individual building spaces, structural/ building elements (in consideration of type, size, colour, arrangement, positioning) and user-experiences or perceptions (ambience, lighting, interior environment, etc).