Art Appreciation: Architecture and Sculpture, Essay Example

Two examples of extraordinary cathedrals are the Hagia Sophia in Turkey and the Chartres Cathedral in France. While they were designed and build at different times and have different characteristics there are also similarities they share.

Both structures are enormous and spacious however the Chartres Cathedral is almost twice the size of the Hagia Sophia.  While the Chartres Cathedral is more narrow and tall proportionally, the Hagia Sophia is wider and shorter proportionately. The narrow verticality of the Chartres Cathedral was traditional for High French Gothic architecture while the dome and two half domes along with the side aisles gave the Hagia Sophia the appearance of horizontal length consistent with Byzantine architecture. The form of both is made up of geometric shapes however the Chartres Cathedral uses more elaborate geometrical shapes and more of them.  The large central dome and tall spires of the Hagia Sophia and the two towers of the Chartres Cathedral serve the same purpose, which is to cause those who enter these structures to look towards heaven.

The function of the Chartres Cathedral has always been worship.  The Hagia Sophia was originally used for rituals of Byzantine society both religious and secular while today it has become a museum.

The cultural significance of these structures were largely steeped in the era in which they were built and which they reflected. The Hagia Sophia was built in a time when Christian ideals about not showing off to those outside the culture so the Hagia Sophia followed in the Byzantine culturally based style, having a plain brick exterior and lavishly decorated interior.  As Christianity grew, the principles of the religion itself began to be found in the newer Churches such as the Chartres Cathedral which included statues of the Saints inside.  This was intended to give the common man a model to strive for in a Christian life.  Other cultural aspects of the Chartres Cathedral were found in the colors of the stained glass which altered the light making it diffuse and pastel was intended to instill a feeling of spirituality and separateness from the mundane (Cruikshank-Dodd 497-504).

Architectural innovations can be found within both of these structures.  Due to the incredible weight of the upper levels of the Chartres Cathedral, flying buttresses had to function in a new way. These external supports were curved in such a way as to attach to the arches then curve a distance away from the wall providing greater support. Innovations in the Hagia Sophia involved moving away from the use of massive walls as supports to piers placed throughout the structure.

The main building technique used with the Hagia Sophia was vaulting strategies. Additionally, dome shaped elements in along with the two smaller side domes were built to lead up to the main dome, the most famous feature of the structure. The main building technique of the Chartres Cathedral evolved due to its massive size and weight, necessitating the development of ribbed vaults which were far lighter than the thick stone vaults that came before and often resulted in the collapse of the ceiling from the additional weight.

Sculpture of the Archaic Greek period, appeared more Egyptian or Syrian instead of what later came to be known as Greek sculpture. Early forms were modeled on a classical nude boy and girl both standing.  The boy, Kouros, faces straight on in a rigid pose and has wide shoulders and narrow hips.  Arms hand rigidly at his sides and fists clenched with both feet on the ground left foot shifted forward. Whereas Kouros is simply a boy without the benefit of clothes to identify class, King Menkaura (Mycerinus) and queen clearly represent royalty. Menkaura wears tradition clothes of Kingship complete with headcloth, kilt, and fake beard.  While his posture is fomal it does not come across quite as rigid as the stance of Kouros.  Instead of both feet planted side by side, King Menkaura has his left foot forward with weight settled on his right foot, a standard pose of male Egyptians. She stands with feet together in the traditional pose for women.  He has broad shoulder like Kouros but the rest of his body is more proportional. The queen wears a sheath dress which leaves her figure evident. They are the perfect Egyptian male and female.  The Greeks usually left males in the nude when sculpted while the Egyptians males wore kilts. Thus while the Greek were clearly influenced by the Egyptians the subject matter was and presentation were different.

The design of Kouros includes special attention to the chiseling of the hair symmetrical presentation and use of decorative scroll like ears. The design of King Menkaura and queen is made of sharp lines in the king and softer lines in the queen yet their postures and stances match each other almost perfectly. They are intended to represent the perfect Egyptian male and female.

The medium used for King Menkaura and Queen was slate and some black paint remains on him while some red pain remains on her indicating they were both likely painted at one time. The medium used for Kouros was also stone though the type was not determined.  Both the statues of the King and Queen and the one of Kouros were created through chiseling. The cultural significance of the Kouros statue shows the reverence with which the Greeks held the ancient Egyptians, modeling their art on their predecessors. This statue and those like it were often used as grave markers since they represented vitality and life force which was hoped to be passed to the dead loved one.King Menkaura and Queen were meant to represent the personality, character, strength and wisdom of the entire Egyptian people (Christopher Witcomb.

Works Cited

Cruikshank-Dodd, Erica. “Light I: The Lamp in the Niche.”Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. Ed. Helene E. Roberts. Chicago Il. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998. 497-504.

Witcomb, Christopher. King Menkaura and Queen. Art History Resources. Web. 2 May 2014.