Brandenburg Gate, 1791, Berlin Germany, Greek Architecture, Carl Gotthard Langhans, Johann Gottfried Schadow
Brandenburg Gate
History
The Brandenburg gate
was built between 1788 and 1791 by Prussian king Frederick William II as key
entry to the city of Berlin. The gate topped of a statue which depicted the
goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses, called the
“Quadriga”. The statue stayed there until Napoleon Bonaparte and his grand army
occupied berlin and decided to steal it, shipping it to Paris. Napoleon forgot
about the statue, and it stayed in storage until the Prussian army took over
Paris after his defeat. The statue was returned to the gate and became a symbol
of the Prussian army’s victory over France. During world war II, the gate
received heavy damages, and after the berlin wall was erected both east and
west Germany worked together to restore the gate. After the restoration, the
gate was completely shut off from west berlin. It wasn’t 1963 when John Kennedy
said his “I am a jelly donut Speech” right near the gate that the wall was torn
down.
Architecture
The style of the gate is Neo-classical. It resembles a lot the “Propylaea of Acropolis” previously built in Athens, both having columns and sandstone surfaces. The gate has five passages for driving through, with two gate houses. Made out of stone, it is 26 meters high, 65.5 meters wide and 11 meters deep. The columns are of Doric style, each been 15 meters high and channeled I ionic style. Both gatehouses have large sculptors of mars, the god of war, and of Minerva with a lance. The gate is supposed to symbolize victory when you come through it.
Neo-Classical
Architecture
Neo-classical
architecture is generally characterized by grandeur of scale, simplicity of
geometric forms, Greek detail, dramatic use of columns, and a preference for
blank walls. You can clearly see these characteristics play on the gate.
Standing monumentally on Pariser Plats it shows its grandeur through its
simplify in form. Its simplicity although not coming from its carved detailing
do speak from the Doric columns. The Doric order sets the style for beauty,
harmony, and strength for European architecture. There is Greek style detail on
the top, paying respect to the style. There is meaning in the in the location
where the gate is situated, as it was once a mayor road that it greeted
incoming visitors.
In many aspects the
gate is a replica of the row of columns of the Acropolis, as its order and
detail on the portico resemble. In some ways more then others the gate seems
more monumental then the acropolis, as its purpose is literally meant to serve
as a welcoming act other then the acropolis where its purpose is to serve as a
temple to the gods. There is a striking difference between them though, and
that is at its top were the acropolis has a triangular prism type of roofing
while the Gate is more rectangular solids on each other with a monument at its
top. This one distinction is what separates ancient Greek architecture from
Neo-Classical architecture as it shows more detail and thought in structure.
Cited Works
Britannica, The
Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Brandenburg Gate.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Apr. 2014, www.britannica.com/topic/Brandenburg-Gate.
Britannica, The
Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Neoclassical Architecture.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Apr. 2013, www.britannica.com/art/Neoclassical-architecture.
Maranzani, Barbara.
“Brandenburg Gate: A Brief History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,
19 June 2013, www.history.com/news/brandenburg-gate-a-brief-history.
Schneider, Bernhard.
"Invented History: Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg Gate." AA Files,
no. 37, Autumn, pp. 12-16. EBSCOhost,
arktos.nyit.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bvh&AN=437114&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
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