Behind each building is an architect. This is rarely remembered even when visiting buildings famous for their beauty or originality. Meanwhile, well-known architects influence the development of culture no less than writers and artists. They absorb ideas in the air and give them material form. Buildings that reflect the essence of the era, its mood and the dominant philosophy, become masterpieces. The people who give them to the world will be discussed below.
Mastermind of Geniuses
The most famous architects of the past immortalized their names by creating magnificent buildings famous for their beauty and many centuries later. One of them is Giotto di Bondone. The Italian painter and architect was born in 1267. He became an innovator in the visual arts, laid the foundation of the Italian school of painting. Giotto's frescoes and icons were admired by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Sometimes he is credited with authorship of the chapel del Arena in Padua, but not all researchers agree with this. There is no doubt that Giotto created the frescoes adorning the cathedral. The main architectural creation of the master is the bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence. Giotto did not live to see the completion of construction - in 1337, when he died, only the first tier of the structure was erected.
Great thinker
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) often tops the list of “Famous Architects of the World”. The famous Italian was a sculptor, thinker, artist and poet. Among his architectural creations are the Medici Chapel, the Laurenzian Library, the facade of the Church of St. Lorenzo. According to his design, the Roman Palace of Senators and the Palace of Conservatives were erected. In the design of these buildings, Michelangelo used a colossal warrant, which then went into fashion with his light hand. The architect also worked on the plan of the famous St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Today, Michelangelo rightly calls one of the greatest masters in the history of mankind.
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
Famous architects of Italy do not end there. Michelangelo's successor is considered to be Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). He was not only an architect, but also a sculptor and artist. Bernini was distinguished by the ability to combine all three types of art, creating a single visual space. Together with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, he laid the foundations of Baroque architecture.
One of Bernini's main creations is the design of St. Peter's Square. The colonnade in front of the famous cathedral is also the brainchild of an architect. He worked on secular and religious buildings. When creating the latter, Bernini often used hidden light sources to enhance the impression made by the service. He is the author of many Roman fountains, without which today it is difficult to imagine the Eternal City.
Palladian Adam Dynasty
We will now transfer to Scotland a sample of the 18th century. Here in 1728, Robert Adam was born, one of the most significant representatives of British classicism. He belonged to the Palladian dynasty, a follower of early classicism in architecture. Mandatory features of the style were strict symmetry and the use of canons that developed during the period of Antiquity.
The creations of Adam have a special recognizable handwriting. They are characterized by lightness and elegance, the frequent appearance of neo-Gothic elements. The architect laid the foundation for the so-called Adam style. He knew how to combine the basic elements of classicism with such ease, as if he had lived among ancient creations for a long time and knew how his creators thought.
Only a few architectural masterpieces of Adam have survived in their original form. Among them is the private home of Kedleston Hall near the city of Derby. In recent years, the architect worked mainly in Edinburgh. According to his project, the university building was erected in this city.
Famous architects of Russia
And in our country at about the same time Vasily Bazhenov was creating. An architectural theorist, teacher and artist, he preferred classicism and laid the foundations of Russian pseudo-Gothic. Bazhenov created several impressive structures in Moscow and St. Petersburg. One of the most famous buildings in the modern capital - the Pashkov House - was built according to his project. Up to now, Bazhenov’s creations have hardly reached.
And the first architect of St. Petersburg was Domenico Trezzini. He breathed a fresh stream into Russian architecture, bringing European traditions with him. Trezzini is the author of a large number of structures that create the appearance of Petersburg familiar to us. These include the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the building of the Twelve Colleges, which today houses the university.
In different years, famous Russian architects Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lvov, Alexander Glebovich Uspensky, Mikhail Grigoryevich Zemtsov and others also worked in St. Petersburg in different years. The last named was a student of Trezzini. Zemtsov became the first Russian architect of the City on the Neva. His early Baroque creations include the Church of Simeon and Anna, the Golden Mountain Cascade in the Lower Park of Peterhof, the project of the Anichkov Palace and the Transfiguration Cathedral completely rebuilt after the fire.
Soviet architects
Many prominent architects worked and the USSR. Rationalists led by Nikolai Ladovsky, who sought to achieve objectivity in shaping and composition, were replaced by constructivists who considered functionality more important than aesthetization. Bright representatives of the latter were the Vesin brothers. A significant trace in the guise of Moscow was left by Mikhail Vasilievich Posokhin, the former chief architect of the capital from the 60s to the beginning of the 80s. Thanks to him, the Palace of Congresses, the CMEA building, the Olimpiysky sports complex and so on appeared in the city.
Style instigators
The houses of famous architects of our time differ from the creations of the past by eclecticism. If the rear style of the meters of the Renaissance or the New Age is quite simple to determine, then today's buildings often combine elements of different directions. However, eclecticism was not born from scratch: it incorporated features of styles, most of which took shape in the last century.
One of the most popular trends in architecture now is high-tech. The pioneer of the style is most often called Norman Foster (born 1935) and his Bureau of the Four. He designed the airport in Hong Kong, the Millennium Bridge and the Mary Ex skyscraper in London. During the construction of the latter, the so-called mesh shell was used, developed by the Russian architect Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov (1853-1939), whom Foster, by his own admission, considers his idol. Shukhov created the first oil pipelines and refineries in our country. Steel mesh shells used by him for the construction of buildings after some time became one of the favorite elements of high-tech representatives. Foster’s bureau designed the buildings in Russia: the reconstruction of the New Holland Island, which is now under construction by Moscow City.
In harmony with nature
In contrast to hi-tech, glorifying the greatness of technological progress, the bio-tech style suggests creating buildings that do not argue with nature, but continue it. Many famous architects of our time pay tribute to this idea. The founder of the style is considered Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926). Most of the creations of the famous Spanish architect are in Barcelona. His works - Palais Guell, Casa Mila, Casa Batlló - cannot be confused with anything. They seem to live, move. The inspiration for the master was nature. Hence the special fluidity of buildings, the lack of straight lines, unusual shapes and images. According to his project, the Holy Family Temple is still being erected, reminiscent of a sand castle.
The desire for unity with nature is a feature that characterizes the projects of famous architects who are considered to be followers of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). He is considered one of the most influential figures in foreign architecture. Wright created the concept of "organic architecture." The central concepts of the theory were integrity and unity with nature. The buildings created by Wright are a continuation of the natural environment, they are characterized by open plans, the use of natural materials, design features borrowed from ancient Japanese temples.
Modernism and functionalism
No less significant figure is Le Corbusier (1887-1965). The creations and works of the French architect gave the world the architecture of modernism and functionalism. The buildings erected by Le Corbusier are easy to recognize. They are distinguished by volumetric blocks raised above the ground, flat roof-terraces, visible facades, the so-called free forms. All these features quickly became an integral part of modern architecture.
Of course, not all famous architects are listed above. The story can be continued for a very long time, and the list is constantly updated. Famous architects of the time in which we live, often reveal to us the creations of masters of past years, undeservedly forgotten.