The classical orders

Summary

This script explores the language of architecture, focusing on the classical orders that form the foundation of Western architecture. It delves into the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, detailing their distinctive features, origins, and evolution from ancient Greece to contemporary use. The discussion highlights the significance of post and lintel architecture, the decorative elements of triglyphs and metopes, and the aesthetic refinements like entasis and volutes. The script also touches on the human perception and cultural significance behind these architectural styles.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Architecture is a language that becomes more recognizable as one learns its vocabulary, including different architectural forms.
• 🏛️ The classical orders are the foundational elements of Western architecture, having been used for over 2,500 years.
• 🏛️ The ancient Greeks developed styles for their temples that have continued to influence architecture to the present day.
• 🏛️ Post and lintel architecture, the most basic system, involves vertical posts supporting a horizontal lintel and is still used today.
• 🏛️ The Greeks refined this basic system with sophisticated decorative elements, leading to the development of the classical orders.
• 🏛️ There are five main classical orders: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite, with Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian being the primary ones discussed.
• 🏛️ The Doric order is the simplest and oldest, characterized by a heavy and masculine appearance, with triglyphs and metopes on the frieze.
• 🏛️ Triglyphs represent an ancient wooden beam structure and are aligned with the columns, while metopes are spaces for sculpture between them.
• 🏛️ The Doric capital is simple with a flare and slab, and the columns have shallow flutes without a decorative foot at the bottom.
• 🏛️ Entasis is a feature of Doric columns where the shafts are slightly wider at the center, giving a sense of elasticity and verticality.
• 🏛️ The Ionic order is more delicate and feminine, with distinguishing features like volutes at the capital and a base for the column.
• 🏛️ The Corinthian order is the most decorative, with capitals resembling acanthus leaves and a complex design that includes both volutes and leaf-like forms.
• 🏛️ The development of these orders was further expanded by the Romans and continues to influence architecture in contemporary times.

Q & A

What is the fundamental concept of architecture discussed in the script?

The script discusses the concept that architecture is a language, and learning new architectural forms allows one to notice them in various places, similar to learning new vocabulary words.

What are the classical orders in architecture?

The classical orders are the building blocks of Western architecture, developed by the ancient Greeks for their temples and used for over 2,500 years. They include the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, with the Tuscan and Composite being additional variations.

What is the most basic and oldest architectural system mentioned in the script?

The most basic and oldest architectural system mentioned is the post and lintel architecture, which consists of vertical elements (posts) supporting a horizontal element (lintel).

How does the script relate the construction of Greek temples to modern building practices?

The script relates the construction of Greek temples to modern building practices by pointing out that the basic system of post and lintel architecture is still used today, such as when nailing two-by-fours together.

What are the three basic orders of classical architecture?

The three basic orders of classical architecture are the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders.

What is the distinguishing feature of the Doric order?

The Doric order is distinguished by its simplicity, with a frieze decorated with triglyphs and metopes, a simple capital with a flare and a slab, and flutes on the column shaft without a decorative foot at the bottom.

What is a triglyph and how is it used in the Doric order?

A triglyph is a decorative element consisting of three vertical grooves or channels, used in the Doric order to create a pattern across the frieze of the entablature.

What is entasis and why was it used in ancient Greek Doric architecture?

Entasis refers to the slight swelling of a column shaft towards the center, making it wider at about one-third of the way from the base and tapering towards the top. It was used to add a sense of liveliness and elasticity to the columns, as well as to emphasize the verticality of the temple.

How does the Ionic order differ from the Doric order in terms of aesthetics and features?

The Ionic order is more delicate and less massive than the Doric order. It features a capital with scroll-like shapes called volutes, a base for the column, and a slightly different type of fluting. It is also considered more feminine by Vitruvius.

What is the origin story of the Corinthian capital, and how does it reflect in the design?

The origin story of the Corinthian capital involves a basket of a young girl's possessions placed on her grave, with an acanthus plant growing underneath and its leaves growing out the sides due to the weight. The capital design features leaf-like shapes that resemble the acanthus leaves.

How did the Romans and subsequent generations influence and use the classical orders?

The Romans adopted the classical orders developed by the Greeks and further developed them. Subsequent generations looking back to the classical tradition have borrowed from these orders, and their influence is still seen in contemporary architecture.

Outlines

00:00

🏛 Introduction to Architectural Language and Classical Orders

The video script introduces the concept of architecture as a language, with a focus on the classical orders that form the foundation of Western architecture. Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris explain that learning about these orders allows one to recognize their influence in modern structures. They discuss the origins of these styles in ancient Greek temple architecture, which have been continuously utilized for over 2,500 years. The script also mentions contemporary examples and introduces the basic post and lintel system, which is the most fundamental architectural system still in use today. The classical orders, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, are highlighted, along with two additional orders, Tuscan and Composite, which are not discussed in detail in this script.

05:01

🏟️ The Doric Order: Characteristics and Evolution

This section delves into the Doric order, the oldest and simplest of the classical orders, which originated in the seventh century in mainland Greece. The script describes the components of the Doric order, starting with the pediment, a triangular space at the top of the temple, followed by the entablature, which includes the frieze adorned with triglyphs and metopes. Triglyphs, consisting of three vertical grooves, are believed to have originated from wooden planks used as beams in early temples. Metopes, the spaces between triglyphs, often contained sculpture. The Doric capital is noted for its simplicity, and the shaft of the column is characterized by shallow flutes. The absence of a decorative foot at the base of the column and the use of entasis, the slight swelling of the column shaft towards the center, are also discussed. Entasis not only adds liveliness to the building but also emphasizes its verticality and gives the impression of elasticity, suggesting the column is bearing the weight of the structure.

10:02

🌿 The Corinthian Order: Myth and Ornamentation

The final paragraph explores the Corinthian order, the most decorative of the classical orders, distinguished by its capital featuring intricate leaf-like shapes derived from the acanthus plant. A myth surrounding the origin of the Corinthian capital is shared, involving a basket of a young girl's possessions placed on her grave, which led to the acanthus leaves growing outwards, inspiring the capital's design. The script highlights the complexity of the Corinthian order, which includes elements from the Ionic order such as volutes, in addition to the unique acanthus leaf motifs. The influence of the Greek classical orders is emphasized, noting that they were further developed by the Romans and continue to inspire architects today, showcasing the enduring legacy of these ancient architectural styles.

Keywords

💡Architecture

Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures. In the video script, it is described as a language with its own vocabulary and forms, which viewers are encouraged to learn and recognize in their surroundings. The script emphasizes how understanding architectural styles can enhance one's perception and appreciation of the built environment.

💡Classical Orders

Classical Orders refer to the styles of architecture developed by the ancient Greeks, primarily for their temples, and later adopted by the Romans. These orders are the foundational elements of Western architecture and have been in use for over 2,500 years. The script discusses the three main orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, each with its unique characteristics and decorative elements.

💡Post and Lintel

Post and lintel architecture is the most fundamental building system, where vertical posts support horizontal lintels. This concept is illustrated with Stonehenge and is still in use today in modern construction, such as when nailing two-by-fours together. The script explains that the Greeks advanced this basic system with more sophisticated and decorative implementations.

💡Doric Order

The Doric order is the oldest and simplest of the classical orders, characterized by its heavy and severe appearance. It originated in the 7th century BC in mainland Greece and features a plain capital and flutes on the column shaft. The script uses the Doric order to illustrate the evolution of architectural styles and the Greeks' innovative approach to building design.

💡Ionic Order

The Ionic order emerged after the Doric and is distinguished by its more delicate and elegant features, such as the volutes in the capital and a base for the column. It is considered more feminine and is taller and thinner than the Doric. The script contrasts the Ionic order with the Doric to highlight the aesthetic differences and the evolution of architectural styles.

💡Corinthian Order

The Corinthian order is the most decorative of the three classical orders, with a capital adorned with acanthus leaves and volutes. It is taller than the Doric and includes both the scroll-like features of the Ionic and the complex leaf forms. The script shares a myth about the origin of the Corinthian capital, emphasizing the order's rich decorative nature.

💡Pediment

A pediment is the triangular space at the top of a temple, typically found in Greek architecture. Although not officially part of the order, it is a significant architectural feature. The script mentions the pediment in the context of Greek temples, noting that it was often filled with sculpture.

💡Entasis

Entasis refers to the slight swelling of a column shaft towards the center, giving it a sense of elasticity and verticality. This technique was used by the ancient Greeks to enhance the visual appeal and structural integrity of their columns. The script describes entasis as a feature that adds liveliness to the building and emphasizes the human perception aspect of ancient Greek architectural design.

💡Triglyphs and Metopes

In the Doric order, the frieze of the entablature is decorated with triglyphs and metopes. Triglyphs are patterns of three vertical grooves, while metopes are the spaces between them, often filled with sculpture. The script explains that triglyphs likely originated from wooden beams in early temples and that their alignment over columns is a distinctive feature of the Doric order.

💡Entablature

The entablature is the part of a classical building that sits on top of the columns and below the roof, consisting of the architrave, frieze, and cornice. The script describes the entablature as an official part of the classical orders, with the frieze being a significant decorative element, especially in the Doric order.

💡Vitruvius

Vitruvius was an ancient Roman architectural historian whose writings provide insight into the characteristics and symbolism of the classical orders. The script cites Vitruvius to describe the Doric order as masculine and the Ionic as feminine, reflecting the cultural associations and aesthetic qualities of each order.

Highlights

Architecture is a language that becomes more recognizable as one learns its vocabulary.

Classical orders are the fundamental building blocks of Western architecture, used for over 2,500 years.

The ancient Greeks developed styles of architecture primarily for their temples, which continue to influence modern design.

Post and lintel architecture is the most basic and oldest system, with vertical posts supporting a horizontal lintel.

The Greeks' sophisticated version of post and lintel architecture included the development of decorative systems.

There are three basic classical orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, with two additional orders, Tuscan and Composite.

The Doric order is the simplest and oldest, characterized by its flared capital and lack of a decorative foot.

The Ionic order emerged after the Doric, featuring more delicate and feminine characteristics.

The Corinthian order is the most decorative, with capitals adorned with acanthus leaves and volutes.

Entasis is a feature of Doric columns where the shafts swell towards the center, giving a sense of elasticity and liveliness.

Entasis emphasizes the verticality of the temple and is a result of careful consideration of human perception.

Doric columns lack a decorative foot and transition directly into the temple floor, contributing to their heavy appearance.

The frieze of the Doric order is decorated with triglyphs and metopes, possibly originating from wooden beam ends in early temples.

The Ionic order is distinguished by its scroll-like volutes and a base at the bottom of the column.

The Corinthian order's capital is rich with acanthus leaf motifs, possibly inspired by a myth about a young girl's grave.

The Greeks' development of classical orders was a genesis for Roman and subsequent architectural traditions.

Columns in ancient Greek architecture were not carved from a single piece of stone but assembled from unique drums.

Transcripts

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Architecture is a language.

And you know how when you learn a new vocabulary word,

you start to notice it, for the first time, everywhere?

Well, the same thing happens with architecture.

When you learn a new architectural form,

you start to see it everywhere.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And that's especially

true of the classical orders.

Because these are what are, essentially,

the building blocks of Western Architecture.

And they've been used for 2,500 years.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: We're basically

talking about styles of architecture

that the ancient Greeks had developed mostly

for their temples.

And you're right, that we've continued to use.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And we've got several contemporary examples

up along the top.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: But what's important to remember

is that it's just a fancy dressing, really,

of a basic, ancient building system.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So we've brought in Stonehenge,

to illustrate that ancient, building system called

post and lintel architecture.

This is the most fundamental, most basic, oldest kind

of architectural system.

The posts are the vertical elements

and they support a horizontal element called a lintel.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And you know what?

We still use this basic system when

we nail two-by-fours together.

And that's what the Greeks were doing.

But they were doing in a much more sophisticated way.

DR. BETH HARRIS: Right.

They developed decorative systems.

And that's what we're referring to when

we use the term classical orders.

There are three basic orders, the Doric, the Ionic,

and the Corinthian.

There's a couple extra, but we're not

going to go into those today.

But we've listed them here for you,

just so you know what they are, the Tuscan and the Composite.

So the Doric and Ionic and Corinthian

are illustrated, here, in this diagram.

First the Doric, and the Ionic, and then, the last two

are Corinthian.

These are just slight variations of these three orders.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And the Doric is really the most simple.

The Ionic, a little bit more complicated.

And then, the Corinthian, completely out of control.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So let's start with the oldest

order, the Doric order.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Right, and we think

that this order began in the seventh century,

on the mainland in Greece.

And we're looking at an actual Greek temple

that happens to be in Italy.

But nevertheless, is just a great example

of the Doric in the classical era.

DR. BETH HARRIS: Let's start at the top, with the pediment.

The pediment isn't, officially, part of the order.

But since Greek temples had, at one end

or the other, a pediment, we just

thought we would name that for you.

And that's that triangular space at the very top of the temple.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Right.

These are gabled roofs.

Sometimes they would be filled with sculpture.

DR. BETH HARRIS: The next area, below the pediment,

is actually, officially part of the order.

And that's called the entablature.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: OK, so that would

be the area from about here to here.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And the top part of the entablature

is called the frieze.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: OK, so only this part, right here,

is known as the frieze.

So in other words, this whole section.

DR. BETH HARRIS: Right, and in the Doric order,

it is decorated in a very specific way, using

triglyphs and metopes.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Now, actually,

if you look at the word triglyph,

you'll notice that the prefix is tri.

Just like tricycle, it means three.

And its suffix, glyph, means mark.

So a triglyph, literally, means three marks.

And you can see patterns of three marks moving all the way

across the frieze.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And then, in between the triglyphs

are spaces that are called metopes.

And in ancient Greek architecture,

these were often filled with sculpture.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Now the triglyphs we don't think

are just arbitrary.

We think that they probably came from a time

when temples were built out of wood.

And these would have been the ends

of planks that would have functioned

as beams in the temple.

And they would have, of course, been supported directly

over the columns.

You'll notice that every other one, at least,

is aligned directly over the columns.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So as we move down the temple,

the next area we come to is the Capital.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And this is a Doric capital.

It's very simple.

It's got a flare.

And then it's got a simple slab on top.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So the Doric is the oldest, and most severe,

and was associated, according to the ancient Roman

architectural historian, Vitruvius, most masculine form.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: It is broad, it's not tall,

and it feels heavy.

DR. BETH HARRIS: It does.

As we continue to move down, we come to the area

that we commonly call the column but art historians

call the shaft.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And if you look closely,

you can see that it is not entirely plain.

There are, actually, vertical lines

that move across the entire surface known as flutes.

Now, in the Doric, a flute is very shallow.

And really, what it is, is it's a kind of scallop

that's been carved out the surface.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And what fluting does is,

it creates a nice, vertical, decorative pattern

along the shaft.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Now, one of the other defining features

of the Doric order is that, at the bottom of the shaft,

there is no decorative foot.

The shaft of the column goes straight

into the floor of the temple.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And you can see that really

well in the detail on the lower right, where there

is no molding there to make a transition.

So let's have a look at what these look like in person.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Capitals are up high

so we would never see a person next to them.

But I think it's easy to not realize just how big they.

But I snapped this terrific picture of you

at the British Museum next to a capital that actually comes

from the most famous Doric temple,

on the Acropolis in Athens.

DR. BETH HARRIS: Right, the Parthenon.

And they really are massive.

And this photo is good, also, for seeing--

in this case, a reconstruction-- but giving you

a sense of the entablature with that frieze with triglyphs

and metopes.

And we've got an example, on the right,

of a relief sculpture that was for one

of the metopes on the Parthenon.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Right, so this metope, here,

would have actually fit right in one of these squares.

DR. BETH HARRIS: Let's talk about one last element

that we find in Doric architecture.

And that's something called entasis.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Now, this is a little tricky.

Because I think most people assume

that a column is straight up and down.

That is, the sides of a column are parallel with each other,

and the base of a column is just as wide as the area

directly below the capitol.

But in fact, the ancient Greeks didn't

build their temples that way.

DR. BETH HARRIS: No.

It's fascinating to think about all the ways

that the ancient Greeks are thinking

about how to make their buildings beautiful,

and speak of the realm of the gods.

And so, when we look at an ancient Doric temple,

we see that the shafts swell a little bit toward the center.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: So right about a third of the way down,

they would be at their widest.

And it would taper, ever so slightly, towards the bottom,

and taper much more so as we move up the top.

So that the narrowest point of the column shaft

would be right at the top.

And the widest part would be about one third

of the way from the base.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And so, the building

has a sense of liveliness that I think

it wouldn't have if the column was exactly

the same width at the top as at the bottom.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Architectural historians

have debated why the Greeks bothered to do this.

Because this was expensive.

This was difficult.

It meant that every drum that makes up this column

has to be an individual, unique piece.

These could not be mass-measured and mass-produced.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So you just used the word drum.

So the columns are not, actually,

carved from one piece of stone.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And if you look very carefully

at this photograph, you can just make out

the seams between those drums.

They would, also, have generally been

a hole that would have gone through the center of each

of these pieces.

So that a piece of wood, sometimes, would actually

string them together, almost like beads on a necklace.

One of the other things that entasis does

is to emphasize the verticality of the temple.

Because they get narrower as they go further up,

it seems as if the shaft of the column

might actually be taller than it really is.

Because of course, as things move away from us,

they get smaller in scale.

DR. BETH HARRIS: So the Greeks are

thinking about human perception.

They're thinking about how we see,

not just an abstract idea of math and geometry,

but actually, human experience, which

says something about ancient Greek culture.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: One last detail--

the entasis gives the shaft of the column

a sense of, almost, elasticity, that it is bearing

the weight of the stone above it.

DR. BETH HARRIS: It's really fascinating to think about all

of these decisions that the Greeks

are making as they build.

So let's look at the Ionic order, which emerges shortly

after the Doric order.

Here's another building of the Acropolis,

this is the Erechtheion.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: This is such a different aesthetic.

There's such a sense of delicacy here.

There is not that sense of mass, that sense of the muscularity

of the buildings that we associate with the Doric.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And in fact, Vitruvius the ancient Roman

architectural historian, saw this

as a more feminine order-- it's taller, it's thinner.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Now, one of the columns from this building

in Greece is in the museum in London.

We have some good photographs of it.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And you can see the distinguishing feature

really is at the top, at the capital, where

we see these scroll-like shapes, also known as volutes.

We also see a slightly different type of fluting.

And we also, importantly see a base.

Let's move to the Corinthian order.

This looks really different and is the most decorative.

And the distinguishing feature here

is, again, the capital, where we see leaf-like shapes.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: They also have bases.

They tend to be taller than the Doric, just like the Ionic.

But they are highly decorative.

There's a great myth about the origin of the Corinthian

capital.

DR. BETH HARRIS: It's a kind of fun story.

Of course, we have no idea whether this is true.

But the story is that there was a young girl who died.

And her possessions were placed in a basket

and put on top of her grave.

Underneath that basket was a acanthus plant that

began to grow.

And because the heavy basket with the tile on top

was on top, the acanthus leaves grew out the side.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Well, if we look at a Corinthian column,

it really does look like that.

DR. BETH HARRIS: It looks exactly like that.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: And so, it's a great myth, whether or not

it's true.

So the Corinthian order is the most complex.

It includes both the scroll, that we

would expect to see in the Ionic.

DR. BETH HARRIS: The volutes.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: Right.

But also these very complex leaf-like

forms, which you can just make out

here, which is actually from the acanthus leaf.

And we have a photograph of an acanthus leaf right down there.

DR. BETH HARRIS: And these grow wild so it makes sense.

DR. STEVEN ZUCKER: What's important to remember is

that the ancient Greeks, although they developed

these three classical orders, were just the genesis.

The Romans took these ideas over.

And then, subsequently, people who've

looked back to the classical tradition

have borrowed from them yet again.

And we still do this today.

And there you have it.

The Greek orders.