Colosseum
Question 1
Colosseum is a neural Latin noun given to the amphitheater from the 6th century in the Late Antiquity period. Loikkanen et al. (2017) stated that Colosseum is a name formed from the word colossus, which means “gigantic” and was believed to have been derived from the colossal state of Nero on the model of Rhodes of colossal. The ward colosseum, by the year 1000, had been coined to refer to the Latin structure amphitheater from colossus Solis. The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows and other related events. The commonly conducted shows are “munera” shows that were always performed by a private individual but not through the state. They were characterized to have a strong religious element and were taken demonstrate of family prestige, power and immensely popular with the population. Secondly is the “venation,” which was also referred to as “animal hunt”. This event was commonly characterized with the greater utility of variety of wild beasts, which were imported mainly from the Middle East and others from African regions. These events and shows were conducted on a large scale. Other performances took place by acrobats and magicians, mainly during intervals. Also, in the early days, builders were used for “navalia proelia” which means simulated sea battles, events that were conducted in the Colosseum. Como (2017) illustrated that it was also used as an arena for recreations. Technicians, painters, and architects constructed simulations of forest bushes and trees planted on the arena floor then animals would be introduced. These scenes were used to display a natural environment for the urban people or as a backdrop for drama depicting episodes, also used for execution in stories about the hero.
Question 2
Pantheon building structure found in Rome is not only a destination for filmmakers and tourists but also for modern designers, architects from all around the world. Specific, its geometry which has been measured, and its building methods studied during the photographic tour are the most vital. Scolnic et al. (2018) argued that the pantheon had become essential guidance modern architecture design due to its experimentation with dome construction. The portico and dome have become a vital combination that has gained influence in the modern western architectural design. The pantheon entryway is asymmetrical and has a classical design with three Corinthian columns and an open hole at the top of the “oculus,” making it essential in today’s architecture. In addition, modern architects are inspired by the geometry of dome and oculus sunlight moving through the interior walls of the pantheon structure. Moreover, the domed ceiling most of all has presented great significant importance to modern urbanism. The pantheon structure was built within a short period estimated to be in a day which poses a challenging call to the modern architecture of how long they take to put up a structure or a building. The pantheon building employed advanced engineering skills at its concrete construction, which enabled it to support a massive dome made of solid concrete above it. Pantheon capacity is also an admirable quality by modern designers and architectures. The holding capacity characteristic of the pantheon, which is estimated to be so large, triggered modern urban architectures to use it as a reference for their design.
Question 3
Thomas was a proponent of neoclassical architecture in America, through which they commonly remembered him for his outstanding contribution. Jefferson believed that art was a powerful tool and could be used to elicit social change, inspire the public to seek education, and used to bring enlightenment for the United States. Also, he believed that the scale and nature of the public for the architecture could fulfill these same ambitions. Initially, Jefferson was interested in architecture immediately after he arrived at Williams’s college in1760. After Jefferson was elected president, he believed that the young United States needed to forge a strong relationship with France, their revolutionary brothers. With this concept in mind, Jefferson designed his home after neoclassicism which was popular in France then. This neoclassicism is something that Jefferson visited while he was abroad, which had roots in the architecture of ancient Rome. Further by helping introduce classical architecture to America, Jefferson was interested in reinforcing the idea behind the classical past in the United States: education, democracy, rationality, and civil responsibility. Because of his detest for the English, Jefferson preferred French architecture over those from British and in so doing, he reinforced the symbolic nature attributed to architecture in America. In addition, he did not only design buildings but designed buildings that eloquently spoke to the democratic ideals of the U.S, which can be seen in the Rotunda at the University of Virginia and Virginia state capital. Jefferson greatly facilitated the transfer of neoclassical architecture ideas from France to his home country United States.
Question 4
Art deco is a style that originated in France and gained an important effect on architecture in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s under work progress administration such as municipal structures like schools and also public murals. Development of work progress was intended to jumpstart the post-war U.S economy by creating more jobs in public works and instilling U.S values within the design. During this period, the most common examples are the skyscrapers of New York, including the empire state building, Rockefeller center found in New York City, and the Chrysler building. American art deco style developed as a celebration of advisement in technology which constituted production and restored faith in social progress. The United States combined modern aesthetics, expensive materials, and craftsmanship and became a symbol of modernity and luxury. American culture frequently used the demo for office buildings, train stations, diners, government buildings, and department stores. Also, they used it in furniture and designing automobiles, dairy objects like radio sets, and toasters in the design of ocean liners. During the late 1930s, during the great depression period, American art deco featured in the architecture of the public works projects sponsored by work progress and general public work administration like the hoover dam and golden gate bridge. This style faced completion from modern architecture throughout the period and consequently came to an end during 1939 at the beginning of World War II. The method rediscovered the 1960s resulting in the restoration of many original buildings, now historical landmarks in the United States.
Question 5
The Symbolist movements existed in the 19th century and extensively used Greek word logos to influence music, literature, visual arts, and theatre. Logos is a Greek word that is used to mean speech or principle. They used the term logos to refer to logical use and reasoning in crafting a piece of persuasive writing and rhetoric. The understanding of logos made it possible to make effective logical appeals that elevate the report and engage the reader. The term logos was used by symbolists in poems to justify love and seek reciprocation from the objective of desire. Moreover, play characters showed logos in their compelling debates and arguments against each other. In its usage by the symbolist, logos marked two main distinctions. The first distinction is dealing with human reason, which means rationality in the human mind to attain a universal harmony and understanding. The second dealt with universal intelligence, which meant a universal ruling force that governs and is revealed through the divine to humankind. Initially, a Greek philosopher Heraclitus used logos to refer to rational divine intelligence, which in modern was used to refer to scientific discourse as “mind of God.” In addition, symbolists used logos doctrine as a principle for morality and human law. The symbolist believed that to achieve freedom, meaning, and happiness, one needs to attune one’s life to the wisdom of God’s will and manifest in the second distinction above logos. Also, the symbolist defined the ward logos as an indicator of God’s desire and capability to speak to a human.
References
Loikkanen, O., Lahdelma, R., & Salminen, P. (2017). Multicriteria evaluation of sustainable energy solutions for Colosseum. Sustainable cities and society, 35, 289-297.
Como, M. (2017). The Colosseum. In Statics of Historic Masonry Constructions (pp. 379-415). Springer, Cham.
Scolnic, D. M., Jones, D. O., Rest, A., Pan, Y. C., Chornock, R., Foley, R. J., … & Smith, K. W. (2018). The complete light-curve of spectroscopically confirmed SNe from Pan-STARRS1 and cosmological constraints from the combined pantheon sample. The Astrophysical Journal, 859(2), 101.