Architecture as an Art Form

Architecture is a highly complex beautiful work of art. The essence of art is expressing oneself and sparking a conversation with the viewer. For instance, I love walking around the city, and coming across a building that forces me to question “How does that building stand up and not tip over?” Architectural forms genuinely are meant to benefit society and not hinder it. Some people have a romantic fiction of the term art defining it, as “art is just art”. However, I believe that all art has a function; at the very least, it has a purpose to convey a unique message.

Calatrava’s Oculus at the World Trade Center

When Jorge Mastropietro designs, he is always thinking about how each person is going to be living in that space, and how will he create a structure that responds to the needs of its users. Architects have a certain responsibility to construct buildings that are functional and have a meaningful place for people to dwell.  Architecture is truly an art form; imagine visiting two different houses, one house built from a generic blueprint that satisfies the fundamental requirements of a house. Moreover, this house would just be to provide shelter. Then, compare it to a house like Jorge’s XS House, a house designed with purpose and pleases the senses. For instance, Jorge designed a unique water feature in the XS House that is both a pleasing sound and sight.  It gives the home a kinetic, natural energy.  This type of architecture will always be far more engaging as a habitat for the owner and to the passer-by who views it. The XS House, like all of Jorge’s projects, is a great representation of good architecture that also fulfills the artistic desire.

XS House designed by JMA

Architects have an ultimate mission of conveying emotion through space and form, by the means of a combination of various parameters such as light, materials, proportions, etc. The XS House is beautiful construction made with high quality materials. The house is based off the relationship with the inside and outside space. The interior is the refuge of the house. The outside is what binds us to nature and to society. The inside plays with the lights and shadows, with walls that are variously open and closed, ranging from transparent to solid. The result of this project is a beautiful and simplistic modern style home.

Architecture is the recurrent form of art in our lives; life simply would not be the same without it. For instance, architecture without art is merely construction and this alone does not afford any value to the soul.  Jorge believes that architecture satisfies the poetic needs of human beings. Architecture is a unique type of art.  It takes creativity and vision for architects to design buildings just as it does to write a novel, sculpt, or how a painter would paint on a canvas.