David Blanton: In-Class

On the last day of class we continued our discussion on architecture in art. Van der Leeuw described art as being more than just "a description of aspects of reality, but an expression" of these aspects. To express something is to more than merely list facts about the object or phenomenon. Architecture is a beautiful example of this. When one enters a king's palace, the grand columns, halls, and surrounding walls immediately evoke feelings of power and security. Contrarily, if someone walked into Henry Thoreau's log cabin he or she would likely feel a sense of serenity and simpleness. Architecture defines place, and evokes feelings from its shape. It has the power to change people's perceptions of its inhabitants by setting a mood and defining conduct.