| Title |
A Study on Architectural Polychromy applied to the 19th century Church Architecture in France |
| Keywords |
Polychromy ; Church architecture ; French architecture ; 19th century ; The Second Empire |
| Abstract |
In the 19th century, a series of study by Hittorff, Semper, Ruskin, and others on architectural polychromy in various perspectives appeared. This presumed that the architectural polychromy could become an essential part of architectural composition and contribute to create new architectural style, if not, at least new architectural and cultural context of the 19th century, the period when it is considered that the stylistic evolution in architecture is absent. In the course of the stylistic development of church architecture of the 19th century in France, the architectural polychromy, grounded in a theory of representation, played a critical role as one of the main sources to create new architectural vision. The church architecture during the Second Empire in France was particularly susceptible to be influenced by this inevitable phenomenon, which signified an epistemological mutation in architectural perception beyond optical and perspective effect in the history of architecture. Here the study attempts to recognize the aesthetic value of the architectural polychromy in the 19th century, and investigate its application, as not just an aspect of architectural embellishment but an indispensable portion of architectural vocabulary, on the church architecture in France throughout the 19th century, then to define its role in creating new architectural environment. |