Osmosis and Diffusion Lab Report free essay sample

From the ancient city of Rome to the elaborate stained glass windows in France, two famous architectural works of art display the differences between architectural structures in the different time periods of history. By comparing and contrasting the Colosseum with the Chartres Cathedral we can gain an understanding of how architecture has not only improved throughout time, but also where certain architectural concepts started. Although the two structures were built over 1,100 years apart they still share similar architectural characteristics and explanations for why these similarities and differences exist. The construction of the Colosseum began in 72 CE and finished in 80 CE, in Rome, Italy. Sharing similar iconography with Chartres Cathedral, built between 1194-1250 CE in France, both the Colosseum and Cathedral practice the use of groin vaults. The Colosseum consists of 80 barrel vaults along each level of the structure and when they intersect and the barrel ring they create groin vaults which are also used in the Cathedral. Although both structures use groin vaults, Chartres Cathedral differs from the Colosseum by using a different type of groin vault, which is referred to as a rib vault. A rib vault uses extra masonry, known as ribs, that are used to reinforce the groins of the cathedral but can also be purely decorative. 1 In addition to the differing vaults, the Colosseum also lacks any type of glass, or stained glass in its design, unlike Chartres Cathedral that contains 135 different stained glass windows that are used to tell narratives. The Colosseums barrel vaults also lack a tympanum at the top of the arches unlike the Cathedral which has tympanums along the tops of the arches on the west facade or Royal Portal. Engaged columns are used to support the friezes between the levels of the Colosseum 1 Michael W. Cothern and Marilyn Stokstad, Art: A Brief History, 4th ed. , (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2010), 661. 2 and also support the entire structure in order to create multiple levels. Chartres Cathedral also uses columns, but these are more for decoration than support. Columns used in the cathedral are more decorative due to the jamb statues along the exterior of the column and flying buttresses are added for support. In addition to jamb statues adding decoration to the cathedral, pinnacles and finials are placed along the structure to add more decoration to the exterior of the cathedral. The colosseum lacks both flying buttresses for support and pinnacles for decoration. The functions of the Colosseum and Chartres Cathedral are alike because they were both used to hold large crowds of people and often times could act as a plaza. In addition to their likeness in crowd gathering, both the structures tower over their cities and can be seen for miles within their cities. Although both supported large crowds of people, the reasons the people were gathering differed. The Colosseums primary function was built for the purpose of athletic games consisting of gladiators and wild animals. These matches lasted 100 days and an average of 9,000 wild animals died as well as 2,000 gladiators within this time frame. People gathered for pure enjoyment as opposed to the cathedral which was a place built for religious purposes consisting of chapels and religious artwork among the building. The cathedral could at times could also be used as a marketplace. In terms of their formal content, both the Colosseum and Chartes contain three different levels. In most gothic churches, three-story elevation occurs with a triforium between the nave arcade and a clerestory. The Colosseum’s three levels use a different architectural order and the decoration becomes more elaborate with each level, because the less weight that needs to be supported the more decorative the architect can be. The ground level of the Colosseum uses an 2 Cothern and Stokstad, Art: A Brief History, 278. 3 architectural order similar to the Greek doric order known as the Tuscan order, which is surrounded by co lumns. The second level is done in the ionic order and the third level is in the Corinthian order. The fourth level consists of flat Corinthian pilasters which are used for decoration only and have contain no support for another level. Although the different levels are not created in the same architectural order, they are however similar with their emphasis on the number three. Both the Colosseum and Chartres Cathedral also contain facades but the Colosseum does not refer to its facade as a west facade and doesn’t differ from the other sides of the structure extremely. The cathdedral, however, contains a west facade that is much more elaborate than the rest of the already elaborate building. It contains arches with tympanums, jamb statues along the columns, lancets, a huge stained glass window, gables, and is considered the front side of the cathedral with tall pinnacles and finials to bring more attention to the facade. The most obvious difference in the formal content between the Colosseum and Chartres Cathedral is the shape of the building. The Colosseum is in the shape of a rotunda which differs from the cathedrals rectangular crossing shape. The Colosseum and the cathedral both use the same techniques in their portal openings, but differ in the amount of decoration used for each and the number of portals on each side of the structure. The portal openings on the Colosseum heavily outweight the cathedrals in number, but they are less elaborately decorated than the Colosseum. In terms of the the materials, the Colosseum’s basement is made of concrete and encased in a deep trench. The upper part of the arena is made of brick-faced concrete to help with the draining of water since the arena is open. Chartres Cathedral is made of materials like stone, wood, stained glass, etc and is closed on top. 4 Both the Colosseum and the cathedral work with the human figure in terms of statues but the Colosseum’s figures are freestanding statues in the fornices unlike the jamb statues that are attached to the columns of the west royal portal on Chartres Cathedral. Previously stated that the Colosseum lacks stained glass windows, it also lacks the narratives that go along with the ones in Chartres Cathedral. Each panel of the stained glass windows tell a different narrative of the bible, involving hundreds of two-dimensional figures. These figures portray the tales of the saints and bibilical figures whereas the Colosseum’s figures portray gods and heroes of the Roman culture. Aside from the similarities and the differences seen with the naked eye in the architectural work itself, there are also similarities and differences in the cultural ideals and values that help explain why these similarities and differences exist. Both the roman era and the gothic era place an importance on the historical figures within their different cultures. Each have placed an emphasis on important figures throughout their history by portraying their accomplishments or persona through sculpture or stained glass. Although the Colosseum’s figures which are based on warriors, athletes, and gods, differ from Chartres Cathedral which is based on bibilical characters and God, both cultures do place importance on some type of God or gods. This decision on what is more important in the culture reveals the religious and philosophical beliefs of the two cultures. By choosing to portray roman atheletes and warriors in the same manner and frequency as the roman gods this shows that the roman culture’s religious beliefs are just as important to them as their belief in their people as well. To the christians who built the cathedral, warriors and atheletes are not mentioned and the emphasis is on Christ and 5 the saints that he is surrounded by showing that their culture believes that God and the saints are above all people. Social and political factors play a key role in the development of the Colosseum because the Romans were huge sports fans leading to the building of the arena. This extreme interest in the kind of sporting events held in the Colosseum, are a direct result of the culture’s crusading and fighitng spirit. The people who helped built the Chartres Cathedral were christian people who were proud of it and voluntarily gathered materials and banned together to help rebuild the city and cathedral after the fire, showing that socially the culture banned together under God. 3 Economic and Technological Conditions that explain the imilarities and differences in the structures are directly related to the amount of time between the building of the works. The need for a trench system to eliminate water from the Colosseum was due to the open arena and the lack of technology that was used in Chartres Cathedral where the shape of the crossings and transepts allowed the water to slide down the st ructure as opposed to pool up in the bottom of it. The additon of the flying buttresses also gave the cathedral more support and allowed for the build up of the structure whereas the Colosseum did not have flying buttresses and could only go up so high.