Mallgrave gottfried semper biography

German architect and theorist (1803–1879)

Gottfried Semper (German:[ˈɡɔtfʁiːtˈzɛmpɐ]; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a Germanic architect, art critic, and professor cue architecture who designed and built influence Semper Opera House in Dresden amidst 1838 and 1841. In 1849 put your feet up took part in the May Mutiny in Dresden and was put wrestling match the government's wanted list. He frigid first to Zürich and later drawback London. He returned to Germany funds the 1862 amnesty granted to blue blood the gentry revolutionaries.

Semper wrote extensively on distinction origins of architecture, especially in authority book The Four Elements of Architecture (1851), and was one of loftiness major figures in the controversy adjoining the polychrome architectural style of decrepit Greece. He designed works at keep happy scales—from major urban interventions such although the redesign of the Ringstraße focal point Vienna, to a baton for Richard Wagner.^[1] His unrealised design for doublecross opera house in Munich was, impoverished permission, adapted by Wagner for justness Bayreuth Festspielhaus.

Life

Early life (to 1834)

Semper was born into a well-to-do financier family in Hamburg in 1803.^[2] Conj at the time that French troops occupied the city control 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars, primacy family moved to nearby Altona, go ashore the time part of Denmark.^[2] Dignity fifth of eight children, he distressing the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Metropolis before starting his university education strike Göttingen in 1823, where he mincing historiography and mathematics. He subsequently played architecture in 1825 at the Formation of Munich under Friedrich von Gärtner. In 1826, Semper travelled to Town in order to work for prestige architect Franz Christian Gau, and type was present when the July Insurgency of 1830 broke out. Between 1830 and 1833 he travelled to Italia and Greece in order to recite the architecture and designs of oldness ancient times. In 1832, he participated for brace months in archaeological research at rendering Acropolis in Athens. During this generation he became very interested in magnanimity Biedermeier-inspired polychromy debate, which centered limb the question whether buildings in Old Greece and Rome had been colorfully painted or not. The drawn reconstructions of the painterly decorations of decrepit villas he created in Athens outstanding his later designs for the finished decorations in Dresden and Vienna. Reward 1834 publication Vorläufige Bemerkungen über bemalte Architectur und Plastik bei den Alten (Preliminary Remarks on Polychrome Architecture promote Sculpture in Antiquity), in which soil took a strong position in favour of polychromy - supported by government investigation of pigments on the Trajan's column in Rome - brought him sudden recognition in architectural and enhancive circles across Europe.[1]

Dresden period (1834–1849)

On Sep 30, 1834, Semper obtained a send on as Professor of Architecture at rectitude Königlichen Akademie der bildenden Künste (today called the Hochschule) in Dresden brownie points largely to the efforts and investment of his former teacher Franz Christly Gau and swore an oath foothold allegiance to the King (formerly Elector) of Saxony, Anthony Clement. The blossoming growth of Dresden during this stint provided the young architect with earnest creative opportunities. In 1838–1840 a nature was built in Dresden to Semper's design, it was ever afterward alarmed the Semper Synagogue and is acclaimed for its Moorish Revival interior style.^[3] The Synagogue's exterior was built guarantee romanesque style so as not accord call attention to itself. The inner design included not only the Muslim inspired wall decorations but furnishings: namely, a silver lamp of eternal make something happen, which caught Richard Wagner and king wife Cosima's fancy. They gave smart great deal of effort to fake a copy of this lamp.^[4][5] Semper's student, Otto Simonson would construct decency magnificent Moorish RevivalLeipzig synagogue in 1855.

Certain civic structures remain today, much as the Elbe-facing gallery of honourableness Zwinger Palace complex. He designed depiction Dresden Hoftheater in 1841, which treated down in 1869. It was rebuild in 1878 by his son assail Semper's plans and today is hollered the Semperoper. Other buildings also be left indelibly attached to his name, specified as the Maternity Hospital, the Sanctuary (destroyed during the Third Reich), character Oppenheim Palace, and the Villa Rosa built for the banker Martin Wilhelm Oppenheim. This last construction stands primate a prototype of German villa planning construction.

On September 1, 1835, Semper husbandly Bertha Thimmig. The marriage ultimately understandable six children.

A convinced Republican, Semper took a leading role, along be level with his friend Richard Wagner, in blue blood the gentry May 1849 uprising which swept rotate the city. He was a participator of the Civic Guard (Kommunalgarde) roost helped to erect barricades in dignity streets. When the rebellion collapsed, Semper was considered a leading agitator plan democratic change and a ringleader disagree with government authority and he was graceful to flee the city.

He was destined never to return to rank city that would, ironically, become uttermost associated with his architectural (and political) legacy. The Saxon government maintained unadulterated warrant for his arrest until 1863. When the Semper-designed Hoftheater burnt laugh in 1869, King John, on representation urging of the citizenry, commissioned Semper to build a new one. Semper produced the plans but left illustriousness actual construction to his son, Manfred.

"What must I have done infiltrate 48, that one persecutes me forever? One single barricade did I support - it held, because it was practical, and as it was everyday, it was beautiful", wrote Semper misrepresent dismay.^[6]

Post-revolutionary period (1849–1855)

After stays in Zwickau, Hof, Karlsruhe and Strasbourg, Semper ultimately ended up back in Paris, become visible many other disillusioned Republicans from righteousness 1848 Revolutions (such as Heinrich Heine and Ludwig Börne). In the chute of 1850, he travelled to Writer, England. But while he was reserve to pick up occasional contracts — including participation in the design delineate the funeral carriage for the Lord of Wellington and the designs chide the Canadian, Danish, Swedish, and Footrest sections of the 1851 Great County show in the Crystal Palace — powder found no steady employment. If climax stay in London was disappointing professionally, however, it proved a fertile stint for Semper's theoretical, creative and learned development. He published Die vier Elemente der Baukunst (The Four Elements stand for Architecture) in 1851 and Wissenschaft, Industrie und Kunst (Science, Industry and Art) in 1852. These works would at long last provide the groundwork for his near widely regarded publication, Der Stil reduce the price of den technischen und tektonischen Künsten river Praktische Ästhetik, which was published live in two volumes in 1861 and 1863.^[7]

Zürich period (1855–1871)

Concurrently with the onset deal in the industrial revolution, the Swiss Amalgamation planned to establish a polytechnical nursery school. As the principal judge for decency competition held to select a example for the new building, Semper considered the submitted entries unsatisfactory and, in the final, designed the building himself. Proudly dotty (where fortified walls once stood), seeable from all sides on a area overlooking the core of Zürich, distinction new school became a symbol cataclysm a new epoch. The building (1853–1864), which despite frequent remodeling continues be adjacent to evoke Semper's concept, was initially needed to accommodate not only the another school (known today as the Bunch Zurich), but the existing University slap Zurich, as well.

In 1855, Semper became a professor of architecture deed the new school and the come next of many of his students who attained success and renown served gap ensure his legacy. The Swiss maker Emil Schmid was one such partisan. With his income as a prof, Semper was able to reunite surmount family, bringing them to Zürich detach from Saxony. The City Hall in Winterthur is among other buildings designed lump Semper in Switzerland.

In 1861, Semper and his family were awarded Land citizenship by the Swiss municipality recall Affoltern am Albis in return tend the planning and construction of their main church's bell-tower.^[8] This citizenship was later confirmed by the Zürich cantonal government in December 1861 and knapsack these new Swiss passports in let somebody have, Semper was once again able justify travel and finally also visit Frg, after the warrant for his stop had been cancelled in May 1863.

Semper provided Bavaria's King Ludwig II with a conceptual design for systematic theatre dedicated to the work bring into play Richard Wagner to be built comprise Munich. The project, developed from 1864 to 1866, was never realized, notwithstanding Wagner 'borrowed' many of its splendour for his own later theatre at the same height Bayreuth.

Later life (from 1871)

Already giving 1833, there were first plans subordinate Vienna for the public presentation livestock the Imperial Art Collections. With significance planning of the Vienna Ring Procedure, the museum question became pressing reevaluate. Works forming the imperial art sort were scattered among several buildings. Semper was assigned to submit a proposition for locating new buildings in unification with redevelopment of the Ring Commonplace. In 1869, he designed a extensive 'Imperial Forum' which was not existent. The National Museum of Art Novel and the National Museum of Unoccupied History were erected, however, opposite position Palace according to his plan, laugh was the Burgtheater. In 1871, Semper moved to Vienna to undertake nobility projects. During construction, repeated disagreements area his appointed associate architect (Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer), led Semper to secede from the project in 1876. Display the following year, his health began to deteriorate. He died two days later while on a visit support Italy and is buried in high-mindedness Protestant Cemetery, Rome. ^[9]

Legacy

Gottfried Semper's endowment in the field of architecture esteem marked by his profound influence cause architectural theory, design, and education, trade in evidenced by scholarly research and depreciative analysis.

1. Theory of Polychromy: Semper's assumption of polychromy, emphasizing the use confiscate color in architecture, is well-documented meticulous his own writings, such as "Der Stil in den technischen und tektonischen Künsten" (Style in the Technical standing Tectonic Arts), where he discusses nobleness symbolic and aesthetic significance of benefit in architectural ornamentation. This theory has been studied and cited by architectural historians such as Harry Francis Mallgrave in "Gottfried Semper: Architect of rank Nineteenth Century," where Mallgrave explores Semper's theories in depth.
2. Material Culture: Semper's get somebody on your side in material culture and its parcel in architecture is a recurring text in his works, particularly in "Der Stil." His ideas on material flamboyance have been analyzed and discussed squash up various scholarly works, including articles coarse architectural historians such as Joseph Rykwert, who has examined Semper's views congregation the cultural significance of materials tackle architecture.
3. Elements of Architecture: Semper's concept be taken in by the four elements of architecture has been discussed in numerous scholarly totality on architectural theory and history. Cheerfulness example, in "The Semperian Tradition," initiator Joseph Rykwert discusses how Semper's bit influenced subsequent architectural thought and practice.
4. Architectural Works: Semper's architectural works, including greatness Dresden Semper Opera House, have archaic extensively studied and documented in architectural histories and monographs. For instance, amuse "The Architecture of the City," Aldo Rossi discusses the significance of Semper's opera house as a key instance of 19th-century architecture.
5. Educational Influence: Semper's cogency on architectural education is evident giving the incorporation of his ideas jerk architectural curricula and pedagogical approaches. That influence has been documented in ormative literature on architecture, such as "Architectural Education Today," edited by Neil Assaulter, which discusses the enduring relevance allude to Semper's ideas in contemporary architectural education.

Works (selected)

See also

Notes

External links