The most famous architects

Behind every building is an architect. This is not often remembered even when visiting the famous for its beauty or originality of buildings. Meanwhile, well-known architects influence the development of culture no less than writers and artists. They absorb ideas that are in the air and give them a material form. Buildings reflecting the essence of the era, its mood and the dominant philosophy, become masterpieces. About people who give their world, and will be discussed below.

The inspirer of geniuses

The most famous architects of the past have immortalized their names, creating magnificent buildings, famous for their beauty and many centuries later. One of them is Giotto di Bondone. The Italian painter and architect was born in 1267. He became an innovator in the fine arts, laid the foundation of the Italian school of painting. Frescoes and icons of Giotto were admired by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Sometimes he is credited with the authorship of the Capella del Arena in Padua, but not all researchers agree with this. Undoubtedly, Giotto created frescoes decorating the cathedral. The main architectural creation of the master is the bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence. Giotto did not live to complete the construction - in 1337, when he died, erected only the first tier of the structure.

Great thinker

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) often tops the list of "Famous Architects of the World". The famous Italian was a sculptor, thinker, artist and poet. Among its architectural creations appear the Medici Chapel, the Laurentian Library, the facade of the Church of Saint Lorenzo. According to his project, the Roman Palace of Senators and the Palace of Conservatives were built. In the design of these buildings, Michelangelo used a colossal warrant, with his light hand, then entered into fashion. The architect worked on the plan of the famous St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Today Michelangelo rightly calls one of the greatest masters in the history of mankind.

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini

Famous Italian architects do not end there. The successor to Michelangelo is Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). He was not only an architect, but also a sculptor and artist. Bernini was distinguished by the ability to combine all three types of art, creating a single visual space. Together with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, he laid the foundations of baroque architecture.

One of the main creations of Bernini is the St. Peter's Square project. The colonnade in front of the famous cathedral is also the brainchild of an architect. He worked on secular and religious buildings. When creating the latter, Bernini often used hidden light sources to enhance the impression produced by the service. He is the author of many Roman fountains, without which today it is difficult to imagine the Eternal City.

Palladian from the dynasty of Adam

We will now transfer to Scotland a sample of the 18th century. Here in 1728 Robert Adam was born, one of the most significant representatives of British classicism. He belonged to the Palladian dynasty, the followers of the early classicism in architecture. The mandatory features of the style were strict symmetry and the use of the canons that developed during the period of Antiquity.

The creations of Adam have a special recognizable handwriting. They are characterized by lightness and elegance, the frequent appearance of elements of Gothic Revivalism. The architect initiated the so-called Adam style. He was able to combine the basic elements of classicism with such ease, as if for a long time he lived among ancient creations and knew how his creators think.

Until now, only a few of the architectural masterpieces of Adam have been preserved in their original form. Among them is the private house of Kedleston Hall near the city of Derby. In recent years, the architect worked mostly in Edinburgh. According to his project, the university building was erected in this city.

Famous architects of Russia

And in our country around the same time created Vasily Bazhenov. Theoretician of architecture, teacher and artist, he preferred the classicism and laid the foundations of Russian pseudo-Gothic. Bazhenov created several impressive buildings in Moscow and St. Petersburg. One of the most famous buildings in the modern capital - the Pashkov House - is built according to its design. Bazhenov's creations have hardly reached the present day.

And the first architect of St. Petersburg was Domenico Trezzini. He breathed a fresh stream into Russian architecture, bringing with him European traditions. Trezzini is the author of a large number of structures that create the appearance of the usual Petersburg. These include the Summer Palace of Peter the Great, Peter and Paul Cathedral, the building of the Twelve Colleges, where today the university is located.

In St. Petersburg in different years worked and famous Russian architects Nikolai Alexandrovich Lvov, Alexander Glebovich Uspensky, Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov and others. The last one named was a student of Trezzini. Zemtsov became the first Russian architect of the City on the Neva River. Among his works in the early Baroque style is the Church of Simeon and Anna, the Cascade "Golden Mountain" in the Lower Park of Peterhof, the Anichkov Palace project and the Transfiguration Cathedral, completely rebuilt after the fire.

Soviet architects

Quite a few prominent architects worked and the USSR. Instead of rationalists led by Nikolai Ladovsky, who sought to achieve objectivity in shaping and composition, came constructivists who considered functionality more important than aesthetics. Bright representatives of the latter were the brothers Vesiny. A significant trace in the guise of Moscow was left by Mikhail Vasilyevich Posokhin, who was the chief architect of the capital from the 60s to the beginning of the 80s. Thanks to him, the Palace of Congresses, the CMEA building, the Olympic sports complex and so on appeared in the city.

Pioneers of style

The houses of famous architects of our time differ from the creations of the past by eclecticism. If the style of the back meters of the Renaissance or Modern Times is fairly simple, today's structures often combine elements of different directions. However, eclecticism was not born in an empty place: it absorbed the features of styles, most of which were formed in the last century.

One of the most popular directions in architecture today is high-tech. The pioneer of the style is most often called Norman Foster (born 1935) and his "Bureau of the Four." He designed the airport in Hong Kong, the Millennium Bridge and the Mary-Ex skyscraper in London. During the construction of the latter, the so-called reticulated shell, developed by the Russian architect Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov (1853-1939), was used, which Foster, by his own admission, considers his idol. Shukhov created the first oil pipelines and refineries in our country. The steel mesh shells used for the construction of buildings later became one of the favorite elements of hi-tech representatives. Foster's office designed buildings in Russia: the reconstruction of the island of New Holland, now under construction by the Moscow-City MIBC.

In accordance with nature

In contrast to high-tech, glorifying the greatness of technological progress, the bio-tech style suggests creating buildings that do not argue with nature, but continue it. Many famous contemporary architects pay tribute to this idea. The founder of the style is Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926). Most of the creations of the famous Spanish architect is in Barcelona. His works - the Palace of Güell, the House of Mila, the Casa Batlló - can not be confused with anything. They seem to live, move. The source of inspiration for the master was nature. Hence the special fluidity of buildings, the lack of straight lines, unusual shapes and images. According to his design, the Temple of the Holy Family still resembles a sand castle.

The quest for unity with nature is a trait that characterizes the designs of famous architects who are considered followers of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). He is considered one of the most influential figures in foreign architecture. Wright created the concept of "organic architecture." The central concepts of the theory were integrity and oneness with nature. The buildings created by Wright are a continuation of the natural environment, they are characterized by open plans, the use of natural materials, constructive features borrowed from the ancient Japanese temples.

Modernism and Functionalism

Le Corbusier (1887-1965) is also an equally important figure. The creations and works of the French architect gave the world the architecture of modernism and functionalism. The buildings erected by Le Corbusier are not difficult to find out. They are distinguished by three-dimensional blocks raised above the ground, flat roof-terraces, viewed facades, so-called free forms. All these features quickly became an integral part of modern architecture.

Of course, not all the well-known architects are listed above. The narration can be continued very long, and the list is constantly updated. Well-known architects of the time in which we live, often open to us the works of masters of past years, undeservedly forgotten.