A History of Western Architecture: Greece and Rome - Part I
With Francis Morrone
On May 13, 2020, the ICAA hosted the first in a series of two livestream courses with architectural historian Francis Morrone, with the goal to explore the basic history of Greek and Roman architecture, the development of the classical language of architecture, how the Romans transformed the Greek orders, and what it all meant for Western civilization going forward. Mr. Morrone discussed the development of the orders, temple architecture, the role of sculpture, the development of arch and vault construction, the triumphal arch, and more, with emphasis upon great monuments such as the Parthenon.
In this video, Mr. Morrone focuses on the architecture of ancient Greece. Part II, focusing on the architecture of ancient Rome is available here.
What You Will Learn
- The roots of Western architecture in ancient Greece and Rome
- The major monuments and significant lesser works of ancient Greek and Roman architecture
- An understanding of the orders of classical architecture and the ways in which they have been creatively adapted
- The terminology of classical architecture, through examples drawn from ancient Greek and Roman architecture
- The legacy of ancient Greek and Roman architecture throughout the course of Western architecture--and not least in New York City
About the Instructor
Francis Morrone is an architectural historian and a writer and the author of twelve books, including “Guide to New York City Urban Landscapes,” published by W.W. Norton in 2013) and, with Henry Hope Reed, “The New York Public Library: The Architecture and Decoration of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building,” from W.W. Norton, 2011, as well as architectural guidebooks to Philadelphia and to Brooklyn. His “History of the East Village and Its Architecture” was published by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, through a grant from the Preservation League of New York State, in 2018. He is the recipient of the Arthur Ross Award of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, the Landmarks Lion Award of the Historic Districts Council, and New York University’s Excellence in Teaching Award. He was named by Travel and Leisure magazine as one of the thirteen best tour guides in the world. He was for six and a half years an art and architecture critic for the New York Sun, and his writings appear in such publications as the New Criterion, City Journal, the Wall Street Journal, Humanities, and the Hopkins Review. His research interests include nineteenth-century architecture, the history and theory of classical architecture, public sculpture, and Edith Wharton, and he was scheduled to deliver the keynote lecture at the Edith Wharton Society Conference in June 2020.