The influence of Chinese architecture and art on European architecture and design of the period of the eighteenth - early twentieth centuries

Abstract

Over the centuries of its development, Chinese architecture has developed its specific features, which are embodied in buildings of various functional purposes - imperial palaces, temples of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, small architectural forms, landscape gardening art and the like. The architecture and art of China are inherent in strict observance of the rules of Feng Shui, the correspondence of art and architecture to traditional religious beliefs, philosophy, and especially the socio-political structure of the state.

Despite the change of dynasties, traditional architecture remained quite conservative, that is, we can talk about China's inherent continuity of architectural and artistic traditions. The definitive symbols by which ancient Chinese architecture is known in the world are the following: the typical silhouettes of buildings with traditional concave roofs covered with with tiling; the application of polychrome decorated supports, screens; over-saturation with details; the widespread use of complex-shaped carving, the symbolic significance of the mural plots, traditions of which are from prehistoric times, and even polychromy, where each colour had a particular meaning (the main colours were red, gold, blue, green and white).Traditional building materials were stone, wood, and ceramics.

The quintessence of traditional signs of ancient Chinese architecture is the ensemble of the imperial Forbidden City in China, the central buildings of which are the three main ceremonial halls of Tài Hé Diàn (The Hall of Supreme Harmony) (Chinese. 太和 殿); Zhōng Hé Diàn (The Hall of Central Harmony) (Chinese. 中 和 殿) and Bǎo Hé Diàn (the Hall of Preserving Harmony) (Chinese 保 和 殿). In addition to them, the ensemble included palace structures, temples and sanctuaries located in the particular socio-political hierarchy.

Because of its originality, traditional Chinese architecture has had a significant impact on the philosophy, art and architecture of European countries since the 17th century. It was the Chinese architecture and art tradition due to which the style of chinoiserie emerged. Chinoiserie (from French Chinoiserie, lit. Chinese), a type of orientalism that originated under the influence of the East India Trading Company, the manufacture of Delft ceramics and Golan lacquered furniture in Chinese traditions, manifested in the transformation of traditional techniques of medieval Chinese art and architecture in the art and architecture of Europe in the seventeenth century. The chinoiserie style was an imitating of Oriental art and architecture in general, of the exotic of the East in general, not limited to directly Chinese traditions.

Subsequently, Chinese influences felt in later styles of historicism and modernism.

At the same time, European variations cannot be considered the exact embodiment of Chinese architectural, artistic and design traditions, given the arbitrary use of forms and motifs from the Chinese philosophical and religious symbolic foundation, other polychrome and simplified forms and decor.