Inscriptions of the names of over 800 scholars on the façade help to communicate the building's purpose. The building, occupying a wide but shallow site, is located on a hill directly across from the noted Neoclassical Panthéon (1758-90), and the garland band at the top of the first level of the library echoes a similar band on the Panthéon, mirroring and reflecting its surroundings. This monumental two-story building, built out of limestone, employs symmetrical columns and arches to convey a classical effect and these are combined with elements of a Renaissance palazzo. He continued to work on the project for most of his life, designing the rest of the campus to frame the central building, shown here. His use of decorative columns, arched windows, garlands, cartouches, and inscriptions became defining elements of Beaux-Arts architecture. Taking over the project in 1832, Duban pioneered the Beaux-Arts style with his innovative inclusion of decorative motifs within a classical form, based upon the proportionality and rational symmetry of Roman architecture. The two became working colleagues and, then, brothers-in-law when Debret married Duban's sister. The early work on the building (1819-32) was completed by François Debret, Duban's teacher. These details create a sense of variation and hierarchy, while the windows, placed with vertical symmetry, create upward movement. Ionic columns with a Baroque-style capital frame the second floor's arched windows, while the third floor's rectangular windows are framed by square classical columns, and small panels containing cartouches. Copies of noted art works, including the Apollo Belvedere, and the Dying Gaul, are placed between each of the windows, and in the horizontal band between the first and second stories, the names of noted artists, including Michelangelo and Leonardo, are inscribed. The raised first story of rusticated stone features a central arched doorway with arched windows on either side. Although notions of symmetry and the widespread use of columns remained important, these were paired with features such as arched windows and doors, rustication, and raised first stories.įacing an interior courtyard, the École des Beaux-Arts building employs horizontal and vertical symmetry to create a sense of elegant balance. Classical details continued to be prominent within the Beaux Arts canon, but these were used in an increasingly eclectic fashion.Some of the most famous Beaux Arts buildings, such as train stations, also reflect the impact of technology of people's daily lives and these can be seen as a glorification of new machinery and knowledge. Beaux Arts architecture pioneered the use of new materials such as cast iron, pairing it with large areas of glass to create light-filled spaces. Technology and industry were very important to Beaux Arts architects and this reflected wider trends of the period, most notably the Industrial Revolution.Sculptural features were often complemented by additional internal and external elements such as murals and mosaics which also reflected the building's function. This decoration was carefully designed to communicate the purpose and identity of the building through details including the names and faces of famous individuals and relevant mythological references. Beaux Arts buildings tended to feature sculptural decoration and this could take many forms from statuary to relief panels and inscriptions.
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