The Emergence of Neoclassicism in the Quest for Modern Greek Architectural Discourses in the Nineteenth Century Athens

The Emergence of Neoclassicism in the Quest for Modern Greek Architectural Discourses in the Nineteenth Century Athens

Neoclassicism and its phases

Neoclassical emerged as a predominant movement in European architecture and art during the early 19^th and late 18^thcenturies (Mackridge, 2008). This particular movement depicted the desire to revitalize the different types of classical art from antiquity to modernity from ancient Rome and Greece basing on the principles of reason and order that were meant to keep with the age of enlightenment in Europe. Balafoutis and Zerefos (2015) claim that the sudden growth of the interest in the classical culture that started in the 18^th century was not only demonstrated in the architecture and arts but also in philosophy, archaeology, literature, theatre, music, and history. Despite Neoclassicism being premised on the attempts to replicate classical architecture and art, Mackridge, (2008), claims that it is vital to consider the fact that neoclassical artists and architects were obtained their inspiration through civilizations of both Rome and Greece and therefore their reproductions were not actually truthful.

The eighteenth century was considered as the age of Neoclassicism, although it was not the first period in the history that the Europeans became interested in classical antiquity. The inspiration behind Neoclassicism was drawn from the renaissance and not merely the revival of classics with the distinctive feature of using classical orders, which included different forms of columns to support the structure. Traditionally, the three orders, including Corinthian, Doric, and ionic, were exhibited particularly in Greek architecture.

Development of neoclassical architecture

According to Carr (2002), the development of neoclassical architecture is thought to have occurred in two phases. The first phase was named the Palladian period was inspired by Palladio’s design and took place between 1700-1750. The most famous example of this style is London’s Chiswick House. This phase was spearheaded by architects from the British, including Colen Campbell, Jones, and Inigo. The second phase of Neoclassicism, ‘high neocolonialism,’ was different from Palladianism in that rather than adopting the Roman style, it used features obtained from Greek style. Numerous structures were designed in the 18^th century under neoclassical architecture, notably the city of St Petersburg under Catherine the Great. Also, the Hermitage Museum located at River Neva’s banks constitutes all classic elements of neoclassical architecture, including minimal use of straight lines and ornamentation and ionic order.

This study gravitates more towards the second phase of Neoclassicism, focusing mainly on Ernst Ziller’s work in Athens. The neoclassical architecture in Greece was significantly impacted by the distinguished work of Ernst Ziller, the German architect between 1837 and 1923 (Tsoumas, 2013). According to Balafoutis and Zerefos (2015), his work was comprised of a very vital issue within the modern Greek architecture history, and this brilliant march commenced while he was working in the Vienna office of the Theophile Hansen alongside his studies.

Neoclassicism in Athens

According to Roubien (2014), Athens is among the most historic cities across the world. A significant number of architectural creations present in Athens impacted the history of architecture and thus prompting a need to explore the way in which these developments impacted the architectural identity of the historic center of Athens. According to Mpirēs et al. (2004), exploration of the most representative and monumental structures of each different era offers an opportunity to establish the architectural elements that dictate the evolution of the character. The neoclassical architecture in Athens is associated with a shift in the architectural character and has been tremendously impacted by both history and architecture via centuries. Besides, economic, social, and political aspects impacted the designs differ in the second phase of Neoclassicism.

Late phase neoclassicism and national identity

According to Colonas (2015), the concepts of the nation and national identity are quite different in Greece during the tomes of the Greek revolution compared to those portrayed within ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was organized around smaller city-states where territories and borders lacked a specific definition. Consequently, ancient Greeks had to identify themselves depending on the town and city they lived in instead of using the Greek national identity that is well understood universally (Putnam, 1890). However, their Neoclassicism acknowledged the fact that people residing in these regions shared cultural similarities, including common traditions, language, and religion. According to Balafoutis and Zerefos (2015), the late phases of Neoclassicism in Greece lacked the aspect of nationalism, and therefore, the concepts of national identity and nation-state merged from Europe forming the recent constructions. Europe in the 19^th century exhibited a period of intense nationalism that fostered the creation of nation-states.

Haagsma, (2003), argues the national of Greece was imported before the creation of the modern state of Greece. The idea of national identity, according to Vassiadis (2010), was absent in the early Ottoman Greek period and Byzantine. The neoclassical architecture that was introduced in 1862 by the Bavarian court became the dominant architectural design in the m19th century (Haagsma, 2003). These styles offered a common vocabulary for defining the new nation. In addition, the widespread of the European architectural styles of neoclassical architecture developed a concrete visual relationship between Athens and many other cities that the new capital emulated (Colonas, 2015). However, the neoclassical architecture later became a national style in the 19^th century Greece and thus becoming a celebration of the rebirth of the ancient Greek architecture in the region.

The idea of nationalism became evident in the neoclassical architecture after the mid-18th century. According to Mazower (2008), there were several neoclassicisms that spawned through the reverence for Roman, Greek, or renaissance models. Similarly, Schwarzer, (2016), argues that the classicist demands during this period demanded harmony, congruence, and proportion of parts which were employed to the new technology to ensure order in the many styles. Besides, Roubien, (2014), asserts that both planning and architecture were crucial for the development of the new national identity in Greek after the Turkish occupation for 400 years. Contrary to this, Putnam (1890)., questions the extent to which the modern architecture in Greek was capable of creating a visible new identity to the people via ‘meaning,’ ‘public debate,’ and ‘form.’ The aspect of architectural determinism worked not only within the behavioral terms but also in impacting the national identity and culture. Neoclassicism, therefore, had a weak role in shaping the national identity in Athens because it was based on the ideas of foreign countries, including Germany. Instead, Balafoutis and Zerefos, (2015), associate nationalism in Greece to political, historical, and economic conditions that existed in Greece during this time and thus shaping the national identity. The conflicts that faced Greek government int he development of new national identity is demonstrated in different plans of Athens as well as in the image of several imposing public buildings that were designed and initiated by architects from foreign countries driven by neoclassical ideals and t a little extent by the vernacular architecture (Putnam, 1890).

Bastéa, (2017), argues that planning of Athens is well understood from the international context and its image in Greece as well as among the Greeks that stayed abroad. The public buildings in Athens, including the Royal Palace, Academy National Library, the University, National Museum, and National Gallery, became the epicenter for the national identity which to a greater extent illuminated light to the spiritual center and thus influencing some citizens in the diaspora to return to Greece. Similarly, Bastéa (2000) asserts that the building provided the visual connection between new classical structures in different European capitals and the Ancient Greek structures. Both the public and government participation took part in shaping the concept of nation and national identity in the liberated part of Greece, including Peloponnese where individuals from Maytvas in 1829 who urged the reconstruction of the city of Sparta using simple designs of Ancient Sparta. It is therefore clearly revealed that the concept of nationalism was missing in the late phase of Neoclassicism because the sense of national identity exhibited in modern Athens was based on the foreign idea and influenced to a greater extent by neoclassical architecture.

The Work of Ernest Ziller

According to Tsoumas (2013), the architectural works of Ernst Ziller between 1837 and 1923 were instrumental in the history of Modern Greek Architecture. Ziller was involved with a specific emphasis on the design of both the internal and external decoration of his designs, which is evident in the present number of decorative projects that show intention having overall responsibility for his final form of the designs. According to Carr, (2002), Ziller embraced the architecture of Parthenon and thus becoming the first architect to note down the polychrome in the statues as well as in the architectural members of Thissio. The Erechteion, and the temple of Aphaia in Aegina. Also, Balafoutis and Zerefos (2015) assert that Ziller was involved in the extensive research of the Byzantine architecture, which spurred his decorative elements, especially for the dwellings that he constructed. Additionally, Roubien, (2014), asserts that his classicist sense employed to most private and public edifices sealed the last phase of Neoclassicism as well as the preservation of Byzantine tradition in the ecclesiastical architecture. Also, Tsoumas, (2013), argues that Ziller formalized the relationship between antiquity and renaissance as well as with the newer architecture from Northern European with specific eclectic tendencies similar to the Theophile Hansen’s work.

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