The Architecture of Prague: A Subjective Survey URBN 4800/5800 Prague Summer Seminars 2014 Instructor: Carol L. Sherwood Email: sherwood@swcp.com Prague Mobile: 420 776 109 284 Course Description This course explores the architecture of Prague from the 10th century to today. The emphasis is on the subjective experience of place in understanding the architecture of Prague. Using the city of Prague as our primary classroom this class will investigate the various examples of historical styles present in the city. We will analyze how such elements as the qualities of the materials, the play of light and shadow, proportion and scale, the choice of structural systems and the attention to context, all work together to inform our experience of the architectural environment. These elements, the ideas behind them, and how they have been approached historically will be presented and examined through walking tours, slide lectures, class discussions, readings and individual projects. There will be lectures in the classroom followed by excursions and walking tours. All lectures are mandatory as they set the stage for the tours and excursions. Sketch projects will be assigned for some excursions. Student Learning Objectives At the end of this course students will have learned the basics of the various architectural styles through first-hand exploration. An overview of the tectonic developments and introduction to the ideas of each era should provide students with an understanding of the history of the architectural styles from Romanesque through Contemporary. Through the subjective approach students should develop a personal grasp and comprehension of the historical settings they will experience in Prague. Student Assignments This course requires each student to choose a site of architectural significance and complete a formal and subjective analysis in a mid-term presentation and in a final audio/visual presentation. Students will also work in small groups to research and present various architectural styles to the class at the mid-term and final presentations. Students are asked to keep a journal, including lecture notes, sketch assignments and notations of their impressions of the various architectural styles we will examine. These journals will be reviewed the second and final week of the program. Final grades will be determined as follows:
Mid-term: Part 1 of Project - 20% Group Presentations - 20% Final: Part 2 of Project - 30% Group Presentations - 20% Class Participation and Journal - 10% Class Participation Class participation implies active involvement in the class. 10% of the final grade will be based on attendance, completion of readings and participation in discussions. Grading Standard All projects are graded for 100 points. Grading standard: A 90-100; B 80-89; C 70-79; D 60-69; F 0-59. Required texts: Italo Calvino Invisible Cities Steen Eller Rassmussen Experiencing Architecture Small hard-cover journal (A5, 5x7, 6x8) Collection of articles to be provided in class. Note on texts. Experiencing Architecture, by Steen Eiler Rasmussen, tells how to look at the built environment, Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino, tells ways to think about what you have experienced. Honors and URBN 4800: Students can be enrolled in this course for Honors credit or for URBN 4800. In addition to completing the basic course requirements, Honors students and those enrolled in URBN 4800 will be required to complete an additional formal and subjective analysis of a second site along with a comparison of the two sites Honors students and those enrolled in URBN 4800 will meet with the instructor at the beginning of the session and during the course as necessary to insure the direction and quality of analysis. Graduate Students may receive Graduate credit for this course (URBN 5800). In addition to completing the basic course requirements, graduate students will be required to complete an additional formal and subjective analysis of a second site along with a comparison of the two places. Graduate students will meet with the instructor at the beginning of the session to choose the two places, and then several times during the course to insure the direction and quality of analysis. In addition, graduate students will be required to complete an independent analysis to be presented in an illustrated document to the course instructor. The subject for the graduate projects must be approved in advance or during the first week of the program. Attendance Policy Attendance is mandatory for all classes and cultural series events that take place on Wednesday evenings. Each absence will reduce the student s final grade by five (5)
points. All absences are unexcused, unless a medical report is provided. A five-minute grace period is allowed before a student is marked late. (Leaving the class early will be considered a late, as well.) Three lates make up one absence. After five absences the student will fail the class. Statement on Academic Integrity Academic integrity is fundamental to the process of learning and evaluating academic performance. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following: cheating, plagiarism, tampering with academic records and examinations, falsifying identity, and being an accessory to acts of academic dishonesty. Refer to the Student Code of Conduct for further information. The Code is available online at http://www.studentaffairs.uno.edu. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services as well as their instructors to discuss their individual needs for accommodations. For more information, please go to http://www.ods.uno.edu. Classroom conduct: Civility in the classroom and respect for the opinions of others is very important in an academic environment. Courteous behavior and responses are expected. No form of harassment (verbal, sexual, or physical) will be allowed.
The Architecture of Prague : A Subjective Survey Prague Summer Seminars 2014 Assignments (Subject to change on location!!) Introduction Presentation Tuesday 8 July Your first assignment is a brief (5-minute) presentation to the class. Please introduce yourself and give the class some insight as to why you are studying Art and Architecture in Prague. Present a specific architectural style (or styles) which you are interested in. Have at least one image available as illustration. Give some historical background, describe the stylistic characteristics and explain what it is about the style or styles that interests you. Prague Architecture Project 2014 Choose a place in Prague which you would like to study, to analyze. You may choose any place as long as it has defined boundaries. Please choose a place that you are really interested in, give it some thought as you will spend a lot of time at this place this summer. You may choose a building, a square, a park, a bridge, or a part of a building. Visit the place several times, at different times of day and night, and in different weather conditions. Look at the place from all sides, inside and out. Consider the place in terms of all the elements we discuss in class. Record your observations in your sketchbook/journals. (Note: there should be at least five (5) visits to your place recorded in your journals at the first journal review, ten (10) by the final.) Midterm Presentation Tuesday 22 July part one A formal description of the place you have chosen, with one illustration. To be presented to the class. In one to three paragraphs present a formal description of the site you have chosen. Describe what it is and what it looks like. Include approach and procession through if possible. Describe the place in terms of materials, color, form. The written description should give a good idea, a good visual description of the place you have chosen, without having to rely on an illustration. However, you do need to include at least one illustration. part two The class will be divided into groups, each to review an architectural style. Using notes from class lectures and illustrations from your sketch assignments each group will give a brief (5-minute) presentation of the highlights of the architectural sites we have visited
thus far along with descriptions of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles in Prague. Be prepared to answer questions and to participate in a class discussion. Final Presentation Thursday 7 August part one In a five minute oral and visual presentation you will present your project to the class and describe your analysis in terms of your own subjective experience of the place. While considering the elements we discuss in class, including material qualities, texture, color, weight, scale, proportion, balance, light and shadow, volume and mass, structure, acoustics, ritual use, and context you should conclude how all of these elements work together to influence your experience of the place. You can mention your expectations about the place, if they were met, and if you perhaps discovered something completely different than what you expected. Any method of presentation will be considered. Whatever form your presentation takes you must include at least five (5) illustrations and address all of the elements we have discussed. Past presentations have included Powerpoint presentations, panel presentations, illustrated stories, 3-dimensional models and musical compositions. part two The class will again divide into groups, each to review an architectural style from the second half of the course. Using notes from class lectures and illustrations from your sketch assignments each group will give a brief (5-minute) presentation of the highlights of the architectural sites we have visited since the mid-term along with descriptions of Neo-Historicism, Art Nouveau, Cubism and Functionalism in Prague. Be prepared to answer questions and to participate in a class discussion.
The Architecture of Prague: A Subjective Survey 2014 Lectures and Excursions Each architectural style is first presented in the classroom in lecture/audio visual presentations and with assigned readings; followed by excursions to visit examples of each style. The class excursions are a most important component of the course. Using the city as the textbook students see first hand the various aspects that compose each style. Using their class notes and assigned readings the students are prepared to participate in discussions examining each place. The first-hand experience of place in architectural study augments traditional classroom methods by allowing a deeper understand and subjective appreciation. This method has proven to be ideal for the intensive, short-term courses in study abroad programs. Proposed Calendar WEEK ONE Introductions in classroom Lectures: Introduction to Prague Keen Architecture Excursions: Architectural tour of Prague Castle This excursion will examine Romanesque through Renaissance. We will visit the Romanesque St. Georges Basilica; the Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, dating from 1200 to 1920, and the Princes Palace, an example of the transition from late Gothic through Renaissiance. These buildings are outstanding examples of their eras, each a true monument in the Architectural History of the city of Prague and in the fabric of all Europe. WEEK TWO Lecture: 12 centuries of Architecture Excursion: Old Town Hall Old Town Hall was built from 1388 to 1784 and is composed of various styles of burger s homes. Originally the complex covered the entire block. It was firebombed in 1945 as the Nazis left Prague. Our tour covers 12 centuries of Architecture including the Romanesque and Gothic cellars, the tower of the astronomical clock, and representative chambers in Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Contemporary architectural styles.
Lecture: Renaissance to Baroque - The Baroque Masquerade of Prague Excursions: Queen Anne s Summer Palace and Renaissance Gardens: Queen Anne s Summer Palace is considered the purest Renaissance structure in Central Europe, built as a pleasure palace from 1538 to 1560 it is connected to the main grounds of the Prague Castle by the Renaissance Castle Gardens. Within the garden is found another Renaissance gem, the Ballgames Hall built in the 1560s by Bonifac Wolmut. Baroque Gardens at Wallenstein Palace and St. Nicholas in Mala Strana Starting at Malostrana we will explore the Baroque Gardens at Wallenstein Palace. A fine example of late Renaissance and Baroque Palace Architecture the Wallenstein complex, built in 1630 includes a sala-terrena and a grotto adorned with Baroque grotesquery. Today the Palace houses the Czech senate. We will continue through Mala Strana, the lesser town (one of the 5 towns combined in 1784 to create the city of Prague), to the elaborate Baroque church of St. Nicholas. The famous Baroque architect Christof Deintzenhofer designed the church of St. Nicholas in 1704. With an irregular floor plan and filled with examples of trompe l oile and artificial surfaces this church expresses the true chaos of the Baroque. WEEK THREE Mid-term presentations - Monday 22 July Lectures: Eclectic styles and the National Movement Vienna Introduction Adolf Loos Excursion: Obecni Dum The Obecni Dum may be one of the best known art nouveau buildings in Prague. Built in 1912 as the Czech municipal house the construction only employed Czech craftsmen and artists. We are guided through a private tour of the salons and concert hall of this historically and socially significant building. Vienna Excursion Thursday 24 - Sunday 27 July WEEK FOUR Lecture: Art Nouveau and Cubism Excursion: Art Nouveau Cubist walking tour A walk along the embankment of the Vltava to the base of Vysehrad we will pass examples of art nouveau apartment houses by some of the primary Cubist architects with
ornament by the foremost sculptors and artists of the time. At the base of Vysehrad we find the unique cubist apartments and villas, cubism in architecture unique to the Czech lands. Some of the best known Czech Cubist architects, including Chochol, Beyer, Belada and Kralicek are represented. Lectures: Jose Plecnik Functionalism - Loos and Baba Excursion: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Second only to St. Vitus Cathedral in importance, this work is an ideal example of the style of Slovenian architect Jose Plecnik, also responsibly for the renovation of Prague Castle at the request of President Masarak. Plecnik s unique style incorporates leading-edge building technology to create an uninterrupted interior space. Built in 1911 on the site of the former royal vinyards, Plecnik s church is unique in the architectural fabric of Europe. WEEK FIVE Vltava Perspective An unusual perspective of the city if offered in this surprising tour through the center of Prague. Muller Villa Designed by Adolf Loos, one of the fathers of Modernism, the Muller Villa is a gem of Functionalism. On a small, private tour we will experience the spatial flow of Loos s famous Raumplan. This villa is an important masterwork in world architecture and contains original art by Jan Priesler, Kavan, and other masters of Czech art. Review Class Discussion/Individual Meetings Final Presentations Thursday 7 August The scheduled times of all excursions are subject to last-minute changes. Our schedule will be updated on a daily basis, please be prepared to be flexible. The unique opportunity to visit these architectural monuments is one of the many advantages offered of the UNO Prague Summer Seminars. Many of our tours are private and not generally available to the public.