eclectic architecture
Introduction
Eclecticism, in architecture, is a trend that mixes elements from different styles and periods in the history of art and architecture. Born in France and quickly exported throughout Europe and Russia, and then to the United States, the style manifested itself in the West between 1860 and the late 1920s.
The term eclectic comes from the Greek adjective εκλεκτός, which means 'chosen', which in turn derives from the Greek verb εκλέγω, 'to choose', since what the architects and artists in general of that time will do is choose from all of Art History what interests them most. The word Historicism is also used to define this period, which refers to a new vision of History, in which it is investigated philosophically.[1] Its references will be Gothic (Neo-Gothic), Romanesque (Neo-Romanesque) and Oriental art (Orientalism and exoticism).
Eclecticism or historicism do not refer to the same thing, historicism being the use of a previous language and eclecticism the use of several previous languages in the same architecture.[2] It will be a complicated period in the history of architecture in which many intersecting trends will coexist, with some versions of a national nature, since each country tried to revive its most indigenous traditions, coinciding with nationalist or regionalist movements.[1].
Eclecticism might not create a new art, but be at least a transitional element on historicism and the architecture of the future.
For the detractors and critics of eclecticism in architecture, this style was nothing more than an extravagance resulting from "the lust for the new" and the charlatanry of some architects. However, for its defenders, such as L. Avray, it was the result of an education of taste, of a greater culture, which allowed a tolerant acceptance of all artistic manifestations.
Characteristics
Eclecticism originates from the exhaustion of neoclassicism (end of the century and beginning of the century) and historicism (mid-century). If historicist architecture was more dedicated to imitating the currents of antiquity (neo-Gothic, neo-Romanesque...), eclectic architecture consists mainly of the combination of two or more architectural styles. Therefore, eclecticism was a more creative style than historicism, which was limited to imitating traditional patterns.[2].
However, due to the enormous formal differences between works, it is not considered a pure architectural style. Furthermore, buildings could combine artistic elements typical of the region in which they were built (regionalism), which makes the formal homogenization of the style difficult. The construction was carried out, in many cases, with modern construction technology from the Second Industrial Revolution (1870-1914).[3][4].