Friday, January 21, 2011
los egyptos
If the Modern architectural movement is defined by reduced rational forms and innovations in building technologies, then perhaps Le Corbusier and others were really not really the first to be a man “living within his time”. A loose study of ancient Egyptian pyramids demonstrates that the ancient Egyptians, circa 2500 BC, were well aware of what it meant to “be modern”.
The power of the simplified form can be seen in a comparison between the Pyramid of Djoser constructed in 2611 BCE with Sneferu’s Red Pyramid finished around 2550 BCE. The Pyramid at Djoser is a stepped pyramid. Formally it functions through five horizontal bands that through repetition of dark and light contrast carry the eye from earth to sky. Each band serves as a step in a ladder as the eye ascends to the point on high. No doubt it invokes a sense of power and awe, but it does this in a stepped manner.
The power of the simplified form can be seen in a comparison between the Pyramid of Djoser constructed in 2611 BCE with Sneferu’s Red Pyramid finished around 2550 BCE. The Pyramid at Djoser is a stepped pyramid. Formally it functions through five horizontal bands that through repetition of dark and light contrast carry the eye from earth to sky. Each band serves as a step in a ladder as the eye ascends to the point on high. No doubt it invokes a sense of power and awe, but it does this in a stepped manner.
The Red Pyramid however ascends to its peak in one single plane. . There are no visual stepping stones, no place of rest. Light that strikes the pyramid offers one single smooth gradient unto the heavens. Formally it is simpler than the stepped pyramid; however the resulting effect has a far greater impact and inspires a stronger sense of awe.
The purification of an abstract geometric form is connected to technological developments as well. The apparent discovery of the angle of repose can be seen in the Pyramid at Meidum and the Bent Pyramid. To build at too steep an angle would result in structural failure. The Red Pyramid was then laid out at a relatively low angle of 43 degrees and successfully reaches its peak with one single slope.
The Modern architectural movement of the early twentieth century was no doubt a radical shift in the way in which people built. Primarily through developments of building technologies (steel) their pursuit of reduced rational forms was achieved. If we were however to take those same defining characteristics and apply them to the ancient Egyptian civilization, then perhaps they were as much “of their time” as the traditional “Modernist” was of theirs.
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