Art Can Be Functional Essay

In today’s society, we are constantly being bombarded with visual art forms. Whether they be classical paintings from the Renaissance, a towering and modern skyscraper, or even a cheesy 90’s R&B music video, they all have one thing in common. According to Carolyn Dean’s definition, these would all fall under the category of “art by intention.” In her essay “The Trouble with (The Term) Art” she advocates a distinction between art by intention and what she deems “art by appropriation.” The difference is that one work was created with the intention of being consumed for visual pleasure, while the other was not. However having been educated in the Western school of thought, many art historians cannot help but project their rigid definition of art onto civilizations that may have

The purpose of the project is to investigate the Construction Engineering infrastructure and process involved with the designing and building of the Goodwill Bridge.

Washington Roebling was a major contributor to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, as he became the chief executor after the passing of his father, and revolutionized many aspects of the architecture which are still prevalent throughout American history. Roebling’s dedication and persistence in creating his father’s design of the bridge display his renowned abilities as an engineer, for example, his creation of the caissons that was “test of everything that was in him. Abram S. Hewitt, a representative from New York, gave a speech entitled “Address on the Occasion of the Opening of the New York Brooklyn Bridge” and was delivered on May 24th, 1883 that not only highlighted important aspects of the bridge, but also addressed other parts of New York during that time. The climax of Hewitt’s speech defines the capital and enterprises the two cities expect to gain through being connected and how no other bridge foundation can amount to the Brooklyn Bridge.

He was also a designer of iron-clad gunships, a riverboat captain, and a salvage operator. “The design of the bridge did not use the popular form of construction, the truss, or even the newer suspension system. Instead used the ancient Roman arch for support” (Museum Gazette 1). Eads constructed the ironclad steamboat, the shallow-draft boats, and the first sand pump of its time. It removed the sand and silt from the bottom more effectively and easier. The original sand pump was a rope and bucket. Eads salvage company was the most successful company on the river. He also designed a surface boat, the submarine to go to the bottom of the river and retrieve sunken cargo from barges. Eads used a cofferdam to build the Western abutment and had to dig through 6o years of metal scraps. Spring floods and tornadoes affected the work on the bridge for moment at a time. The best way to build the bridge was to use a caisson to make the foundation at the bottom of the river in 80 feet of mud and 12 feet of bedrock. “The caisson was a huge rectangular box made of wood and sheeted in iron panels and stiffened with girder plates” (Bennett 111). The only way to keep water from coming into the caisson was to pump in air to equalize the pressure. The caisson had a stone foundation built around it, and then it was slowly start to sink to the bottom of the river. It had seven airlocks, where the

The report debates the Tacoma narrows bridge failure and the different theories of how it came about, using information about what type of bridge it is and the forces acting on it before and during the collapse. It also discusses ways in which the failure could have been avoided, from changes in the design to modifications to the bridge after its construction.

There are many differences between our bridge and other bridges. One being location. Another one being that thing that was sacrificed for it. Another one being cost. Also another difference would be weight and capacity, and the size or length.

Since the early days, the men try overcome environmental challenges and, in this process, ends up creating amazing masterpieces of engineering. Among this works, the bridges appears as the clearest representatives of how the mankind could adapt to Earth’s contours. If the shape of landscape can’t be changed, the bridges are the solution to link two places and allows the connection of the traffic to improve aspects such as the communication and the trade. Depending to the need, to the sources and to the environment, the bridge can be constructed in a specific configuration. There are five main sorts of bridges configurations. First, there is the simplest bridge, the beam bridge. Second, the arch bridge, one of the oldest kind. There are the truss, composed of set of trellises. Lastly, there are the cable-stayed and

Clark Eldridge, an engineer from Washington State, had designed a trusted, conventional suspension bridge that would cost eleven million dollars. He requested that amount from the Federal Public Works Administration. However, Leon Moisseiff developed a design modification that would make the total cost of building the bridge much less- only eight million dollars. He swapped out the twenty-five feet long sturdy trusses as the form of support for the much cheaper alternative of 8 foot long girders, which were proven to be an insufficient form of support from the collapse of this bridge. His design accounted for an overall thinner bridge; and since his was the cheaper option, it was chosen for construction. However, the width of the bridge in comparison to the length, as well as the absence of trusses which would provide stability, are both part of Moisseiff’s “cost-effective”, yet impractically unsafe design. Since his design was flawed, he is mainly responsible for the bridge collapse. However, the board of engineers who approved his design are also partially responsible for the bridge collapse, as this unsafe design was allowed to be constructed. Meanwhile, it is imperative to remember that theories on aerodynamics were not fully developed as of the time that this bridge was constructed. Therefore, the full effect of oscillating forces was not properly accounted for due to the

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was unequivocally one of the greatest engineers to have ever lived in this country, or any other. He was recently voted as the second greatest Briton of all time, second only to Winston Churchill, which is testament to the physical legacy he left behind. Additionally, he was represented in the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony which outlined the industrial revolution and the forging of modern Britain. His influence in almost all branches of engineering is vast, from shipping to the railway. This project highlights Brunel’s civil engineering work by examining some of the bridges that he built.

“The Madonna and Child with Saint Anne and an Angel” is an art piece with many different art principles and elements that are conveyed in such a manor that alludes complexity and great importance. The picture consists of four individuals- an angel, a baby, a Madonna or mother, and Saint Anne. The baby, cradled and asleep, is being overlooked by an angel, as the angel seems to be covering the child with a white blanket and much great care. Contrary to modern pictures, the angel has black wings wearing normal clothes similar to that of the mother and Saint. An important characteristic of the baby is that he has bright blonde and orange hair, a trait that resembles Jesus Christ. The mother and Saint Anne seem to be having a very important face-to-face discussion. All characters in the painting, including the child, are wearing late 15th century early 16th century clothing (rags and clothe looking material dresses) and recognizable colors.

One thing that was pretty interesting which was captured by the photographer over the course of the construction of this bridge was the complexity of it. The bridge from an aesthetic standpoint looks pretty simple, but based on blueprints and photographs developing it and installing it was very difficult. Knowing how difficult it was to construct this bridge and looking at photographs of its progress adds to how impressive the bridge looks simplistically.

However, can anyone dispute that the construction of the golden gate bridge is not a breathtaking work of art? No doubt, the use of exact measurements and formulas were used in its construction. Does the use of such structured tools take away its beauty? Great works of art have always followed a set of rules during their construction, they have modeled an example, or reflected the happenings and trends of their time. Paintings, sculptures, and even video games are equally forms of art because they reflect the personalities of both individual artists and society

Bridges are a connection of one place of the world to another. They link the vast world together. Bridges were used thousands of years ago, especially by the Romans. In the ancient times and present time, several forces are always encountered when building bridges. The forces determine how big or sturdy a bridge will be. There are several types of bridges, such as the girder bridge, arch bridge, truss bridge, and suspension bridge. Bridges have been used for a great amount of time. This allows us to discover more about the forces of bridges and he variety of bridges today.

Art is a form of human expression. Art can be seen as the artist sleight of hand on his mood. Art is in various media from posters to public wall of which we call “graffiti”. Art is elusive as the use of colors shapes and the surface used adds a new dimension. Art portrays various ideas, feelings such as triumph, love, happiness, sorrow and boredom in loss to mention a few. Art is beauty and creativity. During man’s evolution art has progressed over in its most primitive state up to its most modernized versions today.

Kant has a particular separation between free and accessory of what a certain thing is; a design that pleases a night club may not be appropriate in a senior home. With so many types of art forms, we are hardly able to ignore them and become disinterested, eventually curiosity will take its course.