Etienne louis boullee biography examples list

He studied the mainstream French Classical architecture in the seventeenth and eighteenth century and the Neoclassicism that evolved after the mid-century. By the age of nineteen he had opened his own studio. Although few of his architectural designs were built, his theories and drawings enjoyed a large public following. He worked mostly as a theorist and a professor, teaching other important architects such as Jean Chalgrin, Alexandre Brongniart, and Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand.

He emphasized the properties of geometric forms and their effect on the psychology of the viewer. His work was characterized by the removal of all unnecessary ornamentation, inflating geometric forms to a huge scale and repeating elements such as columns in huge ranges. He made a dramatic use of light and shadow to heighten the effect of geometric forms, and brought out the potential of mystery in building.

His focus on polarity offsetting opposite design elements and the use of light and shadow was highly innovative, and continues to influence architects to this day.

Étienne-louis boullée art

He was "rediscovered" in the twentieth century and has influenced recent architects such as Aldo Rossi. He originally wanted to be a painter, but, following the wishes of his father, he turned to architecture. He spent his entire life in Paris, working first as a painter and later as an architectural theorist. He taught at the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussees and later became a professor at the Academi d' Architecture.