Define & Discuss the Greek Architectural Orders

Define & discuss the Greek architectural orders

Greek temples dated from the archaic period were conceived as an earthly home and treasury for its honored god or goddess. This shelter is built in conformity to a set of strict proportional relationships and a regulated decorative system called the Greek orders. There are three Greek orders and they are the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Each order is composed of an upright support called a column that extends from a base at the bottom, to a shaft in the middle, and a capital at the top. The capital was sometimes used to represent natural forms like animal horns or plant leaves. This in turn supports a horizontal element called entablature which divides into three parts. These three parts are the architrave (lowest part), the frieze (middle) and the cornice (the top).

The Doric is the oldest and plainest out of all three. Columns are together without any base; these shafts are sculpted with curves called flutes. These entablatures have spaces called metopes which were commonly decorated with figures and ornamentation.

The Ionic order was developed in the Ionian Islands. They were used for smaller buildings but these structures were more elongated in proportions. The height of one column was about nine times its diameter. These structures were easier to recognize because of the scrolls that lay on top of the capital.

The Corinthian order wasn't used by the Greeks very much. It was originally used for interior only but eventually became used for exteriors as well. The Corinth is similar to the Ionic having the same base, column and entablature but its capital is a little more decorative. It's carved with tiers of curly acanthus leaves.

These Greek orders express a rationality and restraint or create playful variations on a decorating system.