Expression (Lat. expressio) in architecture implies a clear and authentic displaying of the character or personality of an individual ( architect). The expression is often identified with the

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

movement of

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, whose main starting point and aim is to present and express what has been "seen" or experienced in the inner eye of the mind, heart and soul, i.e. to express the

subjective Subjective may refer to: * Subjectivity, a subject's personal perspective, feelings, beliefs, desires or discovery, as opposed to those made from an independent, objective, point of view ** Subjective experience, the subjective quality of conscio ...

moods and feelings without referring to conventional and "objective" values, judgements and truths.

Meaning

The main problem in the critical analysis of the theoretical

interpretation Interpretation may refer to: Culture * Aesthetic interpretation, an explanation of the meaning of a work of art * Allegorical interpretation, an approach that assumes a text should not be interpreted literally * Dramatic Interpretation, an event ...

s of the concept of expression in architecture, lies in the fact that the concept of expression is used in different ways in different fields of science and art. Regarding the concept of expression, the following interpretations can often be found: *an activity or way of transforming an idea into words; *showing emotions, feelings etc.; *conveying emotions by way of music, images etc.; * facial expression showing mood or emotion; *choice of words, phrases,

syntax In linguistics, syntax () is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure ( constituency) ...

, intonation etc., in communication; *a specific phrase commonly used to express something etc. In the widest sense, the concept of expression refers to the activity undertaken with a specific

intention Intentions are mental states in which the agent commits themselves to a course of action. Having the plan to visit the zoo tomorrow is an example of an intention. The action plan is the ''content'' of the intention while the commitment is the ''a ...

. However, what is the aim of expressing something will depend on the field in which the term is used. With this is mind, some authors emphasize the unconscious or spontaneous character of expression, while others emphasize its

cognitive Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

aspect. Expression can also be defined as part of the communication process which consists of two complementary components, expression (transmitted information) and impression (received information).see also Robinson, 2007.

References

{{Reflist Aesthetics Architecture

Meaning

See also

Further reading

References