The Rotunda

Landing of Columbus Painted By John Vanderlyn The painting Landing of Columbus was first commissioned by congress in 1836 to hang in the Capitol Rotunda. The painting was finally put on display in the January 1847 at the Capitol Rotunda. This painting depicts Christopher Columbus and members of his crew shown on a beach in the West Indies, the first landfall of their expedition to find a westward route from Europe to China, Japan and perhaps unknown lands. On October 12, 1492, they reached this…

architecture of the building harnesses the central space wherein the ramp encircles the central void. The central space which is conventionally occupied and utilized by the users, however, deviates in this museum. Installations are hung from the rotunda which can be viewed from both the bottom-up and from the top-bottom and the perspective drawn from either of the motion is spectacular by itself. This not only disrupts the passive movement in the central space but also fills the enormous volume…

supported by Ionic order columns on the interior (Silverman, n.d.). The Pantheon, while it has a pronaos similar to the Classical Greek style, has Corinthian order capitals to its columns and once you pass through them you enter into the circular open rotunda, with alcoves along the edges for display. It is clear that the Pantheon was intended for people to come into and see the beauty of the interior, whereas the Parthenon, like most Greek temples, was intended for individuals to look into it…

Once designs were in place and construction finally began in 1793, several architect became involved because of the sheer complexity of the design. As per Thornton’s plan, an impressive rotunda acts as a museum, being sprinkled with statues of great war heroes, while the outside has eight great columns with large porches standing on each side. Finally, with a lot of work done, construction on the dome began, which was rebuilt, and reinforced…

Heaven represented by the circle and the Earth by the square. In a plan view the Pantheon forms a circle within a square. The oculus was the interiors only source of light. The sunlight traced a daily path across the floors and walls inside the rotunda. The sunlight marked solar events, lunar events, and time. The Sun is a great characteristic to the symbolism of the Roman religion. The proportion and sunlight united together…

The great modern example that is inspired by the pantheon is the Roman Catholic Church in Mosta, which called “Rotunda of Mosta”, that was built, in the nineteenth centaury and designed by Maltese architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé. Its dome is among the biggest on the planet. Roman construction in architecture and interior has inspired advanced building design. Individuals…

which are located at the entrance. There are eight columns at the entrance, but as you look towards the dome, there are almost 18 columns that help support the dome, which is the cupola. Next, there are two wings that are opposite of the Capitol Rotunda known as the North and South wings. According to my tour guide, those two wings represent the balance that is brought to the government. At the entrance, there is a covered area that has a triangular which is supported by pillars known as the…

Architecture does not come out of nowhere. Architects always absorb knowledge from a certain typology that they favor in the past, digest the knowledge and apply them to their own design. It is significant that architects carry classical ideas throughout generations in order to project designs in their ages powerfully, and leave heritage for next generation. During 18th and 19th century, several classical revivals occurred in America. Due to the increasing demands of housing and the eagerness of…

Amanda Holpuch acknowledged that they were protesting because of the death of Jamar Clark, 24, who was killed by a police officer while handcuffed. The protesters wanted the city to release the video of the murder. “A video screen in the central rotunda broadcast…

They sit in armchairs that faced toward the Speaker's rostrum. The second floor also accommodates the Rotunda, Old Senate Chamber, and National Statuary Hall. The National Statuary Hall is a semicircular room in the Capitol Building used to display sculptures made by important and famous Americans. A total of 100 sculptures contributed by the 50 states is displayed throughout the building. The Rotunda, also known as the heart of the Capitol, is an art gallery used to exhibit paintings and…