Ping, Pong

It is hard to imagine that during the 17th Century the Classical inspiration of the gardens-facing facade of the Chateau de Versailles sparked as much buzz about its inventiveness as the most advanced architectural creations of our time. What is modern at any point in time isn't so for very long. Modern means: of the latest most advanced kind. It relates to using ideas and techniques that have only recently been developed and may still be considered experimental. Two random architectural examples of that fleeting definition are portrayed here. On the left are pictures of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and on the right of the Chateau de Versailles. They were planned and constructed roughly 4 centuries apart. Both buildings represent a new, daring aesthetic at their time and were considered very modern. Both received a lot of attention, were praised and critisized as groundbreaking designs that strayed from traditional styles. Though the Walt Disney Concert Hall can still hold on to the definition of being modern, the Palais de Versailles has long lost it's new, innovative and trendsetting aura. It won't be long before the Walt Disney Concert Hall follows the same fate. Versailles became the undisputed leading example of a new worldwide movement in style. Only history will tell if the Walt Disney Hall and its variations will create the same effect. The big difference between these two examples is that one was a modern adaptation of solid Classical architecture, while the other - in sharp contrast -is entirely abstract in concept.