January 14, 2010

Smooth Corinthian

The National Museum of the Philippines is currently housed in two neo-classical buildings in the City of Manila. The archeological artifacts comprise the Museum of the Filipino People collections, housed in the former Finance Building which I've featured several times in the past. The National Art Gallery is in the former Legislative Building right across the street. Both were designed principally by Filipino architect Antonio Toledo who was influenced by the city plan originally formulated by American architect and urban planner Daniel Burnham. The columns of the two buildings are almost exactly alike—they have the same capitals but unlike those of the Finance Building, which are fluted, the shafts of the Legislative Building's columns are smooth.

columns of the National Art Gallery

21 comments:

Lowell said...

Beautiful!

What this photo symbolizes to me is that you are a pillar of your community!

Kaori said...

The columns are very similar! But I think I like this building more, maybe because of the pastel color :)

Leif Hagen said...

"It's kinda pretty" - said my 4 year old daughter, future blogger but now just comment helper!

Janet said...

The darker color at top really helps the Corinthian show up well.

Ken Mac said...

can you photograph inside ?

Louis la Vache said...

Daniel Burnham was also active in San Francisco.

Andreea said...

A beautiful building in a pure neo-classical style. I second Kaori, I like its pastel color too. I also like the angle, I know how hard it is to find fresh angles for buildings which have probably been photographed thousands times before.

arabesque said...

love the angle hilda. at first i read it as nat'l geographic...^0^
glad they refurbished the whole thing.

Olivier said...

on attend les photos de l'intérieure ;) superbes colonnes

Elaine Yim said...

The white columns has beautiful carvings which makes it look grand.

brattcat said...

This looks beautifully maintained. The color choice is so gracious and tasteful. And what a great angle you've chosen for us.

Halcyon said...

Nice columns!

Cezar and Léia said...

These columns are very impressive!
I would love to visit inside!
Léia :)

Laurie Allee said...

I'm with Ken, I want to see the inside!

Cool shot, Hilda!

Lois said...

Those are beautiful columns. I like the darker color accents at the top. It really makes the detail stand out.

Unknown said...

Wonderful façade and excellent perspective!

George said...

The simple elegance of buildings such as this beautiful.

Hilda said...

Ken Mac:
Yes, they allow photographs inside, even of the artwork, as long as you don't use a flash.

Léia, Laurie:
I have tons of pictures from the visit, but I'll spread out the posting. Otherwise, it'll be like getting a museum tour and some people find that boring. ;)

VP said...

Excellent architectural shot, i love the geometry and the soft colors of this.
The tour wouldn't be boring, but I trust your judgement about this.

Chuck Pefley said...

It's always a surprise to me to find classical style buildings all around the world.

Dina said...

So smooth looking.