J. F. Blondel (1705 – 1774) was an architect who was best for his writing and teaching which contributed greatly to the taste of his time, especially the architectural theory. He had an art school in Paris which became the first such institution to teach architecture. He taught at the Académie Royale d’Architecture after teaching in his own school for some years. Blondel was born in Rouen, France and died in Paris, France. He was born into an architectural family which was very famous and he was reared by an uncle. Initially, he went along with the Rococo ornamentation but he eventually turned against it. At the age of 32, he executed some plates for Mariette Pierre-Jean’s edition of Daviler Augustin’s dissertation on architecture of the seventeenth century. As a teacher, he influenced such students as William Chambers, the Scottish architect, Richard Mique, the French architect, Pieter de Swart, the Dutch architect, and Christian Weinlig, the German architect.
In this period he designed an all-inclusive plan for the decoration of the centre of Metz, inclusive of the Hôtel de Ville. At the invitation of Jean le Rond d’Alembert and Denis Diderot, he wrote the architecture section for the Encyclopédie. This is the work that set forth the Enlightenment’s rationalist philosophy. Blondel compiled his plans and lectures in the colossal Cours d’architecture as his own significant contribution to 18th-century learning. The 12-volume work was completed by Pierre Patte, the French writer, architect, and engraver. Blondel’s works are highly priced today because of their academic value.
