Duplicity in the Architectural Theory and Works of the Architect Louis-Pierre Baltard

This study examines two aspects of the architectural theory and works of Louis-Pierre Baltard (1764-1846), famous for his neoclassical architecture. Firstly, he was a theorist and professor at ${\acute{E}}$ cole des Beaux-Arts, supporting the classical expression of architecture in opposition to the neo-Gothic style, which was a rising trend at that time. Secondly, he was a functionalist regarding architectural organization, particularly in penitentiary architecture, in which domain he was one of the first specialists. Our standpoint is that this disaccord was not an internal contradiction on the part of the architect but a difference in two sensibilities corresponding to two external conditions of his architectural work. The aim of the study is to determine the ways in which the early 19th century fostered two architectural currents-the classical grammar of exterior expression and the functional organization of architectural space-that preceded the emergence of the styles as neo-Gothic, Art nouveau in the late 19th century and notably the Modern Movement in the early 20th century.