The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

(Ben Green) #1
THE

ROMANTICFALLACY

91

charming,
architecture? With what
is it con-

trasted? Itisusuallyimplied
that the alternative

is mereformality. /Formality,
too, hasitsinherent,

its,
perhaps equal,charm. But ithas more.
Itis

the basis of design. Everything
in architecture

whichcanholdand
interesttheintellect
;

every
de-

lightthatiscomplexandsustained
; everysubtlety

ofrhythmandgrandeur
ofconception,isbuiltupon

formality. Withoutformalityarchitecturelacks
the

syntax ofits speech.

By

means
of it, architecture

attains,asmusicattains,toalikerankwiththought.

Formalityfurnishes itsown themeand

makeslucid

itsown argument.

'

Formal'architectureistothe

'

picturesque'as the wholebody of musical art
to

thelazyhumand

vaguelyoccupyingmurmurofthe

summerfields,

j

Allthisissacrificed
;

and
perhapseventhatlittle

meritisnotgained. Timeanddecay,colourandthe

accidentsofuse,thenewperspectivefromtheunfore-

seenangle ofchancevision, maybetrustedtogive

picturesqueness
totheausterestarchitecture. Con-

fusionwillnotloseitscharmbecausethereoncewas

thought. Design is no implacable enemy of the

picturesque
;

butthepicturesqueidealisatvariance

withtraditionandrepugnanttodesign.

^

Ourconcernisherewithonepointonly.i>^tisnot,

certainly,thatthepicturesqueiswithoutmerit; the

meritofit is indeedtoo obvious. Itis that,

asan
Free download pdf