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

THE ETHICAL

FALLACY

149

example, might have given them

—

^was thus not a

negative neglect, but a positive demand. Their

*

inexactness'was

a

necessaryinvention.

Further

—

againforthesuggestionofstrength—thescaleshould

be

large

;

andhence,

sincearoughtexturemaintains

alargerscale thanasmooth, aninexactfinish was

preferredtoonemoreperfect. Last,forthequality

ofexultation: forvigour notlatent butinaction

;

for vigour,so to speak, atplay. Tocommunicate

thisthebaroque

architects conceived

ofMovement,

tossingandreturning

;

movementunrestrained, yet

notdestructiveofthatessentialreposewhichcomes

from composition,norexhaustiveofthatreserve

of

energy implied in masses, when, as here, theyare

trulyandsignificantlymassed. Butsincethearchi-

tecture itself

does

not move, andthe movement is

in

ourattention,drawnhereandtherebythedesign,

held andliberated by its stressand accent, every-

thing mustdepend upon

the kind ofattention the

design invites. An attention that is

restrained,

howeverworthily,at

theseveralpointsofthedesign

;

anattentionatclose focusand

suppliedbywhatit

seeswith

a

satisfyinginterest; anattentionwhichis

notledon,wouldyield

noparamountsenseofmove-

ment. Strengththeremightbe,but

not

overflowing

strength
;

therewould

beno sense ofstrength

'

at

play.' Forthisreasonthere

existinbaroquearchi-

tecture
rhythm

and direction and

stress,

but

no