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

THE BIOLOGICAL FALLACY \

179

concrete,asnootherstylehasdone,themind's
ideal

of

perfect humanism. But the authentic

siiirit of

Bramante comes to us in how few examples

;

an

element

ofweakness

—

^anelementof philosophy

too

rareand too exclusive—withered his inspiratiipn at

its

birth. Ofallthethreestagesofthe Renaisfeance

sequence,this

central periodwasthemost

intensely

academic. ItcouldbeasvacantastheEmpire^tyle,

andas

imitative. The spiritoflife which,inspon-

taneousgaiety, never

fails

toplay upon the sunny

architectureofthequattrocento

;

thelifewhichinthe

seicento

flamedoutandgaveitselfinprodigalabund-

ancetoathousandventures

;

thelifewhichhadbeen

smiling

and later laughed aloud, flickers too often

in these intervening

years to a dim, elusive spark.

Muchthatwas then builtbyadmired masters

—

^by

the

youngerSangallo, for example

—

would justify

the

'

evolutionary

'

strictures,had

itbeenbuiltlater.

Ifaservile attendanceonthe antiqueis amark of

declining

force,

Bramante himself must stand con-

victed ofdecadence, for no imitation is more self-

effacingthan

hisdomedchapelofS.PietroinMon-

torio. Hereisthebeauty

ofanecho: life,here,is

scarcely stirring. The Roman civilisation, in that

favoured moment,

was the most brilliant that the

Renaissance achieved, the

most rounded and com-

plete. Butits

architecture,forthemostpart,hada

taintoftoomuch thought,too

incompleteavigour.