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

THEACADEMIC TRADITION

199

Academic art has its danger. Sometimes it im-

pliesarefusal
to

rethink

theproblematissue. Some-

times, bya kind ofavariceof style, itattempts to

make the imagination of
the past do

service for

imagination in the present. But this wasnot the

caseinItaly. Thedifferenceintheconditionswhich

ancientandmodern
architectureiiadto

meet,"noless

thanthecraving fororiginalitythat, after

Michael

Angelo, became so prominent in the art, were

guaranteesthattheacademicformulawouldnotpro-

ducesterility. TotheenergyofItalian

architecture,

distractedasitwasbyinsistentindividualities,made

restless withthe rapid change oflife,

splitby local

traditions and infected always by the

disturbing

influence ofpainting,theacademiccode gave

nota

barren uniformity but a point of

leverage, and a

generalunityofaim. Ifsomeneedless

pilastersand

aridpalaceswereattimestheconsequence,the

price

wasnottoohightopay.

OutsideItaly thevalueoftheacademic

tradition

wasdifferentbut notlessgreat.

Hereits

function

was not to restrain a too impatient

and pictorial

energy,

buttoset

astandardand

conveyamethod.

TheRenaissancewasan

accomplishedfact:

Europe

hadturned itsbackon

mediaevalism,and

lookedto

Italy

for guidance.

Italian architecture

was the

fashion : this was inevitable.

But the

'

Italian

'

styles

whichsprang

upinFrance

andEngland,

while