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

236 THE

ARCHITECTURE OF

HUMANISM

Nevertheless

order,or coherence,

in architecture

stands ona different plane to the

values of mass,

1 space,andline; forthese,ofthemselves,

givebeauty,

:whileorder(as

wasshowninthelastchapter)

is

com-

^patiblewithugliness. Yetitisclear

thatinallthe

architecture

whichdescendsfromGreece

andRome,

I

orderplaysaprincipalpart. What

thenisitsplace

andfunction?

Order

—a presence

of fixed ratios—will not give

beauty,norwillamixtureoforderand

variety,but

somuchorder,merely,andofsuchakind,asisneces-

saryforthe

effectswhich

humanisedmassandspace

andlineareatanypointintendedtoconvey. Thus,

inmakingthemasses,spaces,andlinesofarchitecture

respond

to ourideal movementand ideal stability,

ameasureofsymmetryand balanceareconstantly

entailed. Not perfect symmetry, necessarily. We

inour

bodieshaveasenseofrightandleft,andin-

stinctivelyrequirethatarchitectureshould conform

tothisduality.

Withoutitwecouldnotsosmoothly

read

or interpret architecture in our own terms.

Dissymmetryin an

objectinvolvesan emphasis or

inclinationtoonesideor

theotherinthe.movement

it suggests,

and thissometimesmay be

appropriate

to the mood ofthe

design. But, whenever archi-

tectureseeks

tocommunicate the pleasure

ofequi-

poise

and calm, or to

impart a sense of forward,

unimpededmovement,

symmetricalcomposition

and

,