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

ART

AND

THOUGHT

255

onlymeans

by

which

suchan

analysiscanprofitably

be obtained. Without

that science,

or, at any

rate,withoutthe

acutelydeveloped

self-consciousness

which that science implies,

the final problems of

criticismcould

neitherbe formulated

nor attacked.

ForJthejgroWemsjofcriticismrest,

in_theJ^§L.Le.s.ojrt,

jiotontheexternal_workof
arLabjectively^described^

button

thecharacter

ofourreactiontoit—sinceitis

this, and this alone,~v^B3Si determines

its

quality.

Beauty, although by a natural

instinct we make

it aproperty ofexternal things, is buta value of

our own sensations. Of

thesetheproperscience

is

psychology.

Toosoon,andwithtooeasyanassurance,themind

has

so

fargiven,inarchitecture

atanyrate,its

answer

tothemysteryofstyle. Ithasbeencontenttosolve

itsummarilywiththeinstrumentsthatlaytohand

—

accustomed instruments, forged and approved for

quite otherendsthan this. Thestyles ofarchitec-

ture were one by one revived. Criticism

watched

themin acloudydream that wandered atits own

biddingbyself-chosenpathways,andthus

produced

the fallacies which we have grouped together as

'

romantic' Itgirdeditselfto

grasp

the

facts, only

tomistake

thescienceofarchitectureforitsart;

and

thusproducedthefallacieswe

havegroupedtogether

as

'

mechanical.' It realised that the art of archi-

tecture appealsto

taste

;

butsince the lawsofthe