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

RENAISSANCE

ARCHITECTURE 29

anditwas

basedforthemost

partuponthesimplest

traditionalRoman

forms. Inproportion,

moreover,as

theuseof

stuccobecame

prevalent,the construction

whichitconcealed

becameanobjectof

indifference.

The

oneconstructionalpractice

whichdistinguishes

the Renaissance does but

confirm the insignificant

interest which

construction, as such, possessed

for

themenofthisperiod. That

practiceistheconstant

andundisguised use

ofthetie-rodtostrengthenand

securearches and vaults which ofthemselves were

insufficienttowithstand

the outwardthrusts. This

was an

expedient by no means unknown to the

Gothicbuilders. Butwhatin

mediaevalconstruction

had been an exceptional

remedy, wasaccepted by

theRenaissancebuildersasanobviousandlegitimate

resource. Therewasnothingnovelintheexpedient.

Itsfrequent

recurrencesi

gnifies

not

the adoptionof

a newconstructiveprinciple, but.the-adoption ofa

iJgSL-artisticpoint of

view. The suggestive point

about

itsuse is thatthe element

onwhich, in real

fact,the stabilityoftheconstruction depended

was

ignored,

frankly and courageously,

in the aesthetic

design. The eye was expected

to disregard it as

completely

asitdisregards

the propwhich

inancient

sculpturesupportsa

prancinghorse. Thatisto

say,

between the aestheticpurpose ofthe

work,and the

means

bywhich,

inactualconstruction,

itcouldbe

realised,asharpdistinction

wasnowadmitted.

How