100 THEARCHITECTURE
OF HUMANISM
which that claim
involves. The relation of con-''
struction to design is the
fundamental problem
of
architectural
aesthetics, and weshould
welcome
the
necessitywhichthe
Renaissancestyle,byraising
the
question in soacuteaform,
imposes foritsdiscus-
sion. But theissue is notsuchasimple oneasthe
'
scientific
'
criticism
invariablyassumes.
We mustask, then, what
isthe true relation
of
constructionto architectural beauty
;
how did the
Renaissance
conceive that relation
;
and
how far
wasitjustifiedinits
conception?
Letusbeginbyattempting,asfairlyaswemay,
to
formulatethe
'
scientific
'
answertothefirst
ofthese
questions
;
letusseewhereitleadsus,andifitleads
usintodifficulties, let
usmodify itas
bestwecan,
inaccordancewiththescientificpointofview.
f^
*
Architecture,'suchcriticsareapt
to
say,
'
archi-
tecture is construction. Its essential characteristic
asanartisthatit deals,notwith merepatternsof
lightandshade,butwithstructural
laws. Injudging
architecture, therefore, this peculiarity, which con-
stitutesitsuniquenessasanart, mustnotbeover-
looked: onthecontrary,sinceeveryartisprimarily
tobejudgedby itsownspecialqualities, it ispre-
ciselybyreferenceto
thesestructural
lawsthatarchi-
tecturalstandardsmustbefixed. Thatarchitecture,
inshort,willbebeautifulinwhich
theconstruction
is
best, andin which itis most truthfullydisplayed.*
