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

124 THE

ARCHITECTURE

OF

HUMANISM

The

ethicalcriticofarchitecture

hasthree

different

forms ofarrow

inhis quiver, all

ofwhich are sent

flying at the Renaissance

style—an

unperturbed

Sebastian—^in the two passages

we have quoted.

First, the

nowblunted shafts of

theology

:

Renais-

sancearchitectureis

'

impious.' Next,apricktothe

social conscience: Renaissance

architecture entails

conditions, and is demanded by desires that are

oppressiveandunjust

; it

*

makesslavesofitswork-

men and sybarites of its

inhabitants.' Last, most

poisoned,andthe

onlymenacetothemartyr'svital

part: Renaissance arfhitecture

is bad in itself,

inherently, because it is insincere (for instance) or

ostentatious

;

because

the

'

moral nature of it is

corrupt.' These darts, if the

fury of intolerance

which firstrainedthemhasabated, stillstand con-

spicuousinthebodyofthe

saint.

theserviceofthisluxuriousandimmorallife,'hecontinues(speaking

oftheRenaissance),'thefineartswerenowcalled

;

andofthemotives

whichanimatesuchalifetheybecomelargelytheexpression.' They

'

ministertosensuouspleasureandmundanepride,'andthearchitect

setshimselftohis task

'

in acorrespondingspirit.' Thepointof

interesthereisnotsimplythattheprincipleimpliedisfalseormis-

leading

—

^thoughitwillpresentlybeshownthatitisboth—butthat

itisneitherdemonstratednorevenapplied. Itnolongerformspart

of

aconscioussystem

of

thought,butofageneralatmosphereofpre-

judice. Themechanicalcasederivesnoauthorityorsupportfrom

theethicalcase;theethicalcaseisnotillustratedbythemechanical.

Theethical

formulae

havenofunctionintheargumentofthebook

;

theyareevenopposed

to

it

;buttheyaresofamiliarthattheycanbe

automaticallystatedandautomatically

received. Abetterexample

couldhardlybedesiredofthat

unanalysedconfusioninarchitectural

criticism whichis thereason of this

study.—CharlesMoore,The

Character

of

RenaissanceArchitecture.