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

156 THE

ARCHITECTURE OF

HUMANISM

creativeasthe

seventeenthcentury,wasawideone

;

its influence was felt through

everything that

was

made.

The gaiety of life, no less than its solemn

permanency,

sought architectural expression. And

the baroque style—the

pre-eminent style of

the

pleasure-house, ofthe garden

—

^wasableto minister

to

this gaiety. The aesthetic pleasure of surprise

maybealowoneinthescale; butit

is

genuine,and

notnecessarilyignoble. Andthesameistrueofthe

mere perception ofdexterity. To obtain these,

on

their appropriate occasions, the thousand devices

of baroque deceit were invaluable. Humorous

or

triflingin

themselves,

theygainedanaestheticinterest

anddignitybecausetheunityofbaroquestyleallied

them

toageneral

scheme.

Besidestheseingenuitiesofthecasino,thegrotto,

andthe garden,therewere architectural

opportuni-

ties of a frankly temporary sort. There was the

architectureofthe

festa,

ofthepageant,ofthetheatre.

Therewasnoreasonwhythisshouldnot

beserious,

supremelyimaginative, orcuriouslybeautiful. But

itwasnotrequiredtobe,orseem,

permanent. There

washerenoperilofthat

disappointment,whichpre-

tenceinvolves, tothe justexpectations weform of

monumentalart. Andtheseoccasions,

forwhichthe

baroquestyle remains
unequalled,were an endless

opportunityforarchitecturalexperiment.

Theywere

theschoolinwhichits
psychologicskillwastrained.