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

CHAPTERVII

THE ACADEMIC TRADITION

I

'

There

are

in

reality,'saysarchitecture'sprincipal

historian,

'

two styles of Architectural Art—on^,

practised universally before the sixteenth centuryl

andanotherinvented since.' To the former

belonii

'

the

trueStylesofArchitecture,' tothelatter

'

the

CopyingorImitativeStyles.'

^

Renaissancearchitectureis imitative. Itis more

imitative
thananystyleofbuildingthatprecededit.

It

wentfurtherafield foritsmodelsandgavethem

greaterhonour. True,itischangeful,various,eager

forexperiment

—

^this

wehavealready

seen

:itpresses

forward.
But also, and not less, it glances per-

petually back. It has its own problems, but itis

concerned,notless, withGreeceandRome. Inthe

Renaissance

forthe firsttimethe questionasked^s

nolongermerely,

'

Isthisformbeautiful

or

suited

?

'

but,

'

Is it correct

?

'

For

thefirsttimearchitecture

canonised
itspast.

Theoutstandingmark

ofRenaissancearchitecture

'

Fergusson,History

of

Modern

Architecture.

186