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

6 THEARCHITECTURE

OF

HUMANISM

tureactuallyis,and

estimatesthe

phenomenon

bya

method as confused

and fortuitous

as itself.

It

passesin

and outofthethree

provincesof

thought,

andrelatesitssubject

nowtoscience,

nowtoart,and

nowtolife. It treatsofthese

upona

singleplane,

judging one building by

standards of constructive

skill,anotherbystandardsofrhythm

andproportion,

andathird bystandards

ofpractical useorby the

moral impulse ofitsbuilders. Thismedley of ele-

ments, diverse and uncommensurated as they are,

can furnishnogeneral estimateor true comparison

ofstyle.

Doubtless, as a matter of history, architecture

has not come into existence in obedience to any

a priori aesthetic. It has grown up around the

practicalneedsoftherace,andinsatisfyingtheseit

has beendeflected, now bythe obstinate

claimsof

mechanical

laws,nowbyawaywardsearchforbeauty.

But the problem of the architect and

that of the

criticarehereessentially

different. Theworkofthe

architect is synthetic. He must take into simul-

taneousaccountourthree

'

conditionsofwell-build-

ing,'andfindsome

compromisewhichkeeps

adecent

peace

between theirclaims. The

taskofthecritic,

on the

contrary, isoneof

analysis. Hehas

todis-

cover,define, andmaintain

the ideal

standards of

valueineach

province. Thus

thethreestandardsof

architecture,

united in

practice, are

separable, and