Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/1129

 rUIXCIPLES OF CRITICIS-Af. 1 lOj BOOK IV. THE FRINCIPI-ES OF CRITICISM IN* ARCHITECTURE. 2175. The Principles of Criticism, in any art, are nothing more than the principles on which that art is founded. They are termed principles of criticism by those who consider themselves judges, merely with reference to their application to the productions of art, when a judgment is to be expressed upon those productions. Every person who forms an opinion of^ or passes his judgment upon, any work of art or literature, must do so with reference to some previously received ideas ; and these ideas, whetlier well founded or not, are to him at once his scientific principles of the art which forms the subject of his opinion, and his principles for criticising that art. This is one reason for the very dif- ferent opinions formed of works of art by critics : but another reason, and one perhaps more powerful, arises from the difference in the natural susceptibility of men's minds to the impression of beauty ; in other words, from the original difference between men in those perceptive powers, which, when united, constitute what is called the faculty of taste. It is e-ident, therefore, that the principal causes of the differences of opinion which exist among critics are their different degrees of knowledge of the first prin- ciples of the art to be criticised ; and their different degrees of natural taste for its various productions. 2176. The Productions of any Art maybe examined in two ways: first, with reference to what they are in themselves ; and, secondly, with reference to what the artist intended to make them. In the one case, the effect of the object, or the pleasure or dissatisfaction which it occasions, is analysed, and referred to first principles, without the critic having had any previous knowledge of the intention of the artist ; and, in the other case, the design or intention of the artist being known, the beauties or effects which ought to be the result of that design, are sought for in his production, which will be blamed or praised according as these may be found present or wanting. The first mode of criticism may be called analytical ; and the second, synthetical. Both equally suppose in the mind of the critic a knowledge of the principles of art, and the power of applying those principles to its productions. 2177. The Criticisms in the preceding Part of this Work have been chiefly analytical; and they have, in few instances, embraced either the whole of the merits, or of the demerits, of any one particular design. The reason is, that our object, as expressed in the Introduction (p. 1.), was, to develope principles, " as it were, incidentally, and by little and little ; " with a -iew first to excite, and afterwards gradually to increase, a taste for the study of Architecture, in minds which had previously paid but little attention to the subject. We trust that the reader has borne constantly in his mind, while perusing the preceding pages, that such has been our intention ; for, unless this has been the case, those who were previously masters of the subject must have been surprised to find that we have sometim.es passed over both faults and beauties without notice. All this, how- ever, was the necessary consequence of the plan which we laid down as our guide when we set out. As the result of that plan, we hope we may conclude that the causes which we have assigned for the beauties and defects of the designs given, have, by this time, impressed on the minds of our readers all the leading principles of Domestic Architecture as an art of design and taste. 2178. The Object of the present Book is, to collect, and to present in a systematic form, those leading principles of architectural criticism which have been scattered throughout the work ; as Veil to show the reader theii- relative importance, as to afford him an easy means of comprehending them as a whole, and of storing them up in his mind. By finding here collected together, and connected by the relation which they bear towards one another, those principles which he had before become acquainted with separately and in- cidentally, their repetition, when thus combined, will reiterate the impression they had already made on his memory, and will enable him, if he should re-examine our designs, to complete those criticisms which we have only commenced ; or, should he direct his attention to the designs of others, to detect in them whatever faults or beauties they may happen to possess. The use of the present work, in improving Domestic Architecture in Britain, America, and Australia, will materially depend on its rendering the reading classes architectural critics; and more especially on the influence which it has, in this respect, in improving the taste of women. The Designs we have given wiU, no doubt, be of essential service as models ; but the grand and permanent effect of this work must depend on the spirit of observation and inquiry which it excites in the P'eneral reader. We have stated, in our Introduction, that the principles of Domestic Architecture as an art of design and taste, may be reduced to three: viz., fitness for the end in view ; expression of the end in view ; and, expression of architec- tural style. To each of these principles we shall devote a short chapter.