Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/404

Rh 382 AKCHITECTUBE A RCHITECTURE (Latin architectura, from the Greek . ap-xf-riKTw, a master-builder) is tlie art of building according to principles which are determined, not merely by the ends the edifice is intended to serve, but by con siderations of beauty and harmony. It cannot be defined as the art of building simply, or even of building well. The end of building as such is convenience, use, irrespec tive of appearance; and the employment of materials to this end is regulated by the mechanical principles of the constructive art. The end of architecture as an art, on the other hand, is so to arrange the plan, masses, and enrich ments of a structure as to impart to it interest, beauty, grandeur, unity, power. Architecture thus necessitates the possession by the builder of gifts of imagination as well as of technical skill, and in all works of architecture properly so called these elements must exist, and be harmoniously combined. The combination of technical with imaginative features removes architecture from the precise position occupied by painting, sculpture, and music, but does this more in appearance than in reality, since the greatest works of the architect must always be those in which the imagination of the artist is most plainly seen. Like the other arts, architecture did not spring into existence at an early period of man s history. The ideas of symmetry and proportion which are afterwards embodied in material structures could not be evolved until at least a moderate degree of civilisation had been attained, while the efforts of primitive man in the construction of dwellings must have been at first determined solely by his physical wants. Only after these had been provided for, and materials amassed on which his imagination might exercise itself, would he begin to plan and erect structures, possess- Elements ing not only utility, but also grandeur and beauty. Before of architec- proceeding to inquire into the history of architecture, it mav ^ Q we ^ j. Q enumera te briefly the elements which in combination form the architectural perfection of a build ing. These elements have been very variously determined by different authorities. Vitruvius, the only ancient writer on the art whose works have come down to us, lays down three qualities as indispensable in a fine building, viz., Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas, stability, utility, beauty. In an architectural point of view the last is the principal, though not the sole element ; and, accordingly, the theory of architecture is occupied for the most part with aesthetic considerations, or the principles of beauty in designing. Of such principles or qualities the following appear to be the most important : size, proportion, harmony and sym metry, ornament, and colour. All other elements may be reduced under one or other of these heads. Size. With regard to the first quality, it is clear that, as the feeling of power is a source of the keenest pleasure, size, or vastness of proportion, will not only excite in the mind of man the feelings of awe with which he regards the sublime in nature, but will impress him with a deep sense of the majesty of human power. It is, therefore, a double source of pleasure. The feelings with which we regard the Pyramids of Egypt, the vast monoliths at Rome, the massive temples of Sicily and the Parthenon, and the huge structures of Stonehenge, sufficiently attest the truth of this principle. The qualities in the general disposition of the parts of a building which are calculated to give pleasure to the beholder, are proportion, harmony, and symmetry. To obtain a clear idea of the general plan in order to appre ciate these qualities, the best method is to contemplate the building under conditions that prevent the mind from tural per being disturbed by the consideration of the details at a distance, for instance, or by moonlight, when its out lines may be seen standing boldly out against the sky. Thus the mass of a Gothic cathedral, the proportion of its parts, the outline of tower, nave, choir, and lady-chapel, the deep shadows which show the projection or recess of its various parts, are in themselves beautiful even when there is not light enough to distinguish mouldings, carvings, or tracery. Proportion itself depends essentially upon the employ- Proporti nient of mathematical ratios in the dimensions of a building. It is a curious but significant fact that such proportions as those of an exact cube, or of two cubes placed side by side dimensions increasing by one-half (e.g., 20 feet high, 30 wide, and 45 long) or the ratios of the base, perpendicular, and hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle (e.g., 3, 4, 5, or their multiples) please the eye more than dimensions taken at random. No defect is more glaring or more unpleasant than want of proportion. The Gothic architects appear to have been guided in their designs by proportions based on the equilateral triangle. By harmony is meant the general balancing of the several Harmon; parts of the design. It is proportion applied to the mutual relations of the details. Thus, supported parts should have an adequate ratio to their supports, and the same should be the case with solids and voids. Due attention to proportion and harmony gives the appearance of stability and repose which is indispensable to a really fine building. Sym- Symmel metry is uniformity in plan, and, when not carried to excess, is undoubtedly effective. But a building too rigorously symmetrical is apt to appear cold and tasteless. Such symmetry of general plan, with diversity of detail, as is presented to us in leaves, animals, and other natural objects, is probably the just medium between the excesses of two opposing schools. Next to general beauty or grandeur of form in a building Ornamei I comes architectural ornament. Ornament, of course, may be used to excess, and, as a general rule, it should be con fined to the decoration of constructive parts of the fabric ; but, on the other hand, a total absence or a paucity of orna ment betokens an unplcasing poverty. Ornaments may be divided into two classes mouldings and the sculptured representation of natural or fanciful objects. Mouldings, no doubt, originated, first, in simply taking off the edge of anything that might be in the way, as the edge of a square post, and then sinking the chamfer in hollows of various forms; and thence were developed the systems of mouldings we now find in all styles and periods. Each of these has its own system ; and so well are their characteristics under stood, that from an examination of them a skilful architect will not only tell the period in which any building has been erected, but will even give an estimate of its probable size, as professors of physiology will construct an animal from the examination of a single bone. Mouldings require to be carefully studied, for nothing offends an educated eye like a confusion of mouldings, such as Pioman forms in Greek work, or Early English in that of the Tudor period. The same remark applies to sculptured ornaments. They should be neither too numerous nor too few, and, above all, they should be consistent. The carved ox skulls, for instance, which are appropriate in a temple of Vesta or of Fortune, would be very incongruous on a Christian church. Colour must be regarded as a subsidiary element in Colour architecture, and although it seems almost indispensable and has always been extensively employed in interiors, it is doubtful how far external colouring is desirable. Some