Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/479

 _ June 7, 1872. _THE BUILDING NEWS. 457 —eeeeeaanaaaeanannaeeuauuuuuuuuuuuuuauaa eee eee, work pupils are allowed to compete till the age of thirty, so that a prizeman might be thirty-five before he returned to his own country to set up for himself, and was seldom less than thirty. In the examination portion of this system the most noticeable thing is the extreme importance attached to geometry, both pure and applied—a study shamefully neglected in this country. The pure geometry is not taught in the form of Euclid, but in modern and strictly scientific works. Descriptive geometry isrightly looked upon as the very foundation-stone of architectural draughtsmanship ; indeed, over much attention is, perhaps, paid to some of its subordinate forms, so that a good deal of time is wasted on complicated and practically useless problems of stone-cutting and the projection of shadows. In the elaborateness of its scientific teaching, however, the Ecole des Beaux Arts offers nothing peculiar, but on the contrary, comes far behind such establishments as the Ecoles des Ponts et Chausées and des Arts et Metiers. History is almost absolutely neglected. Itis of practically no importance in the entrance examinations, and no one ever thinks of troubling his head about it afterwards. The crass ignorance of young French artists on all collateral matters of general information is almost incredible, and quite beneath contempt. The general system of the Ecole is thoroughly vicious. The student has set before him a number of examples, which he is told are alone good, which alone he is to copy. His master will tell him that this window is too large, that column too heavy, that facade badly propor- tioned, and will criticise his plans scarcely ever for their practical arrangement and convenience, but for their pretty distribution and symmetry—on paper. There is no real attempt whatever to teach construction ; indeed, it is a matter of perfect indiffe- rence to every one whether a design is really con- structible or not. If it be, it would generally need a very Midas, with his ass’s ears as well as his gold, to think of attempting it. A general tint of light carmine is the favourite method of con- struction at the Ecole, for, like charity, it covers a multitude of sins. This school would be admirably adapted to the formation of scene- painters, but if ever an architect comes out of it he will be the most wonderful genius the world has ever seen. Of him at least we shall be able to say that he was born, and not made. For how is this system to form architects ? Where is the use of making a lot of designs regardless of construction, then a lot of construction regardless of design? The proverb says “ Scientia scit, ars utitur scitis,” and it is folly to imagine that if you learn all the art first by itself, and then all the science by itself, you are therefore a practical artist, and know how to put the two together; they must advance hand in hand, the science rather leading the way, for you cannot apply knowledge you do not possess. It is but fair to add, however, that as the jury of the Ecole changes, the pupils make their designs to suit the tastes of those who may happen to be in power. At present the prevailing influence is that of Lefuel, Garnier, and Co., the school of the New Louvre and the New Opera. When they go out, the studies may become more serious, or less so; but no school ought to be thus dependent for the character of its teaching on the caprices and personal tastes of a rotating series of cliques. Before examining the products of this system, it may be well to say a few words about the other architectural schools of Paris. A certain amount of architectural construction has always formed part of the engineering education given both at the Government School of the Ponts et Chauseés, and at the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, where are educated nearly all the civil engineers who do not intend to go in for » Government appointments. At both schools, how- ever, it was, until quite recently, and at the former it is still, quite subservient to engineering. At the latter school, however, great extension has lately been given to the architectural branch, and since architects have shown themselves the slaves of routine, and are unable or unwilling to keep pace with the rapid advance of constructive science, the engineers have determined to take up the position left vacant by them, and to give a thorough archi- tectural education to their pupils. A great many of these young men call themselves engineer-archi- tects, and the works they obtain become every day more important and less purely engineering. The Ecole des Arts et Manufactures was originally a private foundation, intended to afford a thorough technical education in the mechanical and industrial arts. On this model it ‘vas attempted to found in 1865 an Ecole Centrale d’Architecture. No better model could possibly have been chosen. It started under first-rate auspices, with an admirable pro- gramme, as usual with French programmes, rather too extensive. It professed to form thorouhly practical artists, to teach architects to consider, not “How has my neighbour done this?” or how they could drag in a certain number of more or less beautiful forms which they had been taught were the only beautiful ones, but to consider ‘“‘ How can I best do this thing, considering its objects, the properties of the materials I have to employ, and the condi- tions by which I am bound?” The director and founder of the school, however, was unfortunately fonder of setting forth his theories in well-turned sentences than of attempting to give them practical existence, so that he finally became the apostle of a sort of sentimento - symbolico - trancendental style, admirably adapted to the Island of Laputa, but decidedly out of place in this work-a-day world. All but his faithful disciples and the exponents of his theories soon left the school. The old vice crept in, the study of construction became divorced from that of design, and the work of the pupils became scarcely more practical than | that produced at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, and far inferior to it in beauty of design and detail. Mr. West, having given illustrations in corroboration of his remarks, went on to say that neither the Ecole des Beaux Arts nor the Ecole Centrale gave a real architectural education, for in neither was the pupil taught to make his design grow out of his construction, to make every part of his building a logical and necessary sequence of some other part or of some requirement of the programme. The pupil should start not by deciding on his style, but by determining to carry out perfectly all that was re- quired of him, and his building would fall into shape almost of itself, and prevent his adopting any archxological style. The practical application of various methods of construction and the comparative economy or advantage of using different mate- rials under varying conditions, were matters not considered worth teaching at the Ecole. The pupils were taught drawing and shading admirably, and they learnt to appreciate perfectly all the exquisite delicacy of the Classical orders, to know them thoroughly by heart, and to compose in them with the greatest facility, so as to produce the most astonish- ing decorative effects ; but they were taught to apply the same stereotyped forms to all materials alike, allowing nothing, or next to nothing, for their different natures and properties. Surely that man was no architect who, in the quiet of his own studio, could make a design for a building, utterly ignoring the practical conditions under which he would have to work. He was no architect who merely imitated some consecrated or pleasing form, careless of its adaptation to his materials, or of its practical utility. Yet such men as this were produced by the French system. By no means an exceptional case was that of a man who had gained the Grand Prix de Rome, yet was ignorant of the construction of acommon door, and did not know how a quarter- partition ought to be framed. It was such scanda- lous ignorance as this that led the Compagnie Immobili¢re and M. Mirés to attempt to build a second Paris of six-storied palatial barracks outside Marseilles, on a glaring plain exposed to the full blaze of the southern sun, to the full force of that fearful southern wind, the Mistral. Not half the land was built over, not half the houses begun have ever been finished, and the few inhabitants of these palaces are of the very lowest class. The company failed, thousands were ruined, and Mar- seilles is approached through a city of desola- tion, because architects did not choose to allow for the habits of the people or the nature of the country. Mr. West then entered into the details of his own experience of architectural education in France. At the advice of many friends he went to Paris, and entered one of the largest and most famous of the ateliers connected with the Ecole, After nearly two years’ hard work, howeyer, the results attained were so unsatisfactory that he went to study under M. Viollet le Duc, and his pupil M. de Baudot, who set him practical problems in which he was forced to work out his own notions, never altering anything without giving him con- vincing reasons, and calling him to account for every part of his design. The result was that in six months he was taught how to learn. (To be continued.) ——————— The Liverpool Health Committee have resolved to divide the street sweepers into three classes— strong active men at 18s. a week, intermediate at 16s., and infirm at 15s. The Rey. A. G. Legge has exhibited to the Norfolk and Norwich Archeological Society a collec- tion of pottery, stained glass, ornamental tiles, and other relics, found upon the site of the old Castle at North Elmham, built by Bishop Spencer in the time of Richard II. ARCHITECTURAL & ARCHAOLOGICAL SOCIETIES. Oxrorp ArcnirecruRAL AND HusrorrcaL Socrery.—The second excursion this term took place on Saturday week, when Wantage, the Icknield Way, Letcombe Castle, and other places of interest were visited. Arriving at Wantage, the party proceeded to the church, where Mr. James Parker gaye a short account of its history, and exhibited a coloured plan showing the different dates at which he supposed that several portions of it had been erected. The Church of Wantage was mentioned in the Domesday Survey, but in all probability the present church was not on the same site as the old one. The builder of the present church was in all probability Fulke Fitz -Warine, at the close of Henry III. or the beginning of Edward I.’s reign, and the subsequent alterations in the church of Edward II.’s time were probably due to his descendants. Great alterations were evidently made in the fifteenth century, most of the windows being of that date. The party then walked to East Challow Church, where Mr. Parker made some remarks respecting the ancient work, which was chiefly of Edward I.’s time. The party proceeded across the fields to West Challow, where they were shown the church, which, itself probably of Henry III.’s time, possesses also remains of the rood-screen and a porch of the fifteenth century. Thence they made for Childrey Church. Mr. Parker here lectured on the history of the church, and ex- hibited also a coloured plan showing what he con- sidered to be the various dates. Although not men- tioned in the programme, it was decided to extend the walk as far as Sparsholt Church. Thence the party climbed the hill to Letcombe Basset Church, where they were received by the Rector, who pointed out the interesting details of this little church, which dates from the time of Henry II. The abacus of the little round chancel arch is most elaborately carved, and during the process of restoration two of the old Norman windows were discovered existing in the chancel, which had been lengthened a few feet only at some subsequent period. The church has been carefully restored, and is in most excellent order. Mr. Willis kindly guided the party to the top of the hill, where they walked round the en- trenchments of the great British fortress, stopping a few moments to examine the remains of the cist which was discovered a year ago. LricestersnirE ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHX0- LOGICAL Socrery.—The usual bi-monthly meeting of this Society was held on Monday week. The follow- ing gentlemen were elected members of the Society. The Earl of Gainsborough, the Rey. A. M. Rendell, the Rey. Canon Burfield, the Rev. Charles Fryer Eastburn, Captain Worswick, and Captain Pearson. The following antiquities were exhibited by Mr. John Hunt: Two encaustic floor tiles from Beeby Church, Leicestershire. A tradesman’s token, issued in Leicester by David Deakin in 1657, A denarius of Gratian and other Roman coins, found in Leicester. By Mr. Traylen: A collection of Roman remains from Castor, Northamptonshire, including a mould for casting a small mask, two inches in height, vases of various sizes and patterns, bone pins and bodkins, an aurius of Vespasian, and other coins. By the Rey. J. H. Hill, F.S.A.: Pedigrees of the Wentworth and De Insula families written by Blore, the historian of Rutland. By the Rey. A. Pownall, F.S.A.: A tetradrachm of Smyrna, with turreted head, the impersonation of the city; Mr. Pownall doubted the genuineness of this coin. The Rey. A. Pownall also exhibited an object in bronze, found at East Farndon, almost on the surface of the soil. In form it is an elongated diamond shape, measuring 2+in. long, by 1din. at the wide point, with a thickness of about 3in. The sides are both of them ornamented —one with the figure of a bird, marked by ineised lines, and displayed much as the spread eagle is in heraldry—the other with a pattern of a simple kind which may be described as combining cross and circle, in variations. This pattern is in low relief, and the excised parts have been filled in with a pigment or enamel of a pale blue, the lines of the ornament on the other side having been likewise picked out with similar substance, only in colour not blue but white. There is reason for supposing it once formed the pommel of a sword or dagger, such as might be used on state occasions, and its date is probably that of the thirteenth century. Mr. North exhibited a portion of the ancient Leicester stained glass, lately purchased by this Society, and read a paper descrip- tive of it. The portion produced represented the Birth of the Virgin. Mr. North pointed out how that event had been treated artistically in Medieval times, and later by Albert Diirer and others.