, 1876-08-19
The Sources 0G ArchitcCHr'nl
gypc-.
IRON HERBERT spE>CGm

When lately looking through the gale
rv Of the O,d Water Color Soeirt,, w"'
struck with the iucongruty pro'uc.d ~
putting regular architecture INTO lrr.s"
lar scenery. In one case, where the "a
ti>t had introduced u perfectly m"ct'
riCaI GrccMn cdiiirc into ~ mpunthinO Is
and somewhat wiId ltrlsrupr, tine DIS
cordant effect vas particularly N rNni
" How very unpic'urc,qnc,' sal. I"r
to her friend, a- they passed.; showing
that I was not alone in nv OBI lon
Here phrase, however set mr S. rN.tt.
ing. Why unpiclurcsqnc Picturesque
means, like II picIGrc--Iike W.T. men
choose for pictures. Way TIM sa"ul'
this b. not fit for Il picture :
Thinking the matter over nm.l
10 me that the artist had Sim l,.'t
thnt unity which is essential +. g'oi
picture. When the Other co11 .I.His
of landscape have irregular to'us nny
artificial structure introduced III $50 uly,
an irregular form, that it may So" p4,7
Of the landscape. The sam. 7 neral
character must pcrvade 1t and ,ul "lud.
ing objects; otherwise it, and the scene
amid which it stands, bcomc. rot one
thing hut two things; and Nc ~ II
looks out of place. Or, speakmE p'S
chologically, the associated idc., called
up by building with its win&s, win
lows, and all its parts sym'iie'ncaIiy
disposed, differ widely from the ideas as
sociated with an entirely irregular hand
scape; and the one set Of ideas tends to
banish the other.
Pursuing the train of thought, sundry
illustrative facts came to my mind.
remembered that castle, which is more
irregular in outline than any other kind
OF building, pIeases us most when seated
amid crags and precipices; while castle
ona plain seems an incongrnty. The
partly ,reeular and par,ly-irregnlar forms
OF our old farm houses, and our gabled
gothic manors and ahbeys, appear quite
IN harmony with an undulaling, wooded
country. In towns we prefer symmetri-
cal architecture and in tuwns it pro
deces in US M feeling of inc0ngruity.
because all surrounding shings-mcn,
horses, vehiclcs--are symmetrical also.
And here was reminded % notion
that has frequently recurred to mei
namely, that there is some relationship
between the several kinds 81 architecture
and the several classes of natural o jtcts.
Buildings in the Greek and Roman styles
seem, in virtue OF their symmetry, to
take their type from animal lite. In the
partly.irregular Gothic, ideas, derived
from the vegetable world appear to pre-
dominate. Aud wholly irregular build
ings, such as castlcs, may he consldcred
as having inorganic forms tor their
basis,
Whimsical as this speculation looks at
first sight, it is countenaiced by namei-
ous facts. The connexion between syn
metrical architecture and ani,hll forms,
may be inferred frnm the kind ot sym
metry we expect, and are satisfied with,
in regular buildings Thus in u Greek
temple we require that the iiOnt shall be
symmetrical in itself, and that the two
tlanks shah be alike; but We do not look
for uniformity between the tanks and
the front, nor bctwcen. the front and the
back. Tho identity of this symmetry
with that found in animals IS Obvious
Again, why is 1t that a building making
any .pretension to symmetry 'lispeases
US il not quite symmetrical Probably
the reply will be-Because we see that
the designers idea is not full carried
out and that hence our love Of CON-
pleteness is offended. But then there
come the further questiOns-IIow do We
know that the architects conception was
symmetricai2 Whence con,es this no
ton of symmetry which we have, and
which We sttribute "a him3 Unless
we fall back cpon tho old doctrine of
Inmate ideas. we must admit that the
idea of bilateral symmetry Is derived
from without; and to admit this is to
admit that II - derived from the higher
animals.