The sun., 1891-05-03
so,rr QUESTIONS or Asz


so,U QUESTIONS or AHE.
Cathedral Designs ~ shs As.Ae-y.
SECOND ro1Ion.
Thu designs Of Messrs. Helms and La Farss
Ike Those Of Messrs. Potter and Robertson.
show an exterior which IL Gothic. a. regards
outline and general eject. but In which the
ssmicirs,ular arch has been employed. Insi 10
they employ the round arch again. and ,fst
the discr repancy between exterior and intei Aor
Is greater than In Messrs. Potter and Rob srt-
sons work. Here the general type and the
construction OF the insldei 10 expressed out side.
but within the 0othic-see emine shell Of Nj ssrs.
Helms and La FARCE We find church OF pure
n byzantine character. For their round
plan. indeed, they have adopted the Latin
cross characteristic OF Western art. ins tead Of
the Greek cross with short and sausA arms
characteristics OF the Orient But In all other
respects tho orientslism Of their interior 10
pronounced and consistent Their nave 10
composed Of an oblonk compartment rooted
with barrel vault and Of two square compart-
ments rooted with shallow domss. Each tram
sept arm consists Of single oblonG oompart-
ment and great semitnroular apse; and the
moderately long choir likswiee ends In . semi
circular sweep surrounded BY ohapels The
central area 10 large, although not 80 large a.
In either Of ths. other designs. and 10 covered
BY lofty do me.
Seen in the beautifully executed watsr-oolo
perspective. whore all the eventual color deco
ration 10 carefully indicated. this interior
strikes one as beautiful and as moro appropri-
ate to the needs Of to-dsly than either OF ito
rivals, at least IN so far a. regards the possi-
bility that It may be wen carried out Ger
tatnly we are m0re likely to DO able to produce
properly ornate interior By the use Of colored
marblsA mosaics and paintings than BY the
use Of the carving which Gothic scheme dc.
mands. OF course the sfnset which this water
color shows will never b perceived In the
actual church. 1t Is . lawful sxpedlent whom
experts are to b. shown tho character Of an In
,tsrlor. to cut away portions Of its structure
that other portions may be revealed But un-
accustomed syss may bs warned Of the fact
that In the actnA church NO such view
into the dome could be had from the
point of. view chosen b. the drauRhtsman.
Certain deiects in the plan should. moreover.
be noticed. We may leave It to individual taste
to decide whsthsr. nov that the apsldal chap.
els. which were 80 useful - we'll 40 beautiful
in ancient cathsdrsls. have lost their old sools-
siasticM reason for being. they should be re-
produced and put to some modorn utilitarian
service. II this Is allowable II was certainly
Q good idea to mark tho chief ehspels as places
Of honorable sspulture. and TO place vsstries
between them and the chapter house In the
centre Of the curve. Buewith this arranRem ent
what Is the use Of the oloistsrs which lie to the
northward Of the navef And why were the
apsidal chapels 90 designed that the central
ono Tho chapter house) is smaller than those
which flank It. and that its square end neither
retreats behind the line Of these. a. IL the case
with tho lateral vestriss. nor asssrts itself
Al A>.k - a. r.
execution tho ensct would be most unfortu-
nate. especially on the interior. and II seems
rs though It should not have been dimeult to
produce better Arrangement for In nothing
arc tho early churches Of southern France Tor
instance. moro admirable and various than In
thsir circles Of spsidal oh apels.
Turning to tho exterior We find. ~ has been
said. small explanation Of the interior. The
choir and tranAept euds are. indeed. explains
tory and tho lash,r are the most beautiful Of
all the external featurssi and the spireless
towers which sise ON either side behind them.
while they do not group we'll with their imme-
diate surroundir,g ,gs. have CONSTITUTIONAL sig /
niflcance as suggesting an interior vault Of |
some kind which needs vigorous buttressinR. |
But who could divine that this vault is dome. |
the drum OF which is lighted through the tail |
windows that seem to light square lantern.
and the crown OF which rises to about the mid
die Of the windows in tho bsse Of the spirep
And who could fancy that this nave roof
covers two small domes and . narrow bar
rel vault7 Even Judged In and for itself
this exterior 10 net vsry satisfactory.
Tho apsidal chapels, as has been said. arc
lwkwardly DESIGNED; the transition from the
great tower to it, spiro is 30 poorly managed
that tho two hardly seem to belons together:
and though the western towers are much bet
TOR and tho great arch between them is 1ne IN
ITSELF the composition OF the west front as
whole lacks unity aud rspose. Its features are
70 large and so numerous that all effect OF wall
s lost. and the turrets which crown the but
.reases between the central arch and the
.owers seem crowded In where they have NO
right to be. Nor docs the fashion Of tho nave
windows strike one As very happy. nor the
presence Of the gable behind the beautiful
,emicircle OF the transopt end. No ono could
wish to see this church built. for It is In reality
he inside Of ono church enclosed In the outer
,hell Of another. But one would like to sec
Nessrs Helms and La FARCE try their hand at
he production OF a true exterior for their very
interior.
Tho first thing to be said about Mr.. Halsey
Woods drawings 10 that nothing OF the char
,cter of his two great water colors should have
,een admitted into the competition. They do
lot show how his church would look whom
,uilt. They show how neither 1t nor any other
structure built by human hands ever possibly
,ould look. His exterior. II We take their wit
,ess. will be made Of porphyry and amethyst
md gold. or rather Of somo unknown SUBJ
stance combining the qualities OF all OF these:
{ will rise so high that the clouds OF heaven
will sweep among Its towers rs among noun
ain peaks. and. apparently. he will contract
hat 1t shall have a background composed OF
hunder clouds and strsaks Of rsnge-colored
ight And In the interior he promises again
o give US an impossible kind OF gorgeous
'olor. illumlned In an impossibIy gorgeous
way. No seriously minded artist could consent
o have his work mtsrepressnted In SO glsrIng
md tricky . manner; and while these draw
ngs may impose on ignorant eyes. they will
o more sensible eyes merely give measure Of
Mr. Woods lack OF artistic consoientio ousness.
EQUAL fault OF another kind must be found !
zI&h ! 4 militia d.a aYxip1a Tha |