New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-13

ScribnerS Sons N'''''cS
hhMMAli ANS N En- AaEcHITEcTuRE AND oRNA-
TSS , from Tes the pSrest Works sec1ted Re
Togcher with Short DcscIipiiyn Tex and Drawn
Sryihn N, frGentice Folio. PIP. " i6 Co Charles
hoth OF these books have been needed: the frs,
because the architecture of the Renaissance in
italy has never before been adequately described
!" popular volume, and the second because
ioi'i'ee's themselves have given too slivht at
''ioh To the sixteenth century in Spain Yet
N"Sie Is every reason in the world why the
"reminiscences architecture of the South should he
"iueiy ana constantly studied II is TODAY, the
al Architecture ny which most Of our architects are
pruning The Romanesquc influence Of Rich
ards"n, with its byzantine tendencies has long
since ceased to be an active force. The moder,
N'"ue"hlc Sch""l so conspicu ously tyoihed by the
late Richard NJ Hunt. is winning new adbcrents
every year without justifyng itself thus far nc
inc S'ho"I from which our architectural growth
In the next hundred years may lee ,,r.ctc5 =,
start The architecture Of tho Italian penais-
S"h''' on the other hand. seem, To Ire SLOWLY
out steadily demonstrating it's intimate connoc-
'"h win the vial development OF our own work
- - o"iIlS thls not through an imposition 81 its
9'' i"'e characteristics upon the taste OF Ameri-
C"ii architects. 1t is accomplishing it's tas,
through Kind of filtration II its essential min
'lPiea down through the mass Of our architect
ural art. In so far as we ,,,isundars,or, IT,,
principles and borrow their outer busk ,va shall
S""er Tor our intercourse with the Italian Ro-
nalSSahce' but to grasp them firmly and employ
'hein with discretion In the working out of our
own IDEAS is to lay hold OF fertilizing quantity
al great strength and value.
There is u curious tendency abrna5 =, ,,,lr
value the architecture Of BrunelIeschi the san
GAIN. Bramante and their colleagues To regard
1t as dead architecture. something no doubt
"eauthui in itself. but no longer fruitful in les
sons Tor modern minds Greek architecture *
"u'''it'eu TO be- and Gothic. too. There is a
pIausihility about the charee 1t is true that
the Italian Renaissance produced its archi-
lecture out Of a revived inspiration, out Of an
enthusiasm for the classical past and not sud
u'hlH' out or It's own Independent genius II is
also true THAT such Renaissance architecture
SHOWS the body without The soul the decoration
without the living organism beneath it, But
L" weigh the failures and not the successes is
surely mistaken proceedings and To say that
Italy lacked architectural originality i'm the
hftoenth ana sixteenth centuries is In i,.,.,r,
the true significance Of what men like Iirlrport.
ana EeruzH did With their borrowed inspira-
non IL was unnistakabiy an Inspiration In /
referring To Bramante and estimating the In
uro'edhesS OF his age To that famous architect |
MT Anderson observes that he seems to have
revealed To the Roman architects of the dav the /
interest mat could be obtained In the simple
distribution Of features. ana the effect that
9""o proportion cou!! give apart from orna-
ihent. at was practically the idea that is
denoted in that passage that gave the orcbi
lecture or the italian Renaissance it's FONDA
'ioh ana ITS crown. II not the mere re-
SuScltation OF Greek and Roman forms thar
constituted the Renaissance and though Mr.
Anderson Is himself wcil aware of his he |
hsht nave been more emphatic in stating it
indeed his grasp Of the fact wcakens lalo.,,. /
AMY when he comes To Bramante and thoiYb !
&c speaks cordially OF the Urbinatc as has
'eeh SHOWN b. the lines cited above he seems /
Foubied because various writer's are inclined |
% regard him as the chief architectural figure
u MS ''ine the inve ntor, as Mr.. Anderson COM
'li"As' OF The Renaissance system. our author
las been misled by phrase. Nobody wants
o forget that without Bruncllcschi there wcuI5
'f"bahy have been no Bramantc; no one who
ares To look at the matter clearly or,its g.
otice That Albert and Micheozzo paved tho
ay Tor what IS best in the architecture Of the
chihsnla- 1t would be about as WIS.,, 10 ovar
'"k these men a ii would be TO forget that
paiSht through the culture of Italy n wave of |
iissicsm was spreading. on which Bramante
'ould ride to fame-with others But tbe al ! {
iirers and partisans OF that :empestuous man
genius put him in the first place because |
his work more than in that OF any other of |
Is countrymen the broad PRINCIPLES of ,he
lassic era are discovered in a perfect fusion
ith the natural taste and feeling OF italy ber
will find |