The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-01
ARCHITECTURE.
The One Art Which Has Made No Ad-
vance i'm Hundreds of Years.


eve will construct buildings of the classic
style of architecture just as the old Greeks
and Romans did,
This is the first sentence is a very WELL
written article from Washington 10 the
Journal under date of Oct. "a. 1t was
signed by your correspondent j. E. NJ AS
matter of newspaper work it was ex-
oeedingly well done. The closing sentence
Of the first paragraph is as follows: 1.-The
old Greeks and Romans would not have
built a temple for an office building but
they would have built an office building on
the lines of an old Greek temple" The
quotations are from remarks from James
Knox Taylor, supervising architect OF the
Treasury Department. Mr.. Taylor is the
best architect who has been in the gov
eminent office for many years. Mr.. Taylor
is sincere. He wants 10 do what is right.
Ii is hardly fair to quote a man at second
hand, no matter how serious or skillful
the correspondent who writes the inter-
view may be. 1t is matter of fact, how
ever, that the quotations as made and as
expressed by your correspondent accurate
represent the sentiment of the architects
and the architectural spirit of this time
Mr.. Taylor has the sentiment. support and
sympathy of most of the architects of this
country when he says: 1--WE will construct
buildings of the classic style of architecture
just as the old Greeks and Romans did"
How absurd is this. However, it repre-
sents the condition of architecture in the
world to-day.
The art of architecture is the only art
which rests solely and only on the ira
n Of 81, rrI--
vital expression or thought in the art Of
architecture since the sixteenth century
The art OF architecture is the one dead
art. a few have struggled to show the
spirit and life and sentiment of modern
times. but the shackles of tradition have
been too strong. We expect the architecture
Of the old Greeks and Romans as a matter
of course, and one has the spirit or
strength or artistic insight to controvert
it, Think of this sentence again. eve will
construct buildings of the classic style of
architecture just as the old Greeks and
Romans did. That is what we are doing
IN architecture, and that is why the art
of architecture is the one dead art at this
time. In the painters art there is vitality.
The successful use OF color and modern
sentiment and life are a part of the art
of the modern painter. The art OF the
landscape painter has developed absolutely
and wholly siuce the art of architecture be-
gan its decline. The art of the sculpto.
does not rest on the traditions of the
past The art of music-the greatest of
all artists of relatively recent origin wag-
ner was a Philistine to the old school,
Richard Strauss was another Each step
ped out of the old circle. Each came
little nearer the great Divine. Wagner
saw God, and his art lives. Strauss saw
God, and he is alive. The art of archi-
lecture is without the spirit of the Infinite.
1t rests upon the traditions and spirit and
the inspiration of the distant past.
How absurd is it that one art, the art
of architecture, should be absolutely and
wholly controlled by ancient tradition, by
Greek architecture OF the fifth century
B. c., by the Roman architecture of CEN
turtles later and again by the Renaissance
of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
/ There was. OF course, an intermediate
Byzantine architecture, and the most
rational architecture the world has known,
that of the thirteenth century. but the ar
chitecture of the sixteenth century is the
last new note.
The art OF architecture is the one hide
bound art. Building has made advances,
but architecture has not. We do not ask
for literature OF the thirteenth century be-
fore we will read the books. We do not
ask for sculpture of the time of the fifth
century B. G. before we will consider that
of to-day. We do not ask the sculptor of
| to-day to do the work exactly as it was
done five hundred years B. c.. We do not
ask our artists, our painters to paint and
to color as did Michael Angelo, and
| Raphael, and Velasquez. The world has
| greater colorists and greater draughtsmer
| than any Of these, and they are the paint
| ers of modern times. We accept the spirit
| and efforts and technique of modern must
| clans and of modern artists in literature
| the sculptors. painters and orators, but
| We do not go to the literary artist and
| painter or the sculptor or the musician
and say TO him: "Of what period is your
| art?' We consider within ourselves whether
| or not he represents the spirit of our time
| This is not true of the art of architecture
ICE BECOMES COUNTESS