The San Francisco call., 1910-09-11

~ ROtESSOR WILLIAM H GOOD
~ YEAR. curator Of fine arts OF the
Brooklyn museum. has Just re-
turned from Pisa. He was sent
there early this summer by the mu-
scum 10 investigate the report that
the dip OF the famous leaning tower
Of Pisa was due 20 accident and not TO
design Professor Goodyear re-estab-
lished the results OF his former inves-
LEGATIONS. which were that the tower
is a carefully planned architectural
stunt" bit OF bravado intended by
its builders to show that so long as
the center of gravity is carefully cal
culated building won't fall even If It
leans as much as does this famous
tower
incidentally Professor Goodyear took
the first photograph Of the tower in
which the extent Of the lean IS shown
by plumb lines. This apparently i'm
possible task was accomplished by
placing the lines inside the camera. a
solution OF the problem suggested by
Prof Charles S. Hastings of Yale. who
has been deeply interested in the cura-
tors Investigations. These inyesttga-
tions cover several years and have in
volved thousands OF measurements ana
the taking Of hundreds of photographs
relating TO what may briefly be
summed up as the hitherto unknown
lack Of symmetry in medieval build
ings, especially in many Of the famous
cathedrals of Europe.
The measurments were made TO prov.
and the photographs were taken to pre-
sent the proofs to the eye that thsarch-
itect builders Of the medieval cathedrsls Is
did not slavishly follow a geometricaIly
set pattern but purposely introduced
numerous variations OF line, spacing
and ornament. Professor Goodyear
holds that the great beauty of these
structures and the lively and pictur-
esque Impression they make upon the
beholder is largely, indeed chiefly due
10 these variations. So skillfully are
these variations introduced that while
their effect is greatly TO enhance the
beauty Of the building in which they
were employed, they are not apparent
unless searched for. That is the reason
their existence had to be established by
laborious measurements. assisted by the
patient eye of the Photographic lens
In other words, Professor Goodyear has
rediscOVered the principle OF architec-
turas asymmetrics, which the ancients
are known TO have employed, but which
until his discoveries has been ignored
or attributed to accident in the work Of
the medieval builders incidentally he
has found that no building presents so
many departures from set symmetry
as does the cathedral in Pisa, and his
interesting theory is that when the
leaning tower was erected its builders
deliberately planned TO go the cathe-
era one better"
A familiar illustration may be used
to prove to the layman the value of de-
parting from a slavish adherence to
symmetry in a work OF art. A chair
carved by machinery repeats each orna-
mental detail Of the pattern with abso-
lutte accuracy. The result is tame and
resung-merely commercial, in
fact The human hand, on the contrary
can not repeat the details of a design
with absolute precision Fer this rea-
son the old hand carved chairs present
numerous subtle variations which the
eve may not be able to pick out but
which give life and beauty TO the prod
uct OF the artisan.
Immediate and timely Importance is
given to Professor Goodyear's work by
the fact that it is being taken account
ef b. a distinguished American arehi-