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Article ON GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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On Gothic Architecture.
accustomed , during the gloom of Paganism , to worship the Deity in proves ( a practice common to all nations ) , when their new' ' religion required covered edifices , they ingeniously projected to make them resemble groves as nearly as the distance of architecture would-permit ; at once indul g ing their old prejudices , and providing for their present - conveniences , by a cool receptacle in a sultry climate . And with what art and success they executed the project , appears from hence : that no
attentive observer ever viewed a regular avenue of well-grown trees intermixing their branches overhead , but it presently put him in mind of the long visits through a Gothic cathedral ; or ever entered one of the larger and more elegant edifices of this kind , but it represented to his imagination an avenue of trees . And this alone is that-which can be truly called the Gothic style of architecture .
Under this idea of so extraordinary a species of architecture , all the irregular transgressions against art ; all the monstrous offences against nature disappear ; every thing has its reason—every thing is in order , and an harmonious whole arises from the studious application of means proper and proportioned to the end . For could the archer be otherwise than pointed when the workman was to imitate that curve which
branches make by their intersection with one another ? Or could the " columns be otherwise than split into distinCl shafts , ' when they were to re « - . present the steins of a groupe of trees ? On the same princi p le was formed the spreading ramification of the stone-work in the windows ^ : and the stained g lass in the insterstices , the one being to represent the : branchesand the other the leaves of an opening grove ; and both
con-, curring to preserve that gloomy lig ht inspiring reli g ious horror . Lastly , we see the reason of their stupid aversion to apparent solidity in these stupendous masses , deemed so absurd by men accustomed to the apparent , as well as real strength of Grecian architecture . Had it been only a wanton exercise cf the artist ' s skill to shew he could ive real strength without the appearance of any , we mi ght
g indeed admire his superior science , but we must needs condemn his ill-judgment . But when we consider , that this surprising lightness was necessary to complete the execution of his idea of a rural place of worship , one cannot sufficiently admire the ingenuity of the
con-. ' This too will account for the contrary qualities in what I call the SAXON ARCHITECTURE . These artists copied , as has been said , from the churches in the Holy Land , which were built on the models of Grecian architecture , but corrupted by prevailing barbarism ; and still further , depraved by a religious idea . ' The first p laces of Christian worship were sepulchresand subterraneous caverns , places of
neces-^ , sity , low and heavy . "When Christianity became the religion of the state , and sumptuous temples began to be ereCted , they yet , in regard to the first pious ages , preserved the massive style , which was made still more venerable by the church of the Holy Sepulchre : This , on a double account being more than ordinarily heavy , was for its superior sanctity generally imitated , E z
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Gothic Architecture.
accustomed , during the gloom of Paganism , to worship the Deity in proves ( a practice common to all nations ) , when their new' ' religion required covered edifices , they ingeniously projected to make them resemble groves as nearly as the distance of architecture would-permit ; at once indul g ing their old prejudices , and providing for their present - conveniences , by a cool receptacle in a sultry climate . And with what art and success they executed the project , appears from hence : that no
attentive observer ever viewed a regular avenue of well-grown trees intermixing their branches overhead , but it presently put him in mind of the long visits through a Gothic cathedral ; or ever entered one of the larger and more elegant edifices of this kind , but it represented to his imagination an avenue of trees . And this alone is that-which can be truly called the Gothic style of architecture .
Under this idea of so extraordinary a species of architecture , all the irregular transgressions against art ; all the monstrous offences against nature disappear ; every thing has its reason—every thing is in order , and an harmonious whole arises from the studious application of means proper and proportioned to the end . For could the archer be otherwise than pointed when the workman was to imitate that curve which
branches make by their intersection with one another ? Or could the " columns be otherwise than split into distinCl shafts , ' when they were to re « - . present the steins of a groupe of trees ? On the same princi p le was formed the spreading ramification of the stone-work in the windows ^ : and the stained g lass in the insterstices , the one being to represent the : branchesand the other the leaves of an opening grove ; and both
con-, curring to preserve that gloomy lig ht inspiring reli g ious horror . Lastly , we see the reason of their stupid aversion to apparent solidity in these stupendous masses , deemed so absurd by men accustomed to the apparent , as well as real strength of Grecian architecture . Had it been only a wanton exercise cf the artist ' s skill to shew he could ive real strength without the appearance of any , we mi ght
g indeed admire his superior science , but we must needs condemn his ill-judgment . But when we consider , that this surprising lightness was necessary to complete the execution of his idea of a rural place of worship , one cannot sufficiently admire the ingenuity of the
con-. ' This too will account for the contrary qualities in what I call the SAXON ARCHITECTURE . These artists copied , as has been said , from the churches in the Holy Land , which were built on the models of Grecian architecture , but corrupted by prevailing barbarism ; and still further , depraved by a religious idea . ' The first p laces of Christian worship were sepulchresand subterraneous caverns , places of
neces-^ , sity , low and heavy . "When Christianity became the religion of the state , and sumptuous temples began to be ereCted , they yet , in regard to the first pious ages , preserved the massive style , which was made still more venerable by the church of the Holy Sepulchre : This , on a double account being more than ordinarily heavy , was for its superior sanctity generally imitated , E z