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  • Nov. 22, 1862
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Nov. 22, 1862: Page 8

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    Article ARCHITECTORAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR. ← Page 2 of 4 →
Page 8

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Architectoral Review Of The Year.

rally , in a very advantageous manner ; indeed , the picture galleries are the most successful parts of the building ; and to such an extent is this the ease , that even the proper arrangement of the articles exposed has suffered from their bad distribution ; whilst tbe general elevation and the ornamental details of tbe exterior particularly are very objectionable . No architect could have designed a work so unsatisfactory had he but studied the rudiments of his profession , and yet British architects are

unhappily represented to assembled Europe by this eminently unarchitectural building ! Even the Crystal Palace of 1851 could boast of merits superior to those of a desire on the part of artists , aud of the public , to seek some new mode of expressing the peculiar feelings and wants of the age . Compared with the Crystal Palace , the new International Exhibition building has been a step backwards rather than a step forwards in art development ; and , as such , it cannot be regarded as a fair exponent

of the effects notoriously produced upon our profession by the great intellectual movements of late years . It is a matter of extreme pain to me thus to feel obliged to criticise the labours of men who have laboured earnestly in the discbarge o f their duties ; but , as your President , it is necessary to place on record the fact that British architects are in no wise responsible for the International Exhibition building , and that they who would seek to trace the progress of architecture in

England during the period 1 S 51 and 1 S 62 must turn to other quarters for the elements of comparison . In my address of last year , I pointed out what I believed to be the position of our profession in society , and I illustrated it by incidents that had occurred in the House of Commons , and opinions expressed there and received even with applause , though little complimentary to our attainments , or our scientific position . I cannot venture to think that that my humble appeal would

do much towards our advancement ; but at the same time one circumstance has occurred of so eminently satisfactory a character , that I am sure I shall be pardoned in this place for calling particular attention to it . You will at once perceive that I allude to the invitation made to some of us , as architects , to advise the very distinguished committee appointed by her Majesty on the subject of the intended memorial to the memory of the Prince Consort . This invitation also has this most

flattering incident connected with if , that the suggestion came from her gracious Majesty herself . The advice we ventured to give has been , I am happy to say , approved by the distinguished men with whom we were placed in communication ; it has given satisfaction in the highest quarters , and , notwithstanding some ungenerous and violently unjust individual criticism , has been well received by the public . I hope , and I believe , that our well-known and able colleagues , now anxiously engaged in the

realisation of our suggestions , will achieve tbe success which the nation so anxiously desires . "With this gratifying fact before us , we may , I think , dismiss from our thoughts all further reference to the studied neglect of architects by the Governmental department connected with the art education of the country , and tbe absurd and laboured attack of one of the officers of that department , who seemed to have forgotten that such men as Inigo Jones and Wren

, Chambers and Soane , or Smirke aud Barry , had over lived in England ; or Michael Angelo , or Bramante , or Vignola , or Pallaclio , or a thousand others , had flourished in Italy ; or that Perrault or Perronet , or Hittorff or Visconti bad lived , or were living , in Erance ; or that Kleuze or Schinkol had ever lived or flourished in Germany ; or that he must have known architects in this country to whom his countrymen were not insensible as having some claims in the scientific world .

Before I pass frSm this subject , however , I cannot but express my hope that the profession I am attached to , and that I have followed for more than forty years , may receive from me in a kindly spirit a few words of caution , that we ought not to forget that the great principles of art demand something more than a mere patient reproduction of forms eliminated in , and appropriate to other times , without a sufficient reference to the great power given in us by new materials , demanding different

treatment , and a new exertion of the imaginative faculty . I shall have occasion to say presently a word or two on the subject of art education amongst ourselves , and what the institute desires to do to promote it , for it is a subject of great interest , because in other countries—as , for instance , in France and Belgium—the State interferes actively to provide the means of art education for the mass of the nation , under such conditions as to allow almost every one , who may desire it , to acquire sound and comprehensive opinions upon art questions ; and the

gratuitous course of lectures , and the industrial and drawing schools , are so brought , as it were , to the doors of the people in general , that they have , in the two instances cited , actually be ! comes nations of artists . There are many grave reasons tot hesitation on our parts before we adopt tbe system of State intervention in these details of education , and also for believingthat no sound vital art can be produced be such a forcing process . But , nevertheless , the importance of addressing himself

to a sypathising and educated public must be to the artist so great , that we may well consider how it would be possible for us , in our private capacity , to labour to diffuse more correct principles of taste than seem unfortunately now to prevail in our country . We need not seek to impose our own views , but we may strive to teach as well as to learn ; but we must always bear in mind that we shall not be able to influence public opinion unless we are really and trulof our own times , and

y true exponents of the spirit and feelings of our age in all that is good and pure , without servile deference to fashion , or yield , ing in any way the rights of our own consciences to temporary popular fancies or errors ; we ought in fact , to endeavour to guide the opinions of our contemporaries in the formation of their oesthetical principles , as applied to architecture , in tbe direction of devotion to moral beauty and earnest truthfulness . Much has been done of late towards the attainment of the

great object referred to , by the labours of our respected friends , Messrs . Sidney Smirke and Gilbert Scott , and by the authors of the papers read at your meetings ; but the audiences addressed on these occasions are limited , and the publicity given to this teaching does not reach the majority of those whom it is so desirable to enlighten . It seems to me that one of the most powerful instruments for diffusing the knowledge we are so much interested in imparting , would be by establishing courses

of lectures upon subjects connected with our art , written expressly in a popular and attractive style , and open , if not gratuitously , at least at a very low rate of payment , to all persons connected directly , or indirectly , wfth the building trades . The object we have to aim at is , as it were , to produce an atmosphere of art feeling , and this can only be obtained by popularising art , and by raising the tastes of all around us ; and moreover , we , as architects , have a direct interest in

advanciugthe art education of the classes who really carry out our designs , in order to ensure their being executed in the spirit with which they were conceived . It is precisely in the want of artistic feeling , and of true knowledge of the ends and object of their pursuits , that our artizans are inferior to those of the Continent ; and it is our duty , I hold , to strive to remove this obstacle to our art progress , at tbe same time that we diffuse the taste for architecture amongst the general publicby

, placing within the reach of those who may wish to learn , themeans of forming correct opinions on the subject . Of course it is difficult to organise any such system of public education , and . to give it a permanent character ; and the history of the mechanics' institutions proves that good intentions are not alone sufficient for the purpose ; but a firm faith in the policy of any course of proceeding almost inevitably leads to the

discovery of the means for attaining it . " Where there is a will , there is a way , " and surely there can be no greater difficulty in organising some form of gratuitous art education at the present day , than there was formerly in organising the grammar schools , and the municipal corporations , to which man ) ' of the functions of educational boards upon technical matters were entrusted . Our own institution might do much to popularise the knowledge of architecture ; and in this very building other societies periodically meet , which might render efficient service

in the cause . The discussion of the 2 iresent and of the probable future state of English architectural education , would , I fear , lead me too far , were I to pursue it to its legitimate limits , and indeed I fear it has carried me somewhat beyond the space allowable in an inaugural discourse . Its vital importance to our profession , must be my excuse , and most sincerely do I hope that the ideas I have expressed may induce more able heads than mine to

ponder over its difficulties . At present , however , I return to the consideration of temporary events , and resume our cursory view of their nature and tendency . On all sides we find that the fashion for municipal alterations set by our neighbours is being followed , with more or less enthusiasm ; and the various technical journals prove that such towns as Brussels , the Hague , Berlin , Vienna , & c , are undergoing a species of transformation , though on a different scale , yet analagous to the one latelv carried out in Paris . In London we have

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1862-11-22, Page 8” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 28 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_22111862/page/8/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
THE EARLY GRAND IN SCOTLAND. Article 1
THE THREATENED SECESSION FROM THE SUPREME GRAND ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF SCOTLAND.—No. VIII . Article 2
MASONIC JOTTINGS FROM ABROAD. Article 2
THE PYTHAGOREAN TRIANGLE.* Article 3
ANCIENT RINGS. Article 5
ARCHITECTORAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR. Article 7
REVIEWS. Article 10
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 12
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 13
ROYAL ARCH. Article 13
THE MASONIC MIRROR. Article 14
GRAND LODGE. Article 14
METROPOLITAN. Article 14
PROVINCIAL. Article 14
LEICESTERSHIRE. Article 15
IRELAND. Article 17
ROYAL ARCH. Article 17
MARK MASONRY. Article 17
Obituary. Article 18
Poetry. Article 18
THE WEEK. Article 18
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Architectoral Review Of The Year.

rally , in a very advantageous manner ; indeed , the picture galleries are the most successful parts of the building ; and to such an extent is this the ease , that even the proper arrangement of the articles exposed has suffered from their bad distribution ; whilst tbe general elevation and the ornamental details of tbe exterior particularly are very objectionable . No architect could have designed a work so unsatisfactory had he but studied the rudiments of his profession , and yet British architects are

unhappily represented to assembled Europe by this eminently unarchitectural building ! Even the Crystal Palace of 1851 could boast of merits superior to those of a desire on the part of artists , aud of the public , to seek some new mode of expressing the peculiar feelings and wants of the age . Compared with the Crystal Palace , the new International Exhibition building has been a step backwards rather than a step forwards in art development ; and , as such , it cannot be regarded as a fair exponent

of the effects notoriously produced upon our profession by the great intellectual movements of late years . It is a matter of extreme pain to me thus to feel obliged to criticise the labours of men who have laboured earnestly in the discbarge o f their duties ; but , as your President , it is necessary to place on record the fact that British architects are in no wise responsible for the International Exhibition building , and that they who would seek to trace the progress of architecture in

England during the period 1 S 51 and 1 S 62 must turn to other quarters for the elements of comparison . In my address of last year , I pointed out what I believed to be the position of our profession in society , and I illustrated it by incidents that had occurred in the House of Commons , and opinions expressed there and received even with applause , though little complimentary to our attainments , or our scientific position . I cannot venture to think that that my humble appeal would

do much towards our advancement ; but at the same time one circumstance has occurred of so eminently satisfactory a character , that I am sure I shall be pardoned in this place for calling particular attention to it . You will at once perceive that I allude to the invitation made to some of us , as architects , to advise the very distinguished committee appointed by her Majesty on the subject of the intended memorial to the memory of the Prince Consort . This invitation also has this most

flattering incident connected with if , that the suggestion came from her gracious Majesty herself . The advice we ventured to give has been , I am happy to say , approved by the distinguished men with whom we were placed in communication ; it has given satisfaction in the highest quarters , and , notwithstanding some ungenerous and violently unjust individual criticism , has been well received by the public . I hope , and I believe , that our well-known and able colleagues , now anxiously engaged in the

realisation of our suggestions , will achieve tbe success which the nation so anxiously desires . "With this gratifying fact before us , we may , I think , dismiss from our thoughts all further reference to the studied neglect of architects by the Governmental department connected with the art education of the country , and tbe absurd and laboured attack of one of the officers of that department , who seemed to have forgotten that such men as Inigo Jones and Wren

, Chambers and Soane , or Smirke aud Barry , had over lived in England ; or Michael Angelo , or Bramante , or Vignola , or Pallaclio , or a thousand others , had flourished in Italy ; or that Perrault or Perronet , or Hittorff or Visconti bad lived , or were living , in Erance ; or that Kleuze or Schinkol had ever lived or flourished in Germany ; or that he must have known architects in this country to whom his countrymen were not insensible as having some claims in the scientific world .

Before I pass frSm this subject , however , I cannot but express my hope that the profession I am attached to , and that I have followed for more than forty years , may receive from me in a kindly spirit a few words of caution , that we ought not to forget that the great principles of art demand something more than a mere patient reproduction of forms eliminated in , and appropriate to other times , without a sufficient reference to the great power given in us by new materials , demanding different

treatment , and a new exertion of the imaginative faculty . I shall have occasion to say presently a word or two on the subject of art education amongst ourselves , and what the institute desires to do to promote it , for it is a subject of great interest , because in other countries—as , for instance , in France and Belgium—the State interferes actively to provide the means of art education for the mass of the nation , under such conditions as to allow almost every one , who may desire it , to acquire sound and comprehensive opinions upon art questions ; and the

gratuitous course of lectures , and the industrial and drawing schools , are so brought , as it were , to the doors of the people in general , that they have , in the two instances cited , actually be ! comes nations of artists . There are many grave reasons tot hesitation on our parts before we adopt tbe system of State intervention in these details of education , and also for believingthat no sound vital art can be produced be such a forcing process . But , nevertheless , the importance of addressing himself

to a sypathising and educated public must be to the artist so great , that we may well consider how it would be possible for us , in our private capacity , to labour to diffuse more correct principles of taste than seem unfortunately now to prevail in our country . We need not seek to impose our own views , but we may strive to teach as well as to learn ; but we must always bear in mind that we shall not be able to influence public opinion unless we are really and trulof our own times , and

y true exponents of the spirit and feelings of our age in all that is good and pure , without servile deference to fashion , or yield , ing in any way the rights of our own consciences to temporary popular fancies or errors ; we ought in fact , to endeavour to guide the opinions of our contemporaries in the formation of their oesthetical principles , as applied to architecture , in tbe direction of devotion to moral beauty and earnest truthfulness . Much has been done of late towards the attainment of the

great object referred to , by the labours of our respected friends , Messrs . Sidney Smirke and Gilbert Scott , and by the authors of the papers read at your meetings ; but the audiences addressed on these occasions are limited , and the publicity given to this teaching does not reach the majority of those whom it is so desirable to enlighten . It seems to me that one of the most powerful instruments for diffusing the knowledge we are so much interested in imparting , would be by establishing courses

of lectures upon subjects connected with our art , written expressly in a popular and attractive style , and open , if not gratuitously , at least at a very low rate of payment , to all persons connected directly , or indirectly , wfth the building trades . The object we have to aim at is , as it were , to produce an atmosphere of art feeling , and this can only be obtained by popularising art , and by raising the tastes of all around us ; and moreover , we , as architects , have a direct interest in

advanciugthe art education of the classes who really carry out our designs , in order to ensure their being executed in the spirit with which they were conceived . It is precisely in the want of artistic feeling , and of true knowledge of the ends and object of their pursuits , that our artizans are inferior to those of the Continent ; and it is our duty , I hold , to strive to remove this obstacle to our art progress , at tbe same time that we diffuse the taste for architecture amongst the general publicby

, placing within the reach of those who may wish to learn , themeans of forming correct opinions on the subject . Of course it is difficult to organise any such system of public education , and . to give it a permanent character ; and the history of the mechanics' institutions proves that good intentions are not alone sufficient for the purpose ; but a firm faith in the policy of any course of proceeding almost inevitably leads to the

discovery of the means for attaining it . " Where there is a will , there is a way , " and surely there can be no greater difficulty in organising some form of gratuitous art education at the present day , than there was formerly in organising the grammar schools , and the municipal corporations , to which man ) ' of the functions of educational boards upon technical matters were entrusted . Our own institution might do much to popularise the knowledge of architecture ; and in this very building other societies periodically meet , which might render efficient service

in the cause . The discussion of the 2 iresent and of the probable future state of English architectural education , would , I fear , lead me too far , were I to pursue it to its legitimate limits , and indeed I fear it has carried me somewhat beyond the space allowable in an inaugural discourse . Its vital importance to our profession , must be my excuse , and most sincerely do I hope that the ideas I have expressed may induce more able heads than mine to

ponder over its difficulties . At present , however , I return to the consideration of temporary events , and resume our cursory view of their nature and tendency . On all sides we find that the fashion for municipal alterations set by our neighbours is being followed , with more or less enthusiasm ; and the various technical journals prove that such towns as Brussels , the Hague , Berlin , Vienna , & c , are undergoing a species of transformation , though on a different scale , yet analagous to the one latelv carried out in Paris . In London we have

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