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Article STRAY THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE FINE ARTS. ← Page 2 of 2 Article ARCHITECTURE AND ARCHÆLOOGY. Page 1 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Stray Thoughts On The Origin And Progress Of The Fine Arts.
when compared with regard' to science , art . ancl mechanical resources , the difference becomes apparent . In Hindoo architecture , the most stupendous works are ¦ excavations from the solidrock , patience and perseverance being the chief requisites in their execution . Their mouldings and general ornaments are repeated to
excess , their figures display a preposterous reduplication of limbs , and monuments of great magnitude springing from the earth are seldom met with . The Egyptians have excavations quite as extensive as the Hindoos , and such edifices as the Temple of Thebes and the Pyramids bear ample testimony to their superior
-determination and mechanical skill . The ornaments and outline of their architecture is more varied than the Hindoo ; and though their figures are stiff and unA-aried in form , I hai'e already explained that this was in a great measure due to the peculiar institutions of the country , where , as the language was symbolical , it was
deemed important that the original forms should be retained , lest in process of time the meaning might be lost by the variation of the symbols . So many writers have entered into details concerning the Pyramids , colossal statues , mummy pits , obelisks , and sub--terranean temples of Egyptand the vast excai'ations
, , and enormous idol images of India , that most of my readers are familiar with them , and therefore I need not ¦ ¦ offer any description of them here . Alter India ancl Egypt , the most ancient ruins are those of Persia . The ruins of Persepolis are the remains of a once magnificent structure ; the architecture is said to be peculiarand
, remarkable for correct proportions and beautiful execution . These ruins consist of blocks of deep grey marble , orsrv h . i . r . -l n . rifl vylifm hio-hlv nolishfid . pearl v-bln . nl ? Vha
stones seem to have been united not by means of cement , but cramping irons , traces of which still remain . Some writers think the Persian style but one of the numerous offshoots ef the Egyptian ; others think it original , ancl that the resemblance is not imitative , but accidental , . and that from natural causes the Persians were eonstrained to build as the Egyptians ancl Hindoos did .
Lucian says that the Phoenicians built after the Egyptians , but no remains of their ancient architecture are left to confirm his opinion . It is hi ghly probable that the Phoenician architects used more timber than stone in their structures , Mount Lebanon ancl other places affording them an abundance of that material .
Sometimes a Avail was built alternately with cedar wood and stones ; this was probably the case AA'ith the temple at Jerusalem and King Solomon ' s palace , which Avas called "The House of the Forest of Lebanon , " in consequence of the great quantity of ivood used in its construction . Among the shepherd tribes of Israel there
seems to have been no impelling necessity for architectural structures . Saul , the first King of Israel , does not appear to have hacl a fixed habitation , and at Gilgal , where the most sacred rites of the Jewish faith Avere . solemnised , a pile of unhewn stones was raised by -J oshua , on taking possession of the promised landand
, making a covenant between Gocl ancl the people . There is no mention made of any other architectural work until the time of the building of the Temple of Jerusalem . 100-1 years B . C ., on the spot made sacred ty Ahraliaui ' s intended sacrifice !
THE CLA > - C- UIPBEIJ . IS THE HOCSE or LORDS . —On Monday , when Lord Clyde , the pacificator of India , who has served in every great battle in ivhich the British have heen engaged since Corunna , was installed as a Peer in the House of Lords , besides the hero being it Campbell the Lord Bishop of Bangor , ivho read prayers , was a Campbell ; the Lord Chancellor , who presided on the wool-SCICK , was a Campell ; and the new Peer was introduced by the Buke of Argyll , now Lord Privy Seal , mul ^ chiei' of the elan . —
Architecture And Archæloogy.
ARCHITECTURE AND ARCH ? LOOGY .
THE NATION'S PP . OGRESS IN AN ARCHITECTURAL POINT OF VIEW .
FAIRLY inaugurated now is the Architectural Session . The Eoyal Institute has opened its doors , the Architectural Association had previously done so ; the Architectural 3 Iuseum is beginning to stir while in Glasgow , Liverpool , Birmingham , and elsewhere , the Bodies have met and are preparing for action . There has been more than usual stir in architecture of late , and it will be well if in one
quarter or another a retrospective glance be taken at what has been achieved in that field during the last ten years - In the course of a long up-hill journey , it is sometimes desirable to pause and survey the difficulties that have been , surmounted . The sight of the long track behind , already accomplished , gives fresh energy to pursue the route . We hai'e got thus far , we reason , and the same A-igour that has
brought us to this stage will enable us to pursue our journey to the end . It has been a decade of great activity . The spirit of restoration has swept from Land ' s End to Berwickupon-Tweed , resting there but to illume her wings for a further flight across the border . The sister arts and industry have followed in her wake ; and ancient buildings haA-e been renovatedand modern edifices erected on all
, sides . A combination of circumstances , —the public baths and wash-houses movement , the Extra-mural Burial Act , the great improvement in the national appreciation of the > beautiful , —materially aided , we may be permitted to say , by the publication of illustrated periodicals of an art-teaching purpose ; ¦ the agitation of the educational question ;— -a combination , ive say , of these and other causes haA * e given an
impetus to the erection of public buildings that has no precedent . So much has been done , albeit so much remains to be accomplished , that we could scarcely realize the fact that the immense amount of work achieved is but the result of ten short years' labour , if we did not keep before our eyes the multitude of workers . Not only new churches , whose number at a moderate computation must considerably exceed a thousand , but new castles , IIOAV colleges , MAY schools , new town-halls , new vestry halls , new literary institutions , haA'e
arisen around us in incredible numbers . Countless new cemeteries clottkegreen landscape , as do numerous industrial schools , and asylums for lunatics , paupers , and invalids . All this speaks of vitality and of well-doing ; as well as of " faith , hope , and charity . " Britannia , in her time-honoured chariot , presses up the hill of progress through a country , which , if not flowing with milk and honey , is enriched with the wealth
accruing to industrious effort and thought-directed labour . May her shadow nei-er be less ! The battle of the styles has been fought in the progresspath . It is remarkable that the spectators of the great fight have not awaited tho result . They have gone to their homes , and , in their private capacity of peaceable citizens , have facilitated the building of town-halls , mechanics '
institutes , free libraries , and Avhatever else the spirit of tho times required of them , unbiassed by any opinions but their own . Those inclined to the Classic styles will point to St . George ' s Hall , Liverpool , the sets of "Chambers" ofthe same city , the Town Hall in Leeds , the warehouses of Manchester and Nottingham , railway stations in many parts of the kingdomclub-housesresidences such as Bridgeivater
, , House , and business-house premises in London ; while , throughout the country , Avhether in the recesses of Northumberland , in the Avoids of Yorkshire , in the labyrinths of streets in our cities , the public feeling , as evidenced by recent erections , such as All Souls , Halifax-, All Saints , Margaret-street , and a host of other instances , is seen to be in favour of Gothic architecture , as a fit rendering of
ecclesiastical expression . The Dissenter Avould appear to have the same feeling . Within tho last ten years the Wesieyans have built Gothic chapels at Ilkeston , Lincoln , . Liverpool , and many other places ; tho Independents at Lii-erpool , Weston-super-Mare , ancl , iiiA'arious other localities . Nor is Gothic without its important exemplars in other , departments , giving notably a museum to Oxford . The popular views respecting national education have called for the orectiou of numerous scholastic edifices—
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Stray Thoughts On The Origin And Progress Of The Fine Arts.
when compared with regard' to science , art . ancl mechanical resources , the difference becomes apparent . In Hindoo architecture , the most stupendous works are ¦ excavations from the solidrock , patience and perseverance being the chief requisites in their execution . Their mouldings and general ornaments are repeated to
excess , their figures display a preposterous reduplication of limbs , and monuments of great magnitude springing from the earth are seldom met with . The Egyptians have excavations quite as extensive as the Hindoos , and such edifices as the Temple of Thebes and the Pyramids bear ample testimony to their superior
-determination and mechanical skill . The ornaments and outline of their architecture is more varied than the Hindoo ; and though their figures are stiff and unA-aried in form , I hai'e already explained that this was in a great measure due to the peculiar institutions of the country , where , as the language was symbolical , it was
deemed important that the original forms should be retained , lest in process of time the meaning might be lost by the variation of the symbols . So many writers have entered into details concerning the Pyramids , colossal statues , mummy pits , obelisks , and sub--terranean temples of Egyptand the vast excai'ations
, , and enormous idol images of India , that most of my readers are familiar with them , and therefore I need not ¦ ¦ offer any description of them here . Alter India ancl Egypt , the most ancient ruins are those of Persia . The ruins of Persepolis are the remains of a once magnificent structure ; the architecture is said to be peculiarand
, remarkable for correct proportions and beautiful execution . These ruins consist of blocks of deep grey marble , orsrv h . i . r . -l n . rifl vylifm hio-hlv nolishfid . pearl v-bln . nl ? Vha
stones seem to have been united not by means of cement , but cramping irons , traces of which still remain . Some writers think the Persian style but one of the numerous offshoots ef the Egyptian ; others think it original , ancl that the resemblance is not imitative , but accidental , . and that from natural causes the Persians were eonstrained to build as the Egyptians ancl Hindoos did .
Lucian says that the Phoenicians built after the Egyptians , but no remains of their ancient architecture are left to confirm his opinion . It is hi ghly probable that the Phoenician architects used more timber than stone in their structures , Mount Lebanon ancl other places affording them an abundance of that material .
Sometimes a Avail was built alternately with cedar wood and stones ; this was probably the case AA'ith the temple at Jerusalem and King Solomon ' s palace , which Avas called "The House of the Forest of Lebanon , " in consequence of the great quantity of ivood used in its construction . Among the shepherd tribes of Israel there
seems to have been no impelling necessity for architectural structures . Saul , the first King of Israel , does not appear to have hacl a fixed habitation , and at Gilgal , where the most sacred rites of the Jewish faith Avere . solemnised , a pile of unhewn stones was raised by -J oshua , on taking possession of the promised landand
, making a covenant between Gocl ancl the people . There is no mention made of any other architectural work until the time of the building of the Temple of Jerusalem . 100-1 years B . C ., on the spot made sacred ty Ahraliaui ' s intended sacrifice !
THE CLA > - C- UIPBEIJ . IS THE HOCSE or LORDS . —On Monday , when Lord Clyde , the pacificator of India , who has served in every great battle in ivhich the British have heen engaged since Corunna , was installed as a Peer in the House of Lords , besides the hero being it Campbell the Lord Bishop of Bangor , ivho read prayers , was a Campbell ; the Lord Chancellor , who presided on the wool-SCICK , was a Campell ; and the new Peer was introduced by the Buke of Argyll , now Lord Privy Seal , mul ^ chiei' of the elan . —
Architecture And Archæloogy.
ARCHITECTURE AND ARCH ? LOOGY .
THE NATION'S PP . OGRESS IN AN ARCHITECTURAL POINT OF VIEW .
FAIRLY inaugurated now is the Architectural Session . The Eoyal Institute has opened its doors , the Architectural Association had previously done so ; the Architectural 3 Iuseum is beginning to stir while in Glasgow , Liverpool , Birmingham , and elsewhere , the Bodies have met and are preparing for action . There has been more than usual stir in architecture of late , and it will be well if in one
quarter or another a retrospective glance be taken at what has been achieved in that field during the last ten years - In the course of a long up-hill journey , it is sometimes desirable to pause and survey the difficulties that have been , surmounted . The sight of the long track behind , already accomplished , gives fresh energy to pursue the route . We hai'e got thus far , we reason , and the same A-igour that has
brought us to this stage will enable us to pursue our journey to the end . It has been a decade of great activity . The spirit of restoration has swept from Land ' s End to Berwickupon-Tweed , resting there but to illume her wings for a further flight across the border . The sister arts and industry have followed in her wake ; and ancient buildings haA-e been renovatedand modern edifices erected on all
, sides . A combination of circumstances , —the public baths and wash-houses movement , the Extra-mural Burial Act , the great improvement in the national appreciation of the > beautiful , —materially aided , we may be permitted to say , by the publication of illustrated periodicals of an art-teaching purpose ; ¦ the agitation of the educational question ;— -a combination , ive say , of these and other causes haA * e given an
impetus to the erection of public buildings that has no precedent . So much has been done , albeit so much remains to be accomplished , that we could scarcely realize the fact that the immense amount of work achieved is but the result of ten short years' labour , if we did not keep before our eyes the multitude of workers . Not only new churches , whose number at a moderate computation must considerably exceed a thousand , but new castles , IIOAV colleges , MAY schools , new town-halls , new vestry halls , new literary institutions , haA'e
arisen around us in incredible numbers . Countless new cemeteries clottkegreen landscape , as do numerous industrial schools , and asylums for lunatics , paupers , and invalids . All this speaks of vitality and of well-doing ; as well as of " faith , hope , and charity . " Britannia , in her time-honoured chariot , presses up the hill of progress through a country , which , if not flowing with milk and honey , is enriched with the wealth
accruing to industrious effort and thought-directed labour . May her shadow nei-er be less ! The battle of the styles has been fought in the progresspath . It is remarkable that the spectators of the great fight have not awaited tho result . They have gone to their homes , and , in their private capacity of peaceable citizens , have facilitated the building of town-halls , mechanics '
institutes , free libraries , and Avhatever else the spirit of tho times required of them , unbiassed by any opinions but their own . Those inclined to the Classic styles will point to St . George ' s Hall , Liverpool , the sets of "Chambers" ofthe same city , the Town Hall in Leeds , the warehouses of Manchester and Nottingham , railway stations in many parts of the kingdomclub-housesresidences such as Bridgeivater
, , House , and business-house premises in London ; while , throughout the country , Avhether in the recesses of Northumberland , in the Avoids of Yorkshire , in the labyrinths of streets in our cities , the public feeling , as evidenced by recent erections , such as All Souls , Halifax-, All Saints , Margaret-street , and a host of other instances , is seen to be in favour of Gothic architecture , as a fit rendering of
ecclesiastical expression . The Dissenter Avould appear to have the same feeling . Within tho last ten years the Wesieyans have built Gothic chapels at Ilkeston , Lincoln , . Liverpool , and many other places ; tho Independents at Lii-erpool , Weston-super-Mare , ancl , iiiA'arious other localities . Nor is Gothic without its important exemplars in other , departments , giving notably a museum to Oxford . The popular views respecting national education have called for the orectiou of numerous scholastic edifices—