August_1965 — Page 35

Fashions in Art and Architecture (II)

by

Cedric

Astbury,

AA Dip,

FRIBA

LL changes in fashion in the arts and architecture

A are mysterious but none so inexplicable as those

which occurred in Europe during the Renaissance.

no

The revolution which architecture underwent there, beginning in the 15th century, corresponded to racial movements and was undictated for the most part by any exterior necessity. The changes were unheralded by any new discovery in the science of construction or in the materials at its command.

The Renaissance had in fact arrived in England be- fore Henry VIII made his sweeping changes which would now appear as inevitable when the total European scene is considered. Dissolution of the monasteries or the later enclosure by landlords of small holdings for their own purposes resulted in large movements of the population to the towns. These things no doubt assisted or limited the Renaissance movement but were themselves results and not causes of it. Nevertheless, it is by reference to such external factors that the forms of Renaissance art are often explained.

Dark Ages

In the Middle Ages architecture had been the chief art, studied by all men of culture, both religious and secular. With the Renaissance came an enormously in- creased interest in literature, and architecture took second place, becoming the study of special artists, mostly men of middle class origin.

In England, the termination of the Roman occupation had triggered a revulsion for anything which had been introduced by the Romans. Much good introduced by them was cast away. The five hundred years which fol- lowed have become known with reason as the Dark Ages. The Christian church whose spread had been facili- tated by the movement of Roman garrisons across Europe then provided the isolated outposts of learning. At this time the slow but continuous change in archi- lectural fashion was stimulated for the most part by foreign invasions both physical and ideological. though eschewed in Britain, classic forms of architecture continued to be used in the south of Italy and the Renaissance in architecture there was not a return to an extinct form of building.

Al-

In architecture the Renaissance reached England in the reign of Henry VIII. The movement in Italy was of course already well known to travelled Englishmen and it was also common at that time for Italian artists to go to England to visit her great country houses.

Among the most important of these visitors was Pietro Torrigiano who had been a student with Michael Angelo. While in England he was commissioned to design the tomb of Henry VII, which bears probably the earliest Renaissance details in that country. Much of the decoration done in England in the early Renaissance was by Italian artists.

Throughout the early part of the Tudor epoch no architects existed. In many cases the master mason or

Far East Architect & Builder August, 1965

joiner drew up building plans, and even if drawn by a surveyor, they were in outline only, leaving the detailing to the craftsmen themselves.

By 1530 the new style had taken a firm hold and after this date all important buildings in England show some classical detail, but no building of a fully Renais sance design seems to have been built before 1550.

Similar Shapes

In the north practically no trace of Renaissance oc- curred until after the middle of the century. New shapes to which the people were unaccustomed began to appear It is interesting to notice how similar shapes appear in architecture and the other arts. From the earliest times this has been apparent.

In ancient Egypt the shape of the battered walls of the pylons at the entrances to many tombs are reflected in the beard boxes of kings and sphinxes. In Greek times a striking resemblance occurs between the regular- ly draped folds of a female dress and the flutings on an ionic column. The shapes of mediaeval spires and Tudor arches both appear in the headdress of women of those periods. The portrait of Catherine of Aragon in the National Portrait Gallery shows a good example of the latter.

If this may seem an exaggerated claim compare in more modern times the top hats which were popular with men at the time of the industrial revolution with the black chimney stacks which were then a common skyline.

The English denial of Papal supremacy and the con- sequent excommunication of Henry VIII, caused the exodus of Italian workmen from England, and a diversion of English trade to the Protestant countries. Craftsmen from Germany and the Low Countries visited and settled in England.

Some of the work found on the east coast of Eng- land is courser than that found in the south.

It is as- cribed to Flemish workers being more akin to work in the Netherlands. German craftsmen appear to have done very little work in England during Elizabeth's reign.

It seems probable that most of the buildings of this period were decorated by Renaissance artists having no say in the design or erection of the buildings themselves. The influence of patronage on art is easily mis-stated. Art may only be brought to the service of the state and its rulers. Patronage cannot determine the essence of an art but may impose a superficial character thereon. Regal patronage may have produced a courtly character in the past.

Modern patronage may also produce a re- cognisable superficial form but cannot change the course of fashion.

Turning Point

Slightly later than the period being discussed and in another country the Jesuits in Italy built (during the coun- ter reformation) baroque churches throughout the coun- try to attract the people, but in the first instance the taste for the baroque existed and was recognised by the Jesuits. The Jesuits who were the patrons did not dictate the style.

The 16th century marks the turning point in every way from medieval to the modern way of life. The Re- naissance can be said to have started when Henry VIII came to the Throne in 1509. He was, for this time, a man of parts and a scholar, taking an active interest in new ideas.

It is a matter of doubt whether early 16th century work (called Tudor) should be included in the Gothic or Renaissance periods. The main features of design, though often debased, were still Gothic, but classical Italian de- tails greatly affected decoration and moulding quite early in the century. It is safe to regard Tudor architecture as late Gothic in which early Renaissance details appear.

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