The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1914. USE AND BEAUTY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1978, 7 February 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1914. USE AND BEAUTY.

A discussion .which aroused.a good deal of attention recently took place through the columns.of the London Morning Post on, ancient and modern architecture in relation to national life. The subject' is a very interesting one. and was referred to in the report presented to tho annual meeting ■ of the New Zealand Institute ' of Architects held St Auckland ft few days ago. The report stated' that "architecture is the .most vital of the arts with which a civilised community has to do. The work of the men. who practise it is a most important factor in the enlargement of the pnb ; lie mind or aesthetics generally, and the provision of an efficient, training |or these m.?n. :cainnp,t.,fa.il to .acvfc.in 'the, best .Interests 61' the Dominion's' future.''' Tho, opinion was also expressed, that increased facilities for architectural education at the technical schools and the regular training of students in the historical and scientific aspects of the subject should lead to a higher appreciation by th* public of architecture as an art. Tha-t a man's mind is influenced by its environment no thoughtful person will for a moment deny,.and this is oneof the principal reasons why every intelligent citizen should cherish the ideal of making Wellington the most beautiful city in New Zea- ■ land. The City Council has an important duty to perform in this matter by providing open spaces and recreation grounds, and seeing that they are artistically laid- out and kept in good order; but the. keen interest and,active co-operation of individual citizens are necessary if the ideal is ever to be fully realised Wo arc in need of a vigorous and effective publie opinion that will not tolerate ugliness and dirt, and to' which anything in tho nature of a slum area will he aft abomination' Clean streets and attractive public grounds are essentials for a beautiful' but it is equally necessary that private allotments should be well kept and that the residences of the people, no matter how unpretentious, should be made as pleasing to the eye as circumstances will permit. There is no reason why in tho course of time New Zealand should not make some characteristic contribution to the general fund of architectural ideas, .though it must be confessed that in the past we have not paid sufficient attention to the question of beauty as far as our public a,nd private buildings arc concorned. The Dominion is still a youri.g country, and the energies of its people, have in the roaiu been devoted bo' tho work of laying the more material foundations of future greatness. Our pioneer settlers have been fully occupied in clearing the land and making homes in the wilderness, while in the centres of population public undertakings of immediate' utility have naturally received almost exclusive attention. Works of necessity rmjst'be given priority over the. ornamental side of life:. But a healthy-minded, progressive coiiv munity. can never rest content amid surrounding's which affront that innate sense' of beauty—that desire for a .pleasant and satisfying environ-* mMfe—which springs up in the heart of almost every intelligent civilised man as soon as adequate provision has been made for his bodily needs. The dwellers in the open country can find satisfaction for these artistic sentiments' in the Variety aflcl grandeur of natural scenery, but in the centres of. population we have to rely very largely on the inspiration of the architect for the gratification of our aesthetic faculties. It has been truly said that architecture, like painting and sculpture, has a language as well under-stood by the feelings as arc spoken and printed words by the mfna, and now that New Zealand is beginning to evolve a uationaj spirit of its own a more important sphere of activity is opening out for architecture aa a "factor in the' enlargement of the public mind.". Both as a community and as individuals wo have begun to realise more keenly than iu the past the desirableness of beauty as well as utility in our buildings. There is no necessary antagonism between the tiro things, and it is one of tho first duties of the architect to educate the public mind so that in all his work he may bo encouraged to strive for tho greatest possible degree of artistic satisfaction consistent with comfort and usefulness. . It

may be true that modern arehi- \ tecture, as some critics toll us, lacks' initiative and evcatho power, yet j there is no reason why it should not be atlracthc and dignified, however simple; there is no reason why it should net be good in ihc senbo referred to by Ruskis when he says "the good architecture which lias life, and truth, and joy in it, is brl- > ter than the bad architecture, which has death, dishonesty, and vexation of henit in it, from the beginning to the end of time." The average man may not see and feel so deeply as Raskin did in this matter, but, conseiouslyor unconsciously, ho does realise in some measure that sense of > satisfaction -which dignity, simplicity, and sincerity in architecture convey. He feels that "a thing of beauty is a joy for over," even if he does not express his feelings in those <jr any other words. It is, however, no use to expect the impracticable or the impossible from our architects.. Theirs is a practical art which has to meet tho new needs of each new generation. They have to deal with sky-scrapers, and banks, and great warehouses, as well as eathedrals and picture galleries, and their designs must be in keeping with the purposes aimed at. This point ii emphasised in a recent address to the Royal Institute of British Architects, by tho President (Mr. Blomfield), who said the only effectivo source of development in architectural form must be new conditions of building. The American sky-scraper was, an example of a now form arising from now necessities, though the solutions had not always been happy, because the essential elements of tower design had been forgotten. It came to this, that although new architectural forms in the senso of new outlines, new groups and masses would naturally develop out of tho changing problems of civilisation, no necessity arose for anxious effort to change the ordinary vocabulary of architecture. He would not prophesy as to tho future of architecture in England. His own view was that genuine progress was likely to be made only along lines already laid down, by the skilful use of opportunities as they occurred in plan and construction, and by the watchful care of all elements in design that pulled the same way, namely, in tho direction of strength, refinement, and sincerity of statement. Mil. BlOmfi eld's modest _ statement as to the place and possibilities of architecture in modern life did not please everybody. Some critics contended that ho ignored the deeper aspects of tho subject, and did not give enough attention to ideals or sufficient play to the imaginationOthers again laid stress upon "tho classic inspiration"; but, as one of the correspondents of the Morning Vast pointed out, "neither our Democracy nor our Art can be, that of Athens. The serenity of the Parthenon, the intellectual sensualism of Phcidias, are foreign to our restless activity; and, bereft of the tranquil psychology which inspired them, our architects and sculptors can no more express their work in like terms than a painter of our day can picturo a Madonna with the untroubled conviction of Bellini." This is true, and it means that our architecture should be an expression of our own national life and must bo brought, into practical relationship with the special needs and aspirations of the generation in which we li,ve.