A History of Architecture, Vol. 2

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Excerpt from A History of Architecture, Vol. 2: Romanesque and Oriental The first volume of this work has received, from two sources, criticism of a highly suggestive kind. This refers to the alleged need of more profound inquiry as to ultimate causes. Why were the Egyptian buildings and the consequent Egyptian method of design, just what they were? And what, in the instincts of the race - what, in its political or in its social study, in its habits of life or of thought, in its religious belief - made that building art so impressive? What made it so individual in its character that it held its sway undisputed, pursuing a nearly normal evolution during forty centuries, and gave freely to innovating Greece and to dominating Rome, While yielding to them in nothing? There is one reason for not following in the path opened by these suggestions, namely, that no one knows whither it will lead. Our business is to ask what the artist had in his mind. How he came to have it there, and in that shape, is another question, a question of metaphysics, or Of ethnics. When we discuss fine art let us keep close to that which can be verified. Let us be ready to disbelieve, to ignore, to refuse the search for evasive theory. The arts of design are the result of the artistic impulse in man, of his disposition to record, to explain, what is beautiful in the world of nature, and to refine and beautify the work of man. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.