It is the balance of
the two characteristics of genius, inexhaustible wealth and the striving
for harmonious expression. It marked the first powerful working of the
Teutonic spirit on the world; its metaphysical yearning together with a
genuine love of nature, found in this art its own peculiar traditionless
expression, just as it found expression in the newly-evolved mysticism
which no longer re-echoed Aristotle and his commentators, but drew
inspiration from its own intuition. For this reason Gothic architecture
never became acclimatised in Italy. The soaring tower, more especially,
never appealed to the Italian architect.
Ornamentation and capitals, previously a combination of geometrical
figures, which may have been architecturally great and imposing, but was
always more or less formal and rigid, disappeared; the new masters,
whose names have been forgotten, looked round them and drew inspiration
from nature. The forest trees of Central Europe became pillars; grouped
together, apparently haphazard, they reflected a mystical nature pulsing
with mysterious life.
Pages:
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116