The Genius of Architecture by Nicolas Le Camus de Mzires - Essay Example

Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières is 18th century French architect. The most famous work that makes him an outstanding architect is the Halle aux blés. This building was known as the trade place of grain; it was constructed in the 1763 year. The most emissive part of this construction is the cupola ceiling. Nicolas was sure that the building must show its true destination. Camus saw the common characteristics in theatre and architecture. His work “The genius of architecture; or, The analogy that art with our sensations” describes even the smallest details of the French hôtel. In his time, the book was not appreciated, but everything changed in the 19th century. Since then different architects referred to Mézières’ works as to the one truth, even despite the unsteadiness of its some statements. His works became the example of how people should build a hotel, how they should place and zone the rooms, what decoration is better to use. This book, translated by David Britt, consists the instructions about building the decent hotel that will be pleasant to everyone.

Introduction

Art is a perpetual motion machine; it takes basic principles and creates a new masterpiece that in some way can be backed by earlier works of the ancient authors. Some innovations look strange and can evoke weird feels inside of the soul of the watcher. It can be admiration or vice versa disgust for it. Changes frighten people, the same applies to art, and modern art sometimes can be too provocative. The way that people perceive it is the reason for such reaction. In most cases, people’s perception is shaped and sometimes cannot be changed even in one millimeter.

The art has numerous abilities to grasp the gaze, to make people look at it, admire it, spend hours trying to understand the techniques of building or discussing the leaves at the capital. The main task of this book is to help people dive into the boundless ocean of different details that create the whole image of the perfected room, building and so on. The unity of the details and intentions create things that astonish people and get under people’s skin.

One of the main principles which helped to build this hotel and write the book lies in the drawing an analogy between Architecture’s proportions and the perception of the world, that was mainly formed on the Philosophers’ works. The project of this building came straight from the heart of the architecture and all the people connected with such grandeur. Some may claim that there are too many rooms and it is hard to keep them clean and communicate between them. However, when the artist sees the project in this way, in rare situations someone can influence his mind. Convenience is one of the main things in the building, but at the same time, the desire to make something absolutely beautiful and new can cloud the judgment of the artist.

Making something decent takes a lot of time and inspiration that rarely comes from nowhere. Description of gardens and their role in the whole composition grabs reader’s eye, next lines explain the importance of the union of all of the components. The importance of showing an eternal nature’s beauty with the help of its creations. The main task of writing the book was in experimenting and establishing the rules of using the proportions, the shadows, the lights.

The genius of architecture

The very first chapter starts with the explanation of the Dome of the Invalides, Louvre colonnade, the Château de Trianon. The author discusses the feelings that every building awakens in his soul. Architecture as a human body also has strict principles that architecture should hold to. The first chapter is about an order in architecture, in other words, is about architectural composition. There exist five main Orders of Architecture; the Tuscan, the Doric, the Ionic, the Corinthian and the Composite .There are three main parts: a pedestal, a column, an entablature. Each of these parts consists of other three ones that are essential in the composing.

The Tuscan order is Italian; it possesses the simple base of the column that has its own beauty devoided of ornament. This order is strong and can be compared with well-sinewed man . The Doric order is opposite, it has mutilates or dentils. The Ionic order also has dentils or modillions and enrichment of the frieze. The author compares its beauty with the beauty of music, the harmony between the parts mesmerize people. It is important to remember this order and that the fillets are not decorated. Decoration in the cornice must follow the decoration of the architrave. The Corinthian order impresses with the unity of each part of the column it also has dentils and modillions, the last one has leaves of different plants on it. It is described as a pure beauty, as a woman who has innate elegance. The Composite order is also Italian, it possesses the characteristic of other four orders, it has volutes of the Ionic and the leaves of Corinthian. The Tuscan and Composite orders are Italian while other three are Greek origin.The French wanted to create their own order but their attempts were not successful, they only mixed the existent orders. Design of Perrault possessed the height of the Corinthian and he started repeating what was already done. It can be concluded that the previous experience is a barrier for innovations.

Nevertheless, despite the desire to make everything an unreal beauty, that pleases everyone, authors and architectures should not forget that the first and the most important thing is safety. When people start building something they should remember about the appropriateness. The mixture of proportions is not a good practice, but it can be made, this question relates to the “newness issue”, it depends only on people, whether they are ready for changes and risky ideas, or they are traditionalists. Being an architect or a regular art-lover requires the desire for novelty and the absence of inner belief that everything that differs from the traditions and principles is bad. Numerous times were repeated the words about the importance of union and harmony. Keeping these words in mind can help people in the whole, not only in the architecture issue. Everything should be balanced if the capital is decorated it is better to leave the rest of the column simple. It is not hard to astonish others with luxury, but it takes the real Artist to make the simplest column look as a new Architecture Order.

On the art of pleasing in architecture

The harmony plays the main role in the architecture because it is also the form of art. The harmony is in the details: the building has to be appropriate at the site, the height of it, the proportions must suit the direction of it. Every detail is important, for example, the concept of a building: how it is aired, how the light gets into the room. Taking into account all these facts makes possible creating a beautiful building that will impress future generations. At that time, the garden was an essential part of every mansion. Its size should have been suitable for the sizes of the house. The garden that takes more land than the building itself looks ridiculous; the balance is the most important thing in the architecture. Everything must be done well. Rooms’ decoration is the thing that should be done in accordance with every existent rule of color combination. The small details often impress more and leave the bigger mark in the memory of a visitor rather than a bright furniture. Symmetry, the position of a table or a bed also have the leading roles in a play of architects and designers.

Exterior decoration

Exterior decoration must be balanced and all small parts must be avoided because they can cause a confusion between the elegant simplicity and a fussy. If the style of a building is plain, no other details that will make it look worse or overweighted can be added. At the same time, Nicolas compares the harmony of the building with a “woman who hopes to please must herself be suitably proportioned to look well in her dress”. The true artistry of any form of art is in balancing on the verge of good and bad taste. Only the unity of all details can create the whole picture of the building. The exterior makes the first impression that stays forever in the mind of a person, and the interior can improve or vice versa ruin the great impression made by the magnificent exterior.

On distribution and decoration

The rule of the apartment is that should consist of five rooms: an anteroom, a salon, a bedroom, a cabinet, and a closet. In the bedroom there is often is an alcove, which forms the closet. Rooms for visitors are often better, while the servants have a little of furniture: a bed, a table, and chairs. Few anterooms for servants, the places of the dining room and other rooms are thoroughly depicted, explaining the role and importance of every room.

Kitchen and offices

The requirements towards kitchen are higher rather than to any room. The main characteristic of it is the cleanliness, people should be aware of the state of their cutlery. In the whole, the kitchen should be spacious, people must move around it easily. The role of the windows is one of the most important; they should be wide in order to let the sunshine light the room. When dishes are being prepared, windows also play the role of the ventilation of different smells. Many shelves are required and the massive table must be in the center of the room. Larder, fish larder, wood cellar, roasting chamber, pastry kitchen, scullery, servant’s hall and other rooms connected on the different levels with the cooking process should be close to the kitchen. It cannot be predicted what is needed on a different stage of cooking, that is why the location of the rooms listed above is almost as important as the place of the kitchen.

Lodgings of the various officers

Lodging and other offices are also significant; room for a head of the hotel, the secretary’s apartment, and librarian. Different kinds of lodgings: young ladies’ lodging that cannot be too cheerful, the colors of the rooms are also should be calm and pleasing, lodging of the sons of the house, first valet, second valet, linen room, infirmary. All of these rooms have their importance. Making these rooms and organizing such places is a long process but it has to be made at the same high level as any other room in the hotel. In the process of development of a new building the communication between different rooms, its convenience should be considered at first.

Stable yards

Stable Yards must be to North, giving access to the street. In the whole, there must be four stables separated into: single, double, triple, quadruple, all of these stables have their sizes that fit best the different number of horses. The horses of visitors, saddle horses, sick horses must have their own separate stables in order to prevent ruffle between unknown animals. In case of the illness of the horse, it is rational to separate the horses off, and this action protects healthy creatures from the problems possessed by one or two other horses. The Carriage House, saddle room, harness room are necessary parts of the transportation process. All of them head to the different directions of the world. Many different lodgings must be in the territory of the hotel: upholsterer, under groom, a depository for furniture. It is hard to foresee when different situations can happen, that is why there are masses of varied buildings at its land. The architect plays the role of a fortuneteller who already knows when the person would need something, starting with the help and ending in the place of loneliness. The Riding school is also an obligatory thing, every intelligent gentleman and a young child must know how to ride a horse.

The love of the architecture and design is seen at the first lines of the work, and continue reading a reader gets into Nicola’s perception of the architecture. Describing order of columns, he compares column’s forms with women, that it has “proportions of a beautiful woman”. Only a person who loves the profession from the core of the heart can describe the essential parts of art in this way - “Harmony is the prime mover of all great effects”. The analysis of his works shows that Nicolas Le Camus de Mézières admired women and the constant comparison between human beings and buildings proves this statement.

Making something decent takes a lot of time and inspiration that rarely comes from nowhere. Description of gardens and their role in the whole composition grabs reader’s eye, next lines explain the importance of the union of all of the components. The importance of showing an eternal nature’s beauty with the help of its creations. The main task of writing the book was in experimenting and establishing the rules of using the proportions, the shadows, the lights.

The genius of architecture

The very first chapter starts with the explanation of the Dome of the Invalides, Louvre colonnade, the Château de Trianon. The author discusses the feelings that every building awakens in his soul. Architecture as a human body also has strict principles that architecture should hold to. The first chapter is about an order in architecture, in other words, is about architectural composition. There exist five main Orders of Architecture; the Tuscan, the Doric, the Ionic, the Corinthian and the Composite .There are three main parts: a pedestal, a column, an entablature. Each of these parts consists of other three ones that are essential in the composing.

The Tuscan order is Italian; it possesses the simple base of the column that has its own beauty devoided of ornament. This order is strong and can be compared with well-sinewed man . The Doric order is opposite, it has mutilates or dentils. The Ionic order also has dentils or modillions and enrichment of the frieze. The author compares its beauty with the beauty of music, the harmony between the parts mesmerize people. It is important to remember this order and that the fillets are not decorated. Decoration in the cornice must follow the decoration of the architrave. The Corinthian order impresses with the unity of each part of the column it also has dentils and modillions, the last one has leaves of different plants on it. It is described as a pure beauty, as a woman who has innate elegance. The Composite order is also Italian, it possesses the characteristic of other four orders, it has volutes of the Ionic and the leaves of Corinthian. The Tuscan and Composite orders are Italian while other three are Greek origin.The French wanted to create their own order but their attempts were not successful, they only mixed the existent orders. Design of Perrault possessed the height of the Corinthian and he started repeating what was already done. It can be concluded that the previous experience is a barrier for innovations.

Nevertheless, despite the desire to make everything an unreal beauty, that pleases everyone, authors and architectures should not forget that the first and the most important thing is safety. When people start building something they should remember about the appropriateness. The mixture of proportions is not a good practice, but it can be made, this question relates to the “newness issue”, it depends only on people, whether they are ready for changes and risky ideas, or they are traditionalists. Being an architect or a regular art-lover requires the desire for novelty and the absence of inner belief that everything that differs from the traditions and principles is bad. Numerous times were repeated the words about the importance of union and harmony. Keeping these words in mind can help people in the whole, not only in the architecture issue. Everything should be balanced if the capital is decorated it is better to leave the rest of the column simple. It is not hard to astonish others with luxury, but it takes the real Artist to make the simplest column look as a new Architecture Order.

On the art of pleasing in architecture

The harmony plays the main role in the architecture because it is also the form of art. Read More