the city of domes-第17章

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　that　the　effect　had　been　miscalculated。　At　night；　under　the　lighting；　they　show　up　better。　Judged　by　themselves；　apart　from　their　surroundings；　they　are　full　of　inspiration　and　poetry。　Only　a　man　of　genuine　feeling　and　with　a　fine　color…sense　could　have　done　them。　But　in　all　this　splendor　of　architecture　they　are　lost。〃

On　examining　them　in　detail　we　found　that　they　covered　an　extraordinarily　wide　range　of　fancy；　graceful　and　dramatic；　even　while；　save　in　one　panel；　they　showed　an　indifference　to　story…telling。　One　group　celebrated　〃The　Birth　of　European　Art；〃　with　the　altar　and　the　sacred　flame；　tended　by　a　female　guardian　and　three　helpers；　and　with　a　messenger　reaching　from　his　chariot　to　seize　the　torch　of　inspiration　and　to　bear　it　in　triumph　through　the　world；　the　future　intimated　by　the　crystal　held　in　the　hands　of　the　woman　at　the　left。　Another；　〃The　Birth　of　Oriental　Art；〃　told　the　ancient　legend　of　a　Chinese　warrior　who；　seated　on　the　back　of　a　dragon；　gave　battle　to　an　eagle；　the　symbol　relating　to　man's　seeking　inspiration　from　the　air。　〃Ideals　in　Art〃　brought　forward　more　or　less　familiar　types：　the　Madonna　and　the　Child；　Joan　of　Arc；　Youth　and　Beauty；　in　the　figure　of　a　girl；　Vanity　in　the　Peacock；　with　more　shadowy　intimations　in　two　mystical　figures　in　the　background；　the　tender　of　the　sacred　flame　and　the　bearer　of　the　palm　for　the　dead；　and　the　laurel…bearer　ready　to　crown　victory。　〃The　Inspiration　in　All　Art〃　revealed　the　figures　of　Music；　Architecture；　Painting；　Poetry　and　Sculpture。　Four　other　panels　glorified　the　four　golds　of　California；　gold；　wheat；　poppies　and　oranges；　a　happy　idea；　providing　opportunities　for　the　splendid　use　of　color。

〃It's　a　pity　those　murals　couldn't　have　been　tried　out　up　there　and　then　taken　down　and　done　over；〃　said　the　architect。　〃But　sometime　they　will　find　the　place　where　they　belong；　perhaps　in　one　of　our　San　Francisco　public　buildings。　They're　too　good　not　to　have　the　right　kind　of　display。〃

〃The　Priestess　of　Culture；〃　by　Herbert　Adams；　one　of　the　best…known　of　American　sculptors；　eight　times　repeated；　we　felt；　had　its　rightful　place　up　there　and　blended　into　the　general　architectural　scheme。　But　some　of　the　other　pieces　of　statuary　might　have　been　left　out　with　advantage。

Through　the　columns　we　caught　many　beautiful　vistas。　And　those　groups　of　columns　themselves　made　pictures。　〃What　is　most　surprising　about　this　palace　is　the　way　it　grows　on　you。　The　more　familiar　you　are　with　it　the　more　you　feel　the　charm。　Maybeck　advises　his　friends　to　come　here　by　moonlight　when　they　can　get　just　the　effect　he　intended。　In　all　the　Exposition　there's　no　other　spot　quite　so　romantic。　It　might　have　been　built　for　lovers。〃



XI

At　the　Palace　of　Horticulture



At　the　Palace　of　Horticulture　the　architect　said：　〃Here　is　the　Mosque　of　Ahmed　the　First；　taken　from　Constantinople　and　adapted　to　horticulture　and　to　the　Exposition。　It　has　a　distinct　character　of　its　own。　It　even　has　temperament。　So　many　buildings　that　are　well　proportioned　give　the　impression　of　being　stodgy　and　dull。　They　are　like　the　people　that　make　goodness　seem　uninteresting。　But　here　is　use　that　expresses　itself　in　beauty　and　adorns　itself　with　appropriate　decoration。〃

When　I　mentioned　that　some　people　found　this　building　too　ornate；　the　architect　replied：

〃There's　an　intimate　and　appropriate　relation　between　the　ornament　and　the　architecture。　Personally　I　shouldn't　care　to　see　just　this　kind　of　building　in　the　heart　of　the　city；　where　you'd　have　it　before　your　eyes　every　day。　But　for　the　Exposition　it's　just　right。　And　how　fitting　it　is　that　the　splendid　dome　should　be　the　chief　feature　of　a　building　that　is　really　an　indoor　garden　and　that　the　most　prominent　note　of　the　coloring　should　be　green；　nature's　favorite　and　most　joyous　color。　Some　joker；〃　he　went　on；　〃says　that　this　Exposition　is　domicidal。　He　expresses　a　feeling　a　good　many　people　have　here；　that　there　are　too　many　domes。　But　I　don't　agree。　The　domes　make　a　charming　pictorial　effect；　and　they　harmonize　with　the　general　spirit　of　the　architecture。　And　as　for　this　dome；　it　is　one　of　the　greatest　in　the　world。　See　how　cleverly　the　architects；　following　the　spirit　of　the　French　Renaissance；　have　used　those　ornamental　shafts。　The　only　criticism　that　can　be　made　on　them　is　that　they　serve　no　architectural　purpose；　which　ought；　of　course；　always　to　be　intimately　associated　with　use。　Instead　of　growing　from　the　nature　of　the　building；　they　are　put　on　from　outside。　Now；　in　the　mosque　they　were　very　important　in　their　service。　They　were　the　minarets　where　the　Muezzins　used　to　stand　in　order　to　call　the　faithful　to　prayer。　Those　minarets　up　there；　carrying　on　the　dome　motive；　on　the　corners　of　the　walls　of　the　main　palaces　are　much　closer　to　the　old　idea。〃

Our　talk　turned　to　the　subject　of　domes　in　general。　The　idea　had　come　from　the　bees；　from　the　shape　of　their　hives。　Prehistoric　man　used　for　a　dwelling…place　a　hut　shaped　like　a　hive；　as　well　as　an　imitation　of　a　bird's　nest。　In　formal　architecture；　the　dome　showed　itself　early。　The　Greeks　knew　it；　but　they　didn't　use　it　much。　The　greatest　users　of　the　dome　were　the　Byzantines。　It　was　all　dome　with　them。　The　first　important　dome　was　built　in　Rome　in　the　second　century；　to　crown　the　Pantheon。　Of　all　the　domes　in　the　world　the　most　interesting　historically　was　St。　Peter's；　the　work　of　several　architects。　It　was　the　inspiration　of　the　dome　of　St。　Paul's　in　London；　built　by　the　English　architect；　Sir　Christopher　Wren。　Architecturally　the　most　interesting　of　the　domes　was　Brunelleschi's；　built　for　the　Florence　Cathedral　in　the　fifteenth　century；　known　throughout　the　world　by　the　Italian　name　for　Cathedral；　the　Duomo。

It　was　in　connection　with　the　Duomo　that　the　architect　reminded　me　of　the　celebrated　story　about　Brunelleschi。　When　the　Florentine　church　authorities　decided　to　build　the　Duomo　they　were　puzzled　as　to　how　so　mighty　a　dome　should　be　developed。　So　they　invited　the　architects　to　appear　before　them　in　competition；　and　to　present　their　ideas。　One　architect；　Donatello；　explained　that；　if　he　secured　the　commission；　he　should　first　build　a　mound　of　earth；　and　over　it　he　would　construct　his　dome。　But　the　authorities　replied　that　there　would　be　great　labor　and　expense　in　taking　the　earth　out。　He　said　that　he　would　put　coins　into　the　earth　and；　by　this　means；　he　would　very　quickly　have　the　earth　removed　by　the　people。　When　Brunelleschi　was　asked　how　he　would　build　his　dome　he　said：　〃How　would　you　make　an　egg　stand　on　end？〃　They　didn't　know　how；　and　he　showed　them；　by　taking　a　hard…boiled　egg　and　pressing　it　down　at　one　end；　an　idea　like　the　one　that　occurred　to　Christopher　Columbus　about　fifty　years　later。

The　Palace　of　Horticulture　as　an　illustration　of　French　Renaissance　architecture　fascinated　this　observer；　in　spite　of　its　overelaborateness。　〃It's　marvelous　to　think　of　what　the　Renaissance　meant　throughout　Europe；〃　he　said；　〃and　how　it　showed　itself　in　art　through　the　national　characteristics。　French　Renaissance　and　Italian　Renaissance；　though　they　have　qualities　in　common；　are　very　different。　And　you'll　find　marked　differences　even　in　the　Renaissance　art　of　the　Italian　cities；　such　as　Rome　and　Florence　and　Venice。　But　the　Renaissance　showed　that　no　matter　how　far　apart　the　people　of　Europe　might　have　been　they　were　all　stirred　by　a　great　intellectual　and　spiritual　movement。　It　was　like　a　vast　moral　earthquake。　It　meant　the　rediscovery　and　the　joyous　recognition　of　the　relation　of　the　past　to　the　present　and　the　meaning　of　the　relation　for　mankind。　It　led　to　a　new　kind　of　self…emancipation　and　individualism。　It　created　art…forms　that　have　stamped　themselves　on　the　work　all　over　these　grounds。　In　a　sense　it　was　a　declaration　of　artistic　independence。〃

〃Is　there　really　such　a　thing　as　independence　in　art？〃　I　ventured　to　ask。

The　architect　began　to　smile。　〃I'm　afraid　there　isn't　much　independence。　If　there　were　this　Exposition　would　not　be　quite　so　intimately　related　to　Europe　and　the　Orient。　But　wait　till　we　get　into　Mullgardt's　Court　of　the　Ages。　Then　you'll　find　an　answer　to　your　question。〃

At　this　palace　the　architect　found　much　to　speculate　on。　〃Here　is　one　of　the　few　buildings