DOI issue:
Nr. 224 (October, 1915)
DOI article:Price, C. Matlack: Thought and thinking in architecture: some comments on the work of Harrie T. Lindeberg
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.43459#0295
Copyright, 1915, by John Lane Company
OCTOBER, 1915
VOL. LVI. No. 224
INTERNATIONAL
• STUDIO
Thought and thinking in
ARCHITECTURE —SOME COM-
MENTS ON THE WORK OF
HARRIE T. LINDEBERG
BY C. MATLACK PRICE.
Criticism of the strictly academic sort proceeds
along certain fixed lines, either comparing its
object, point for point, with some established
criterion, or analyzing it in accordance with
some established group of requirements. It is
possible that this sort of criticism hits the mark
in some cases; in the case of architecture it
rarely hits the mark, because it does not accept
or recognize the mark, namely, the inner and
governing forces and elements in architectural
design. It is the kind of criticism that would
delineate a man’s character by comparing the
features of his face with Apollo Belvedere, or
checking off the measurements of his body with
the standards of an anatomical chart.
It is hardly surprising, then, that there is a
good deal of this sort of criticism which is either
too loose or too rigid; some of it written by critics
who (in one direction) know too much about
architecture, and some by critics who (in every
direction) know too little about architecture.
Neither would feel that it was necessary, sup-
posing it occurred to him at all, to distinguish
between architectural thought and architectural
thinking, even if he judged architectural thought
to be worthy of critical comment.
To discern the significant facts of an architec-
tural work, a certain amount of plain knowledge
is obviously essential, but the plainer it is the
better, and over-familiarity with the “Seven
Lamps,” for instance, is not only unessential
but actually detrimental. The worst manner in
RESIDENCE OF DR. J. F. ERDMANN, EASTHAMPTON, L. I.
DESIGNED BY H. T. LINDEBERG
(ALBRO & LINDEBERG)
I XXIII
OCTOBER, 1915
VOL. LVI. No. 224
INTERNATIONAL
• STUDIO
Thought and thinking in
ARCHITECTURE —SOME COM-
MENTS ON THE WORK OF
HARRIE T. LINDEBERG
BY C. MATLACK PRICE.
Criticism of the strictly academic sort proceeds
along certain fixed lines, either comparing its
object, point for point, with some established
criterion, or analyzing it in accordance with
some established group of requirements. It is
possible that this sort of criticism hits the mark
in some cases; in the case of architecture it
rarely hits the mark, because it does not accept
or recognize the mark, namely, the inner and
governing forces and elements in architectural
design. It is the kind of criticism that would
delineate a man’s character by comparing the
features of his face with Apollo Belvedere, or
checking off the measurements of his body with
the standards of an anatomical chart.
It is hardly surprising, then, that there is a
good deal of this sort of criticism which is either
too loose or too rigid; some of it written by critics
who (in one direction) know too much about
architecture, and some by critics who (in every
direction) know too little about architecture.
Neither would feel that it was necessary, sup-
posing it occurred to him at all, to distinguish
between architectural thought and architectural
thinking, even if he judged architectural thought
to be worthy of critical comment.
To discern the significant facts of an architec-
tural work, a certain amount of plain knowledge
is obviously essential, but the plainer it is the
better, and over-familiarity with the “Seven
Lamps,” for instance, is not only unessential
but actually detrimental. The worst manner in
RESIDENCE OF DR. J. F. ERDMANN, EASTHAMPTON, L. I.
DESIGNED BY H. T. LINDEBERG
(ALBRO & LINDEBERG)
I XXIII