DOI Artikel:
Małkiewicz, Adam: Teoria architektury w nowożytnym piśmiennictwie polskim
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26754#0134
relationship of architecture to nature. Chapter III contains a discussion of what
Polish writers considered to be the essenee and role of beauty in architecture.
Thorughout the entire period considered the theoretical principles of beauty were
sought in the Vitruvian triad: symmetria — eurythmia — decorum. Nevertheless,
both the interpretation of these ideas and their correlation underwent changes,
which, moreover, affected the views of the origins, nature, function, and ideo-
logical significance of the architectural Orders which were the main material
factor of beauty, and of the place and role of sculptured and painted decoration.
The attitude of Polish writers to ołd architecture and to that which was contem-
porary to them is discussed in Chapter IV. In principle, throughout the whole period
in ąuestion there obtained the Renaissance conception of the cyclic development
of art proceeding from a primitive form to perfection and then falling into decline
to revive again. However, the views on individual elements of this development
underwent evolution, this in particular being true of the attitude to the Gothic.
Chapter V presents foreign sources of the theoretical views of Polish writers. The
characteristics and appraisal of Polish writings on architecture are given in
Chapter VI.
A detailed analysis of Polish treatises from the point of views of some selected
theoretical problems reveals general changes in attitudes, corresponding to the
evolution in European architectural thought and passing through several phases.
The initial phase includes a variety of writings from the 16th and early 17th
centuries, which contain only loose amd fragmeintary references to architeciture.
The narrow range of these freąuently incidental remarks, moreover unsupported
by the reading of theoretical works, renders it impossible to obtain from them
an unequivocal concept of archifecture. The Polish writers of the period showed,
above all, an urbilitarian attitude. Therefore, while identifying the beautiful witfa
the good, they regarded beauty mainly as a functional factor. In comparison with
those authors, tfae Aristotelian Sebastian Petrycy offered the most developed
ethical concept of aesthotics.
Different views are e?qpressed in the warfcs on architecture dating from the
second half of the 17tfa century. Tfais phase is represented by two kinds of writ-
ings: guides to building (Opalińskii, Haur), concerned primarily with technological
ąuestions and onily easually witfa theoretical refleatian, amd manuals of the theory
of arcibitectuire (Wąsowski, Tylfcowsfci), wfaicfa leave out almost entirely the pro-
blems of building materials, construction, anid organization of building. Despite
such a wide range, the subjects and views offered by these two types of work
originate from one source, i.e. from the 16th and early 17th century Italian, Vi-
truvian tfaeory of architecture, and mainly from the treatises by Vi ltruvius him-
selft as well as those of Serlio, Paiiladio, and Scamozzi. In accordance with ihis
tradifion, architecture was conceived as a science possessdng its oiwn laws and
rules and demanding extensive and coimpreheinswe knowledge from iits adepts.
A certain dualiism could be observed in the conceipts of beauty. The authors of
„practieal” treatises considered it to be only a desirable condition of architectural
perfection and emiphasized its aspeot of seemfliiness; on the other hand, the authors
oi theoretical haindbooks regarded beauty as an indiapensable elemenf of archi-
tecture and concentrated on the forrnal aspeot. However, both the fómier and the
latter writers restricted the formal beauty to symmetry, thus conceiving it in terms
of ąuantity or measure; eurhythmy was accorided only a complementary role. The
praportions maintained in the work of archiitecture itself were treated as the
reaMzation of the divine laws governing the universe, the transcendental, absolute,
and objective character thus being ascribed to beauty whose precise and constant
nonms were subjeated to the judigement of the mind rather than the senses. The
dependence of t'he Polish writers of the latter half of the 17th century on the
126
Polish writers considered to be the essenee and role of beauty in architecture.
Thorughout the entire period considered the theoretical principles of beauty were
sought in the Vitruvian triad: symmetria — eurythmia — decorum. Nevertheless,
both the interpretation of these ideas and their correlation underwent changes,
which, moreover, affected the views of the origins, nature, function, and ideo-
logical significance of the architectural Orders which were the main material
factor of beauty, and of the place and role of sculptured and painted decoration.
The attitude of Polish writers to ołd architecture and to that which was contem-
porary to them is discussed in Chapter IV. In principle, throughout the whole period
in ąuestion there obtained the Renaissance conception of the cyclic development
of art proceeding from a primitive form to perfection and then falling into decline
to revive again. However, the views on individual elements of this development
underwent evolution, this in particular being true of the attitude to the Gothic.
Chapter V presents foreign sources of the theoretical views of Polish writers. The
characteristics and appraisal of Polish writings on architecture are given in
Chapter VI.
A detailed analysis of Polish treatises from the point of views of some selected
theoretical problems reveals general changes in attitudes, corresponding to the
evolution in European architectural thought and passing through several phases.
The initial phase includes a variety of writings from the 16th and early 17th
centuries, which contain only loose amd fragmeintary references to architeciture.
The narrow range of these freąuently incidental remarks, moreover unsupported
by the reading of theoretical works, renders it impossible to obtain from them
an unequivocal concept of archifecture. The Polish writers of the period showed,
above all, an urbilitarian attitude. Therefore, while identifying the beautiful witfa
the good, they regarded beauty mainly as a functional factor. In comparison with
those authors, tfae Aristotelian Sebastian Petrycy offered the most developed
ethical concept of aesthotics.
Different views are e?qpressed in the warfcs on architecture dating from the
second half of the 17tfa century. Tfais phase is represented by two kinds of writ-
ings: guides to building (Opalińskii, Haur), concerned primarily with technological
ąuestions and onily easually witfa theoretical refleatian, amd manuals of the theory
of arcibitectuire (Wąsowski, Tylfcowsfci), wfaicfa leave out almost entirely the pro-
blems of building materials, construction, anid organization of building. Despite
such a wide range, the subjects and views offered by these two types of work
originate from one source, i.e. from the 16th and early 17th century Italian, Vi-
truvian tfaeory of architecture, and mainly from the treatises by Vi ltruvius him-
selft as well as those of Serlio, Paiiladio, and Scamozzi. In accordance with ihis
tradifion, architecture was conceived as a science possessdng its oiwn laws and
rules and demanding extensive and coimpreheinswe knowledge from iits adepts.
A certain dualiism could be observed in the conceipts of beauty. The authors of
„practieal” treatises considered it to be only a desirable condition of architectural
perfection and emiphasized its aspeot of seemfliiness; on the other hand, the authors
oi theoretical haindbooks regarded beauty as an indiapensable elemenf of archi-
tecture and concentrated on the forrnal aspeot. However, both the fómier and the
latter writers restricted the formal beauty to symmetry, thus conceiving it in terms
of ąuantity or measure; eurhythmy was accorided only a complementary role. The
praportions maintained in the work of archiitecture itself were treated as the
reaMzation of the divine laws governing the universe, the transcendental, absolute,
and objective character thus being ascribed to beauty whose precise and constant
nonms were subjeated to the judigement of the mind rather than the senses. The
dependence of t'he Polish writers of the latter half of the 17th century on the
126