DOI article:
Małkiewicz, Adam: Teoria architektury w nowożytnym piśmiennictwie polskim
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.26754#0136
duotion ot the idea of „beautiful nature” and, above all, to the replaoing of the
Vitruvian anthrapoimonphic sipeculations by the Laugier’s concept of the „primitive
hut” and by the „botanical” interpretation of Gothic construction. This resulted
in the adaption of a new ideal of architecture whioh was simple, natural, ex-
tremely rational, and constructivist. While retaining the repertory of classical
forms, inspiration was sought in Greece rather than in Rome and the structural
instead of aesthetie function was restored to the architectural Orders. The aesth-e-
tic opinions of the P-olish wri-ters were formed un-der the influemee of two i-deas
of the Pr-ench Enliightenment theory, i.e. bienseance (seemliness) and gout (taste).
The social f-actor of the beautiful was given preced-ence over the formal one,
and the subjection of formal beauty to judgement of taste resulted in a prevalence
of the subj3Ctive over the o-bjective aspects of beauty, of eurhy-thmy over sym-
m-et-ry, and l-ed to aesth-eti-c pl-uralism, iimited in any case. The precise norms
were replaced by more general inidi-c-aitions, arnd a priori mo-tivatio;n based on
cosmological speculations gav-e way to referemce to nature and reason. The Vi-
truvian principl-e of attributing ideological values to architecture was retainrd in
full but the justifieati-on of the semantic function of architecture was no longe-r
sought in its alleg-orical properties, the exponen-t of the anthroipomorphic con-
ception of the Orders, but only in its formal-expr-essive ąualities. Thus, in com-
parisan with the Vitruvian-Serlian interpretation, the idea od „character” of
architecture underwent demythologization.
The theoretical prablems of Polish writings revolved, in gene.ral, roun-d the
same fundamental motifs ariginating from Vitruvius and deyelaped by modern
E-uropean archdtectural theory. The evolution of attitudes was determined solely
by a shift of ac-cents, primarily, by alteiration in the sphere of the-o-retical mo-
tiva-tions. This resulted i-n the ąuestioning of some of the prin-ciples of Vitru-
vianism in works o-f the mid-18th century and in a departure from them at the
end of the same cemtury and the beginning of the n-ext. The pro-cess corresponded
tc ohanges in the European architec-tural concept for whi-ch the 18th century was
a pe-riod of gradual decline o-f the Vitruvian tra-dition.
This analysis of the thearctical views of the Polish authors shows their entire
dep-endenoe on foreign architectural -theory. Only a few of them, such Opa-liński,
Wąsowski, S. Sierakowski, atta-ined a certai-n degree of individuality in their
writings. It was also rare for them to contribute to the general theory of archi-
teoture; among suc-h contributions wer-e, e.g., Wąsowski’s system of the Orde-rs
or some details of the concept of seemliness, related with in the individual cha-
ract-er of „the Po-lish sky and custom”. On the other hand, the inf-ormation of
practical character seems to b-e mo-re original; it includes remarks on w-ooden
architecture or on the architectural programme regardi-ng manor-houses, which
were bas-ed on the experience of local building practice.
The secondariness of Polish writings about architecture arose from their social
function. All the demands of connoisseurs and arohite-cts were fully satisfied by
.the tre-atis-^s of foreign theoretioians, numerously repres-ented in early Polish
libraries. Polish writings usually fulfilled the function of popularizatiion and edu-
cation. Adressed to the gemtry at large, the range of probl-ems and the way of
ireating them had to be adjusted to the needs, demands, and intellectual capacdty
of the readers. Their role was therefore limited to the planting in Polis-h soil
an-d propa-gation of foreign ideas, with o.nly slight additi-on-s or modifications. As
the fundamental source of theoretical knowledge for the average recipient of
archiitecture, the Polish writings hav-e val-ue for us as a documentation of the
state of artistic consciousness of the Połish gen-try. For this reason, Polish lit-e-
rature an the s-ubjeot of architecture may be judged more from the standpoint
of the history -of culture than from that of a-rtistic doctrin-es.
128
Vitruvian anthrapoimonphic sipeculations by the Laugier’s concept of the „primitive
hut” and by the „botanical” interpretation of Gothic construction. This resulted
in the adaption of a new ideal of architecture whioh was simple, natural, ex-
tremely rational, and constructivist. While retaining the repertory of classical
forms, inspiration was sought in Greece rather than in Rome and the structural
instead of aesthetie function was restored to the architectural Orders. The aesth-e-
tic opinions of the P-olish wri-ters were formed un-der the influemee of two i-deas
of the Pr-ench Enliightenment theory, i.e. bienseance (seemliness) and gout (taste).
The social f-actor of the beautiful was given preced-ence over the formal one,
and the subjection of formal beauty to judgement of taste resulted in a prevalence
of the subj3Ctive over the o-bjective aspects of beauty, of eurhy-thmy over sym-
m-et-ry, and l-ed to aesth-eti-c pl-uralism, iimited in any case. The precise norms
were replaced by more general inidi-c-aitions, arnd a priori mo-tivatio;n based on
cosmological speculations gav-e way to referemce to nature and reason. The Vi-
truvian principl-e of attributing ideological values to architecture was retainrd in
full but the justifieati-on of the semantic function of architecture was no longe-r
sought in its alleg-orical properties, the exponen-t of the anthroipomorphic con-
ception of the Orders, but only in its formal-expr-essive ąualities. Thus, in com-
parisan with the Vitruvian-Serlian interpretation, the idea od „character” of
architecture underwent demythologization.
The theoretical prablems of Polish writings revolved, in gene.ral, roun-d the
same fundamental motifs ariginating from Vitruvius and deyelaped by modern
E-uropean archdtectural theory. The evolution of attitudes was determined solely
by a shift of ac-cents, primarily, by alteiration in the sphere of the-o-retical mo-
tiva-tions. This resulted i-n the ąuestioning of some of the prin-ciples of Vitru-
vianism in works o-f the mid-18th century and in a departure from them at the
end of the same cemtury and the beginning of the n-ext. The pro-cess corresponded
tc ohanges in the European architec-tural concept for whi-ch the 18th century was
a pe-riod of gradual decline o-f the Vitruvian tra-dition.
This analysis of the thearctical views of the Polish authors shows their entire
dep-endenoe on foreign architectural -theory. Only a few of them, such Opa-liński,
Wąsowski, S. Sierakowski, atta-ined a certai-n degree of individuality in their
writings. It was also rare for them to contribute to the general theory of archi-
teoture; among suc-h contributions wer-e, e.g., Wąsowski’s system of the Orde-rs
or some details of the concept of seemliness, related with in the individual cha-
ract-er of „the Po-lish sky and custom”. On the other hand, the inf-ormation of
practical character seems to b-e mo-re original; it includes remarks on w-ooden
architecture or on the architectural programme regardi-ng manor-houses, which
were bas-ed on the experience of local building practice.
The secondariness of Polish writings about architecture arose from their social
function. All the demands of connoisseurs and arohite-cts were fully satisfied by
.the tre-atis-^s of foreign theoretioians, numerously repres-ented in early Polish
libraries. Polish writings usually fulfilled the function of popularizatiion and edu-
cation. Adressed to the gemtry at large, the range of probl-ems and the way of
ireating them had to be adjusted to the needs, demands, and intellectual capacdty
of the readers. Their role was therefore limited to the planting in Polis-h soil
an-d propa-gation of foreign ideas, with o.nly slight additi-on-s or modifications. As
the fundamental source of theoretical knowledge for the average recipient of
archiitecture, the Polish writings hav-e val-ue for us as a documentation of the
state of artistic consciousness of the Połish gen-try. For this reason, Polish lit-e-
rature an the s-ubjeot of architecture may be judged more from the standpoint
of the history -of culture than from that of a-rtistic doctrin-es.
128