Stability and light, harmony and pleasure
The Tulip Staircase by Inigo Jones at Greenwich
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Richard Woodward described the Palladian Feast of Inigo Jones and how it almost went up in flames. On the same day, we wrote about AWN Pugin and the transformation created by Neo-Gothic architecture.
Inigo Jones was the scene setter for Georgian architecture. The Georgian style was very different from Pugin's. It, too, changed Britain and the world. Seeing Music explains.
| Permalink
| 
Comments (3)
Do you suppose he had in mind the "chambered nautilus"?
jlh | September 29, 2009 03:04 PM
Posted on September 29, 2009 15:04
"Do you supposed he had in mind the chambered nautilus?"
I think he saw the Golden Mean -(scroll down).
You're right that the chambered nautilus embodies the Golden Mean, but had he actually seen one?
Cat | September 29, 2009 05:32 PM
Posted on September 29, 2009 17:32
At any rate, the golden mean reminds us that, no matter how clever we are, nature is a bit cleverer. And parenthetically, something like this staircase, and the sky-shaped domes of the Mediterranean and the forest-inspired Gothic churches of the north show that you can't do much better than faithfully imitate her.
jlh | September 30, 2009 12:07 PM
Posted on September 30, 2009 12:07