Yet here also we
observe the tendency to make the middle larger or otherwise dominant,
exemplified even in the building cited, where the central part is
distinguished by the ornamental shield, upon which the attention is
focused. When there are four horizontal divisions, our tendency is to
divide them into groups of two; but unless this grouping is clearly
marked by a molding or other such device, our purpose is defeated
because each of the two can itself be divided into two parts, whence
we get the four parts again, among which there is not sufficient unity.
When, however, there are more than four stories, they cease to function
as individuals and become members of a series, the rhythm of which
creates the necessary unity. Even in this case, however, the tendency
toward grouping into three with the middle dominant persists; for, as
a rule, the stories are divided by moldings into three parts, of which
the central part is the largest. Four equal stories are difficult
because they at once resist an arrangement into threes and yet fall
short of being the series which they suggest. When a series of stories
is divided into three parts, a superior aesthetic effect is gained if
the height of each story diminishes in some regular ratio from the
bottom to the top, thus expressing the gradual overcoming of the
downward force by the upward,--the rhythm becomes dynamical as well
as kinematical.
All good architectural styles illustrate the principle of impartiality,
which demands the careful elaboration of parts.
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