Pugin's Reasons for Gothic Revival
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How would you explain Pugin’s reasons for reviving Gothic traditions in either architecture or ecclesiastical furnishings?
Augustus Pugin’s reasoning for the revival of Gothic tradition in architecture encompassed not only his ideals about architecture itself – practicality, aesthetics, and purpose; but also (in his opinion) the positive effects a revival would have on society - cementing national identity, re-found spiritual and moral awareness, and a continuity of past traditions. It was to be the restoration of medieval ethics that would bring about a cessation to the degenerating present, and this included medieval (Gothic) architecture.
During the sixteenth century a movement took place to reform the Catholic Church, then in ‘power’, due to disagreements with - and resistance to - the practices that were currently situate. This movement led to the uprising of Protestant churches and practices, which later came to dominate England’s Christian direction. These practices that were now dominating the country were not to the liking of Pugin, for he had found fault in this ‘new’ society’s complacency towards religion, and had disapproved of the classical style of churches (and civil buildings) that had been erected over the past decades.
The Reformation and Protestantism, he canvassed, had instigated the deterioration of the country’s architecture: “When these feelings [schism] entered in, the spell was broken, the Architecture itself fell with the religion to which it owed it's birth, and was succeeded by a mixed and base style devoid of science or elegance” (Pugin, 1836, p.3, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vKRWAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=contrasts+augustus+pugin#PPA19,M1)
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Pugin attacked Parliaments choice to commission the building of churches following the battle of Waterloo in 1815 (McKellar, 2008, p.126); in his opinion their plans showed no signs of aspiration, or respect it could be said, with regards to ecclesiastical...
Augustus Pugin’s reasoning for the revival of Gothic tradition in architecture encompassed not only his ideals about architecture itself – practicality, aesthetics, and purpose; but also (in his opinion) the positive effects a revival would have on society - cementing national identity, re-found spiritual and moral awareness, and a continuity of past traditions. It was to be the restoration of medieval ethics that would bring about a cessation to the degenerating present, and this included medieval (Gothic) architecture.
During the sixteenth century a movement took place to reform the Catholic Church, then in ‘power’, due to disagreements with - and resistance to - the practices that were currently situate. This movement led to the uprising of Protestant churches and practices, which later came to dominate England’s Christian direction. These practices that were now dominating the country were not to the liking of Pugin, for he had found fault in this ‘new’ society’s complacency towards religion, and had disapproved of the classical style of churches (and civil buildings) that had been erected over the past decades.
The Reformation and Protestantism, he canvassed, had instigated the deterioration of the country’s architecture: “When these feelings [schism] entered in, the spell was broken, the Architecture itself fell with the religion to which it owed it's birth, and was succeeded by a mixed and base style devoid of science or elegance” (Pugin, 1836, p.3, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vKRWAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=contrasts+augustus+pugin#PPA19,M1)
.
Pugin attacked Parliaments choice to commission the building of churches following the battle of Waterloo in 1815 (McKellar, 2008, p.126); in his opinion their plans showed no signs of aspiration, or respect it could be said, with regards to ecclesiastical...