Architectural designs have been shifting from one style to other with time to help fit in with the most influential designs across the world. From the 18th century, there has been a shift from the picturesque to other improved designs in the neo-colonialism period. The picturesque was characterized through the value placed on the architectural pictures that were combined with their landscape[1]. The buildings that were presented during this neoclassicism period were diverse in the architectural nature as they majored their design on their potential to express and attitude as compared to a focus on any physical characteristics[2]. In this way, the presented pictures and designs had a major focus on the proportion, order, formality and similarities in the buildings. More so, the aim was to create a building that portrayed a landscape scene similar to a painting. The focus was on the beautiful aesthetic presented in the buildings through the use of interesting textures, irregularity, variety and asymmetry to create unique pictures that could be eye catching.
Following its adopting in the18th century, the focus was to create an integration between the natural settings and the building and enhance harmony. John Nash was known to integrate most of these concepts in his work by strategically locating items in his paintings to induce emotions. He also considered price as the foremost component that differentiated quality[3]. Studies indicate that there was a shift from the decorative Baroque to simple picturesque as most of the scholars looked to settle for the natural styles that were more desirable to help deal with the period of industrial revolution[4]. The architects of the time seemed to detest decorations on buildings as a form of art, as that was not essential in creating buildings that were in agreement with the environment. They wanted to focus on the ability to portray the natural in their creations through the use of classical Roman and Greek style in furnishing the interior of the buildings that were made during that season[5]. It was during this time that the architectural designs failed to incorporate ornamental utilizations in the creations and simplicity was adopted in their classical themes[6]. As such, the interior of buildings during these times intentionally left out the use of decorations as it shifted to creating harmony between nature and the buildings. It reduced the idea of taking buildings as separate objects and helped view them as part of nature. In this way, the picturesque style was the main style for the exteriors of buildings to ensure that a harmony with nature was created from the early stages of the building[7].
Therefore, during this period in architectural designs, the theme was all about creating an environment that formed admirable sceneries that could be related to the natural habitats within which they existed. Additionally, neo-classicism could only be described as only an aspect of the whole picturesque in creating the simplicity that was accompanied by buildings of that age. There were precise regulations that were set to be used within this period to help create perfection in the sceneries but were later dismissed through season variation for the Greeks and Romans, to provide liberty in the use of architectural designs[8].
Interior spaces as unified volumes in the 18th century
During the neo-classicism period, there was an emancipation of the interiors with the construction of space tailored to individual needs. Robert Adam was among the architects that participated in the Britain Palladian movement and therefore adopted various classical motifs and themes to be used in the architectural designs of that time. He used the themes to create the English landscape garden with eclectic style. It was during the neo-classicism period that he developed the themes in interior designs that were known as ‘developed surface drawings.’ The concept was used to show the space that could be utilized in the interior designs that made it possible to create unified volumes through a consolidation of different architectural effects such as the formal, spatial, social and visual aspects of a building, including color and shape. He designed unified volumes that helped show both the spatial and visual aspects of a building and his design also controlled the decorative features that could be fitted in a room including carpets, tapestries, murals as well as furniture. The walls were painted with the lighter and warmer colors and their shadows were muted while the furniture was arranged against the walls and at the edge of the room. Homeowners could also bring in their preferred carvings and paintings. Standing at the upper floors was supposed to give a bird’s view of the floor of the lower levels without interruptions of furniture[9].
Robert Adams also created the flattened out cubes as decoration in interiors of buildings that could also be used to differentiate rooms that were adjacent to each other, which helped to create a further attractive display. The wall furnishings, fittings, carpets, drapes, plasterwork and the floor all had to be considered along with the architecture of the building during the design stage and were not to be used just as extras to an already completed structure. These unified volumes created an opportunity for the inclusion of the actual usage of space in the creation of any architectural designs. In this way, there were various social and formal aspects within the neo-classical community that informed the interior designs, especially within the country estates[10].
Consequently, the urban design that was employed in the 18th century placed an emphasis on direction and unity through over-expressing other parts of the presented architecture. There were regular multiaxial schemes that were used to create common aspects in the buildings that were developed. There was either a gridiron or geometric pattern that was used to subdivide the space between the radiating avenues[11]. Adam Robert introduced the use of new principles in creating different spatial experiences to enhance urban development. Like in traditional buildings, he separated the formal spaces from the informal ones in multi-floored buildings. However, the level he referred as the first floor was dropped down to the ground level and instead of it being used as a formal area to entertain guests, he designed his, to be an informal section that doubled as an entertainment spot. The homeowners could showcase their collection, souvenirs and art pieces and therefore show off their status. The upper levels would then take up the formal functions where the rooms were conjoined to end up in a circle giving the semblance of equality across all rooms accessed at each level. It eliminated the centrality and relational differences of rooms that was presented in previous interior design plans. Guests would take pleasure in moving around without stopping or even returning to an initially visited area[12]. The tour would arouse their interest and also give them the experience of unending space. Aside from the conjoined bedrooms, adjacent rooms also had unified corners. The interiors were made so splendid such that the appearance of the exterior could not be used to predict the interior. Also, it was such that the beauty found in the interior of the building could not be attributed to what was found in the external surroundings[13]
‘Developed Surface drawings’ and spatial effects
Going further, Adam developed surface drawings which he used to bring harmony between the surface and space in the interior of buildings by fitting them in a single compositional canvas. These drawings were similar to the flattened out cubes where elevations were made around the plan bringing about spatial effects that not only accentuated the magnificence of the interior design, but also allowed separation of adjacent rooms. The use of surface drawing and creation of unified volumes affected how a building was conceived in multiple ways. Given that these two aspects were common among the noble and rich people, the first floor on the ground as designed by Adam was an entertainment spot that could be used as a gallery. The interconnectedness of the rooms created the perception of unending spatial coverage, distance and time. The design by Adam also allowed residents to recapture past memories as elicited by the personal collection as they toured their premises. The arrangement of furniture along the walls also left the midsection of the room practically empty and this created some sort of force that tended to pull attention to these areas as it seemed to drown out all the misplaced objects to result in a flat surface[14]
Following the introduction of the use of space by Robert Adam, current developments in architectural designs show the accommodation in the benefits of space usage. People have gained a new sense of space architecture through the ability to utilize space by the separation of rooms and redecoration of houses. Research has shown that most people of the noble class have made a difference in the presentation of their residential places and have also ensured that there is unity created between the interior and external decorations. Robert’s design created a platform to make decorations inside the building look attractive as portrayed through the furniture, carpet and tapestries [15].
Relationship of the ‘Developed surface drawings’ with the Picturesque landscape
While the developed surface drawings were used for the interiors of the buildings, the picturesque landscape marked the exteriors of built structures when it was incorporated in the architecture and used in gardening. It was used to integrate buildings into its surrounding environment. When used as a form of art in paintings, drawings and poetry, it brought out the creativity of the artists and portrayed how they perceived landscape, therefore befitting to be used to decorate the interiors[16]. The picturesque landscape which gave a ‘garden impression’ gained popularity in the early eighteenth century and just like Adam’s designs, it was also popular with the nobles who were independent from the royal court of England and therefore had free will to represent their thoughts. It came along when the woodlands became extinct due to the segregation of common lands to form deer parks and pastureland which also propagated the slow disappearance of forests. The confiscation led to the rise of enclosed estates, the initial steps of urbanization and borrowing from the French revolution, the landscape became an important aesthetic. The works of William Kent are a perfect representation of picturesque and they aimed at creating an environment conducive for thinking, where people could be one with nature and enjoy it[17].
However, picturesque as it is known in modern times deviates from that of the eighteenth century[18]. Macarthur[19]presents the sentiments of Ruskin’s who asserts that the lower genres of art aim at pleasing while the high is more complicated as it envisions conceptualization and cultivation of a society. Rather than feeding on our desires, the higher genres simply facilitate moral judgment of the ideas and concepts represented therein and that may be mirroring events in the contemporary society. Uledevale Price, on the other hand, perceives that the beauty of picturesque lies in the ability of the painter to show mastery their of skills rather than giving a mechanical repetition of the natural surroundings and objects skills [20].
Ruskin also raises the notion of disinterestedness which makes his art similar to the aesthetics of the eighteenth century. He records that Price used disgust and low subjects to characterize observers that were naïve to art. He, however, cautions on the attitude taken by Price in which he described a nobleman choosing to enhance the appearance of his estate as a way of moving along in the society in fear of losing his liberal status. Price and other thinkers of the eighteenth century may have pinned the development of good taste as being affected by the inherent interest in land which blurred good judgment. Ruskin voids the picturesque as lacking sympathy and affect and also blames the aversion of the interest-disinterest construct in the eighteenth century. Disinterest and aesthetics were regarded as an ideology of the taste where the aristocrats pinned on the wealth used to acquire the artworks. This ideal strengthened and by the next century, architecture was now really ideological and it raised national, religious and social class interests. Ruskin comes in at this point where he believes that the making of art is propelled by elements of disinterest in the art market while the political environment propels the development of particular artworks [21].
The Englishness of picturesque is the third element contributing to its disinterestedness. In the eighteenth century, the cottages were and even animators used were depicted being in deplorable conditions. While this was a true aesthetic of England at the time, it remains significant and raises the question. Ruskin fails to see this as the original representation of the country and attempts to blame foreign influence on the overall negative depiction. His work transforms all this and creates an entirely new and strange picturesque that we were accustomed to [22].
Nonetheless, Ruskin agrees with Price that picturesque is another form of art that may not necessarily depict beauty but may be used to arouse interest in the ordinary things and therefore still be used as a decorating piece for those who appreciate it. Having seen looked at picturesque and developed surface interiors separately, the use of these two concepts in the Carrick Hill is described.
The Carrick Hill in Australia depicts the perfect blend of developed surface drawing with picturesque landscape. To date, the design of the Carrick Hill and its contents have remained unaltered. It was built in 1939 as the home of Sir Edward ‘Bill’ Hayward and his wife Lady Ursula Hayward. Their friend James Irwin designed the house which assumed the look of an English Manor house built in the seventeenth century in its fittings and furniture, therefore representing neoclassicism. Given that the two owners were very ardent critics of art, Irvin had to work hard to bring out his design prowess while also incorporating the wishes of the would-be owners. Irvin adopted the English parks for the exterior parts of the mansion. He created a forest by including several tree species including commercial orchids, citrus, pine, nut and gum trees, quinces and hawthorns. The exterior furniture was composed of oak pieces while the wall paneling consisted of architraves also carved out from oak trees [23].
The interior of Carrick Hill has a very different theme. From the entrance, a small hallway with depictions of swords and halberds lead into the vast interior where the dim light engravements house the art pieces. The presentation stirs anticipation of what more will be witnessed on the premises. The decorative elements are souvenirs which they collected from their vast travels and those from Australia, Britain and France had a dominance of the British culture both modern and of the seventeenth century. Some are also inherited from the Hayward lineage[24]. The Blue Iris portrait by Stanley Spencer is a representation of small garden with blue flowers. The Weeping Rose by Pierre-Joseph Redouté is also portrayed and is among many of the artist's work that portrays the beauty of the Australian flora. Summer Flowers by Nora Hysen, a lifelong friend of the Haywards is among the many paintings she made of the flowers collected in the Carrick Hill mansion by Lady Haward. She did not have a garden to plant them and painting them was her way of preserving them. Te raau rahi the big tree by Gauguin is also present in this collection which he painted during his brief stay in France. British oak furniture from the seventeenth century fill up the dining room area and its walls are also paneled[25]. The Oak staircase and other house fittings obtained from the demolished Beaudesert Hall in Staffordshire in the mid-sixteenth century, accentuate the ascent from the ground floor to the upper floors of the house. In the master bedroom, there is a tudor rose and plastered ceiling and a four-poster bed sits at the center taking up most of the space. The bed linen is composed of bed sheets embroidered by William Morris. A French feel is brought about by the Lalique glass used as light fixtures throughout the room even in the ceiling [26].
The Carrick Hill, therefore, succeeds in portraying neoclassicism through art that signifies different historical events. It also represents the concepts of developed surface interiors and picturesque that developed in the eighteenth century.
Bibliography
Arts South Australia. “Our Cultural Collections.” Arts South Australia, 2016, 1–44.
Evans, Robin. Translations from Drawing to Building. Architectural Association Publications, London, 1997.
Heathcote, Richard, ed. Carrick Hill, A Portrait. Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield Press, 2011.
Kruft, Hanno-Walter. A History of Architectural Theory : From Vitruvius to the Present. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press, 1994.
Macarthur, John. “‘The Butcher’s Shop: Disgust in Picturesque Aesthetics and Architecture.” Assemblage 30 (1996): 32–43.
Macarthur, John. “The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin’s Aesthetics’.” Assemblage
32 (1997): 126–41.
Macarthur, John. The Picturesque: Architecture, disgust and Other Irregularities. Edited by Caroline van Eck. London and NewYork: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007.
Macarthur, John. “The Picturesque Movement-Effect: Motion and Architectural Affects in Wölfflin and Benjamin’.” In In the Making: Architecture’s Past: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, 257–66, 2001.
Robinson, Guy M, and Susan R Robinson. “Improving Landscape or Recreating the Improving Landscape or Recreating the Picturesque ? Three Historic Rural Landscapes in the English Midlands.” Belgeo Revue Belge de Géographie 2, no. September 2017 (2016): 1–18. doi:10.4000/belgeo.19664.
Szilágyi, Kinga. “The Evolution of English Picturesque Landscape Garden to Urban Public Park.” In First International Conference “Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Transylvania” Agriculture and Environment Supplement, 176–87, 2011.
Wakeling, Adrian. “Give and Take? Unraveling the True Nature of Zero-Hours Contracts.” Acas Policy Discussion Papers, no. May (2014): 1–11.
Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Fourth. London: Laurence King, 2005.
[1] Macarthur, John. The Picturesque: Architecture, disgust and Other Irregularities. Edited by Caroline van Eck. London and NewYork: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007
[2]
Guy M Robinson and Susan R Robinson, “Improving Landscape or Recreating the Improving Landscape or Recreating the Picturesque ? Three Historic Rural Landscapes in the English Midlands,” Belgeo Revue Belge de Géographie 2, no. September 2017 (2016): 1–18, doi:10.4000/belgeo.19664.
[3]
John Macarthur, “‘The Butcher’s Shop: Disgust in Picturesque Aesthetics and Architecture,” Assemblage 30 (1996): 32–43.
[4] Kinga Szilágyi, “The Evolution of English Picturesque Landscape Garden to Urban Public Park,” in First International Conference “Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Transylvania” Agriculture and Environment Supplement, 2011, 176–87.
[5]
John Macarthur, “The Picturesque Movement-Effect: Motion and Architectural Affects in Wölfflin and Benjamin’,” in In the Making: Architecture’s Past: Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand, 2001, 257–66.
[6]
John Macarthur, The Picturesque: Architecture,disgust and Other Irregularities, ed. Caroline van Eck (London and NewYork: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007).
[7]
Hanno-Walter. Kruft, A History of Architectural Theory : From Vitruvius to the Present (NewYork: Princeton Architecturial Press, 1994); David Watkin, A History of Western Architecture, Fourth (London: Laurence King, 2005).
[8]
Robin Evans, Translations from Drawing to Building, Architectural Association Publications,London, 1997; Watkin, A History of Western Architecture.
[9]
Evans, Translations from Drawing to Building.
[10]
Ibid, 7.
[11]
Macarthur, The Picturesque: Architecture,disgust and Other Irregularities.
[12]
Evans, Translations from Drawing to Building.
[13]
Ibid, 7.
[14]
Ibid, 7.
[15]
Adrian Wakeling, “Give and Take? Unravelling the True Nature of Zero-Hours Contracts,” Acas Policy Discussion Papers, no. May (2014): 1–11.
[16]
Robinson and Robinson, “Improving Landscape or Recreating the Improving Landscape or Recreating the Picturesque ? Three Historic Rural Landscapes in the English Midlands.”
[17]
Macarthur, The Picturesque: Architecture,disgust and Other Irregularities; Szilágyi, “The Evolution of English Picturesque Landscape Garden to Urban Public Park.”
[18]
Macarthur, The Picturesque: Architecture,disgust and Other Irregularities.
[19]
John Macarthur, “The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin’s Aesthetics’,” Assemblage 32 (1997): 126–41.
[20]
Macarthur, The Picturesque: Architecture,disgust and Other Irregularities.
[21]
Macarthur, “The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin’s Aesthetics’.”
[22]
Ibid, 18.
[23]
Richard Heathcote, ed., Carrick Hill, A Potrait (Kent Town,South Australia: Wakefield Press, 2011); Arts South Australia, “Our Cultural Collections,” Arts South Australia, 2016, 1–44.
[24]
Heathcote, Carrick Hill, A Potrait.
[25]
Arts South Australia, “Our Cultural Collections.”
[26]
Ibid, 24.; Heathcote, Carrick Hill, A Potrait.
