APPRECIATION OF ARCHITECTURE ; • • By Robert Byron , 7
Mr. Robert Byron will almost Certainly acliie,;:e the primary objeet of his Afipre_litition of Architecture (Wisliart, 13.), namely, to rouse his readers to an interest in atchiteettire. Mr. Byron does not aim at laying down absolute principles Vor architecture, but merely at suggesting criteria which will help the layman to approach and judge such of efts : works as surround him all his life. I-us distinction -between Static and mobile methods of design seems to have a :mbre • absolute validity than he pretends to admit,' but in any Case its primary function is to make a 'bug drive through London more amusing for those who absorb the theory. They can apply the distinction to all the buildings' they pass and the process of applying such a distinction is a Considerable step, towards a real understanding of archi- tecture, for it means at least that the spectator will 16ok at buildings more carefully than before. The most melancholy thing is that, as Mr. Byron points out,- he will be forced to the conclusion that LI geirral London "is not coniposed. 'of- architecture at ail.' On- the--other hand, -this method seillUing.pleasure.tathose who applx:Awbysenablin1.4 uie isolate and really to enjoy the few specimen.s,of genuine aeeki. lecture in London and, above all,;it will male them consek, that- the buildings around them should be, architecenet This book, therefore, can be faithfully described by tha ':much- abused -epithet, stimulating.- - - - - -
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