VICTORIAN ERA SPECTACULAR
Texas Victorian
Architecture and John Ruskin
DISTURBED IMAGINATION
"THE TENDENCY TO DELIGHT IN FANTASTIC AND LUDICROUS, AS WELL AS SUBLIME, IMAGES;"
- Ruskin
Above is a photo
of one of the Gothic decorations of the Waxahachie Courthouse.
The Victorian architects had a tendency to indulge their
fantasies while their works were in progress. As a result, many
Victorian structures include aspects of the Gothic look such as
gargoyles. Pictured above is an example of this idea, on a more
conservative scale. This gargoyle face seems to be
content, which isn't
always the case with some of the other designs (right). Ruskin
describes the "Gothic ornament" as one that
"stands out in prickly independence, and frosty fortitude,
jutting into crockets, and freezing into pinnacles; here starting
up into a monster." An architect or an artist during the
Victorian period may have used this criteria to rationalize their
own monstrous creations. These artisans were also known for using
their work to display emotions held for other people. For
example, if a Gothic architect had a problem with someone he
would sometimes reflect that person in a hideous manner in his
work in order to deface the enemy. They had a freedom to design
and the beauty and uniqueness of these structures serve as an
example of the blooming creativity of the period.
All quotes are taken from author John Ruskin's "The Stones of Venice." (1853)