I said that many other philosophies
relating to politics dominated the Enlightenment, and these will become equally
significant later on. Particularly, John
Locke's theories on the natural rights of man (that of life, liberty, and
property) influenced the political arena of the late eighteenth century. In lieu of such absolutist demonstrations as
those seen in England under King Charles I, Enlightenment thinkers took it upon
themselves to produce political theories and models for the ideal governmental
system. Where all this political
speculating would lead, the latter half of the century would show; but for now
let's resume our look at the Restoration Period in Great Britain before we
cross over to France and look at Rococo art.
The Great Fire of London struck in
1666 and lasted four days, destroying 89 churches. Commissioned to be in charge of
reconstruction was a young British architect named Christopher Wren, who was
also at the time a professor of astronomy at Oxford University. Wren's challenge was that he had to design
the churches to fit in their small, predetermined spaces. He therefore used tall, slender steeples to
build upwards, not outwards. These
steeples became significant in England and later in North America as the
architectural preference, and even though he drew from Greco-Roman designs,
Wren is credited with their introduction into the modern world. His most famous creation he went on to
design: the façade of St. Paul's Cathedral.
This cathedral was the tallest
building in London for over two hundred years and still continues today to be
one of the city's most endearing landmarks.
In designing it, Wren created deep porches at two levels to instill a
pattern of light and dark values (recalling Baroque tradition). Each porch has a pair of huge columns
supporting it, and as the building goes up, the porches grow thinner, pointing
the viewer's look to the top dome and tympanum.
The two towers on either side beautifully frame the building. By employing this unity of design, the cathedral
appears reminiscent of Classical structures like the Parthenon; all parts of
the building are symmetrical and balanced, very similar to the ancient Roman
architectural technique.
As I mentioned, this form of
structural design would become vastly significant to England and North America
in the following centuries. Sir
Christopher Wren was knighted in 1673, when he was just above forty years
old. He is to this day considered one of
the greatest architects in history.
Today, the London skyline itself serves as Wren's legacy, because he was
the one responsible for the construction of over fifty churches after the Great
Fire. It is for this reason that Wren's
eldest son wrote on his father's tombstone at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1723 the
inscription which, translated from Latin, states: "If ye seek my monument,
look around."
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