There are many outstanding Scottish architects, but Mackintosh was one of the most talented ones. He was born in 1868. His works are the rebellion against the traditional architecture, which used to be influenced by the Greek and Italian style. His buildings were designed to reflect the present times and culture.
Mackintosh was influenced by a new movement that was steadily growing in popularity on the continent, Art Nouveau. The philosophies of this new movement struck a chord with Mackintosh, as the artists who walked under the flag of Art Nouveau broke down the barriers between the fine arts and the applied arts and severed all connections with classical times, just as he wished to do. This was at a time when the Britain of Empire was still looking back at the great classical empires for its inspiration, this makes Mackintosh a very European artist and ahead of his times for his own country. The Art Nouveau artists also believed, just as he did, that an artist should work on everything connected with the building, from architecture to furniture design, so that art would become part of everyday life.
During his lifetime, Mackintosh designed a variety of buildings, ranging from his own house, to the Glasgow School of Art. His ecclesiastical work was not extensive; he built only one church and a suite of church halls in Glasgow and also designed furniture for a variety of churches. In 1896, once the competition drawings for the School of Art had been completed, he transferred his attention to the design of a church at Queen's Cross, Glasgow. Mackintosh took a mathematical view of Art Nouveau design, preferring to use designs that were very geometrical in their line. For the exterior of the church, he borrowed significantly from his knowledge of Scottish architecture. The long main facade can be likened to the cliff walls of castles such as Linlith gow and Huntly, and the replay of devices, such as slit windows and the tower are also reminiscent of castle architecture. The interior is where the influences of European Art Nouveau can truly be seen. Mackintosh did not stop at designing just the exterior of the building, but completed designs for the pews, pulpit and windows. At a time when Victorian Britain favoured a more flamboyant style of decor, Mackintosh turned to stripping furniture and decor to its bare minimum.
European artists were beginning to use pure lines and blocks of colour to portray their chosen images, rather than true to life representations. I n this way, his love of natural forms is evident in the motifs he used to decorate the church furniture. Instead of attempting to depict faithful images of flowers, he broke them down and created simple, stylised carvings. Mackintosh also loved to create a feeling of space within his buildings. This was usually done by incorporating huge windows into the architectural plan. Images D and E depict large windows consisting of elongated glass panels, to allow the maximum amount of light to enter the hall. The Victorian's love of stained glass windows obviously had an effect on Mackintosh, but as usual he has interpreted the ide a in his own way by using simple shapes and a restricted palette of colour.
Mackintosh's work reflects the way that the world was beginning to change, the political order of old Europe was beginning to break down, and technology was advancing rapidly. He saw that it was time for art to break away from the restrictions of the past years and to create a new place for itself in the world. Because of this, his work was often approached with suspicion within his homeland, which was so fond of looking to the past rather than the future. His ability to absorb many influences and to recreate them in an entirely personal way, almost inventing his own Art Nouveau language, meant that during his lifetime, it was only in Europe that the originality of his work was truly appreciated.
This would also include the designing of the fixtures and fittings, such as lampshades, magazine racks and doors. In Mackintosh's case, this often included stained glass for the windows and internal partitions.
Mary Anne Winslow is a member of Essay Writing Service counselling department team and a dissertation writing consultant. Contact her to get free counselling on custom essay writing.
Author:: Mary Anne Winslow
Keywords:: Mackintosh,art nouveau
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