Gottfried Semper, Jonh Ruskin, and Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc were three 19th century architects that came from different backgrounds. They shared some similar views on the construction, and preservation of Gothic architecture, yet they differed greatly in most if their ideas on the topic.
Semper was a German architect who studied mathematics and statistics. Semper catagorized architecture into 4 elements: hearth, substructure, roof, and enclosure. He placed great focus on the way buildings were constructed and what function they serve. This is similar to Viollet-Le-Duc’s view on construction. He admired architects for their grip on logic of rational construction. Viollet-Le-Duc is not well known for great ornament and detail in his drawings, however you can see he pays more attention to the detail of the construction, and how the building functions. He places less emphasis on the lavish details in the artwork and scultpure of the building.
These ideas contrast greatly with John Ruskin’s. He was more concerned with the details and the craftsmanship of a building. He claims that architecture is not a matter of design but it more a matter of ornament. He believes that sculpture and paintings are the master’s of architecture, and that everything else is mere building. These ideas are radically different from those of Viollet-Le-Duc’s and Semper’s. Ruskin downplays the importance of the construction of the building itself, because he believes it’s the artwork and sculpture that make the buildings. You can also see this idea through his drawings. The details and beauties of his artworks are much more emphasized and celebrated.
Ruskin and Viollet-Le-Duc also had opposings views when it came to their thoughts of architects themselves. Ruskin sees the architect as less important, and the actual architecture as inferior when it comes to the beauty and detail of the sculpter and painter’s work. Viollet-Le-Duc on the other hand has much more admiration for the architect, and he praises them, calling them highly intelligent designers. His main focus was on how architecture was constructed.
Violltet-Le-Duc and Semper were similar and that they both favored the use of local materials and local craftsmen. Viollet-Le-Duc was also an advocate for the use of iron in his works. He believed that it should be used for more than just wide spans. He also liked the fact that it was easily assembled on site. Ruskin was strongly opposed to the use of iron. He wanted to stick to the traditional style of Gothic architecture. He did not like new materials such as iron and glass, and said that the time when iron replaces stone architecture will not be true architecture.
Ruskin and Viollet-Le-Duc both worked on the reconstruction of buildings, and they had differing theories on how it should be done. Ruskin believed that during restoration, a building should only suffer the most deconstruction that it has to. He wanted buildings to remain as much the same that they could. Viollet-Le-Duc had a much more liberal view on how a building should be restored. He believed that restoration should be used not to preserve and repair, but to reinstate. He wanted to upadate the buildings, not preserve them. He had a more rational approach to restoration. Ruskin’s approach was based on his emotions. He said that once you remove the surface of a building, you have killed it.
Another differing view that Ruskin and Viollet-Le-Duc shared was a buildings connection between the interior and exterior. Viollet-Le-Duc thought that it was non-sense that have an exterior that contradicts the interior. He believed that the building should be connected. Ruskin on the other hand thought that irregular was good. He did not think that things within the building should be connected to eachother. The details needed to vary.
Semper, Viollet-Le-Duc, and Ruskin where all architects who favored the Gothic style. They shared many differing views, but they all have had a significant effect on the style of Gothic architecture.
