Charles Rennie Mackintosh

There are many outstanding Scottish architects,pulpit and windows. At a time when Victorian
but Mackintosh was one of the most talentedBritain favoured a more
ones. He was born in 1868. His works are theflamboyant style of decor, Mackintosh turned to
rebellion against the traditional architecture, whichstripping furniture
used to be influenced by the Greek and Italianand decor to its bare minimum.European artists
style. His buildings were designed to reflect thewere beginning to use pure lines and blocks of
present times and culture.Mackintosh wascolour
influenced by a new movement that was steadilyto portray their chosen images, rather than true
growingto life
in popularity on the continent, Art Nouveau. Therepresentations. In this way, his love of natural
philosophies of thisforms is evident in
new movement struck a chord with Mackintosh,the motifs he used to decorate the church
as the artists who walkedfurniture.
under the flag of Art Nouveau broke down theInstead of attempting to depict faithful images of
barriers between the fineflowers, he broke
arts and the applied arts and severed allthem down and created simple, stylised carvings.
connections with classicalMackintosh also loved
times, just as he wished to do. This was at ato create a feeling of space within his buildings.
time when the Britain ofThis was usually
Empire was still looking back at the great classicaldone by incorporating huge windows into the
empires for itsarchitectural plan. Images
inspiration, this makes Mackintosh a veryD and E depict large windows consisting of
European artist and ahead ofelongated glass panels, to
his times for his own country. The Art Nouveauallow the maximum amount of light to enter the
artists also believed,hall. The Victorian's
just as he did, that an artist should work onlove of stained glass windows obviously had an
everything connectedeffect on Mackintosh,
with the building, from architecture to furniturebut as usual he has interpreted the idea in his
design, so that artown way by using
would become part of everyday life.During hissimple shapes and a restricted palette of
lifetime, Mackintosh designed a variety of buildings,colour.Mackintosh's work reflects the way that
ranging from his own house, to the Glasgowthe world was beginning to
School of Art. Hischange, the political order of old Europe was
ecclesiastical work was not extensive; he builtbeginning to break down,
only one church and aand technology was advancing rapidly. He saw
suite of church halls in Glasgow and also designedthat it was time for art
furniture for ato break away from the restrictions of the past
variety of churches. In 1896, once theyears and to create a
competition drawings for thenew place for itself in the world. Because of this,
School of Art had been completed, hehis work was often
transferred his attention to theapproached with suspicion within his homeland,
design of a church at Queen's Cross, Glasgow.which was so fond of
Mackintosh took alooking to the past rather than the future. His
mathematical view of Art Nouveau design,ability to absorb many
preferring to use designsinfluences and to recreate them in an entirely
that were very geometrical in their line. For thepersonal way, almost
exterior of theinventing his own Art Nouveau language, meant
church, he borrowed significantly from histhat during his
knowledge oflifetime, it was only in Europe that the originality
Scottish architecture. The long main facade canof his work was
be likened to thetruly appreciated.This would also include the
cliff walls of castles such as Linlithgow and Huntly,designing of the fixtures and fittings,
and the replaysuch as lampshades, magazine racks and doors.
of devices, such as slit windows and the towerIn Mackintosh's case,
are also reminiscent ofthis often included stained glass for the windows
castle architecture. The interior is where theand internal
influences of Europeanpartitions.Mary Anne Winslow is a member of
Art Nouveau can truly be seen. Mackintosh didEssay Writing Service counselling department
not stop at designingteam and a dissertation writing consultant. Contact
just the exterior of the building, but completedher to get free counselling on custom essay
designs for the pews,writing.