William Burges Quotes
1827–1881 England
William Burges (2 December 1827 – 20 April 1881) was an English architect and designer.
Random William Burges quote
11 quotes
Decidedly the best application of art to industry is when a great many copies are made from an exceedingly good pattern.
The civil engineer is the real 19th century architect.
This may, perhaps, take place in the twentieth century, it certainly, as far as I can see, will not occur in the nineteenth.
The real mission of machinery is to reduce pounds to shillings and shillings to pence.
I have been brought up in the 13th century belief, and in that belief I intend to die.
Pugin says in one of his works that had he a cathedral to build, one of the first things he would do would be to set up a lathe to turn the smaller columns.
Use a good strong thick bold line so that we may get into the habit of leaving out those prettinesses which only cost money and spoil our design.
to William Burges (1860)
The great feature of our medieval chamber is the furniture ; this, in a rich apartment, would be covered with paintings, both ornaments and subjects; it not only did its duty as furniture, but spoke and told a story.
If we copy, the thing never looks right [and] the same occurs with regard to those buildings which do not profess to be copies; both they and the copies want spirit. They are dead bodies... We are at our wits.
Since the great French Revolution all colour has been gradually dying out of the male costume, until we have got reduced to our present gamut of brown, black and neutral tint; which, combined with the chimney-pot hat and the swallow-tailed coat, form a costume by no means particularly adapted to refresh the eye seeking for form or colour.
Of course there is no prima facie reason why cheap things should be ugly, for a die or mould of a good design costs no more than a bad one; but still the fact remains that the objects in use in every-day life are not beautiful, and it is to effect a change in this respect that the Government have established Schools of Design and the excellent Museum of which I shall have to speak hereafter.