Week 7 - Anna Reid - Lecture 1 - An Experiment in Architecture - Pre-Raphaelitism and Science

The Pre-Raphaelites modeled their artistic practice in painting and poetry on science.
This project was thorough and wide-ranging across their art.
It began with the formation of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the late 1840s and reached fuller expression in Hunt's visits to the Holy Land.
The Pre-Raphaelites achieved significant understanding of ecology and psychology, surpassing many contemporary scientists.
Their contributions are still relevant, reinforcing their artistic legacy.
Their influence extended beyond art, significantly impacting Victorian scientific culture.

Notable early patrons and supporters included naturalist William Broderip, palaeontologist Richard Owen, and physician Henry Acland.
The Pre-Raphaelites faced resistance from the press and artistic establishment but found allies within the scientific community.
Tupper wrote in 1856 about unprecedented collaboration between artists and natural philosophers, noting new interdisciplinary interactions.
The Oxford University scientists, led by Acland, invited the Pre-Raphaelites to collaborate in designing and decorating a new university museum of natural history.
This collaboration was intended to transform architecture into representational art, illustrating nature’s true essence.

The museum is considered a major work of Pre-Raphaelite art.
This section will explore:
- Origins of collaboration between scientists and artists.
- Architecture as a Pre-Raphaelite art form.
- How the museum's façade, forms, and materials express a vision of nature as divine creation.
- Two distinct sculpture programs by artists reflecting their interpretations of nature and science.

The campaign for a new museum began in the late 1820s due to growing needs in scientific education.
Key figures advocating for the museum included John Kidd, Philip Bury Duncan, Charles Daubeny, Robert Walker, and Henry Acland.
Initial proposals faced resistance from an institution steeped in classical and theological traditions.
Renewed efforts in the late 1840s led to calls for a comprehensive science faculty combining various disciplines.
Approval for the museum came only after a protracted process, with Convocation’s initial objections eventually overruled.
A competition for architectural designs commenced in April 1854; the winning design was selected in December.

The proposal raised questions about architectural styles, with advocates supporting both Gothic and classical designs.
Figures like George Edmund Street argued for Gothic architecture, emphasizing its historical and structural significance.
Acland’s preferences for Gothic architecture, linked with his Pre-Raphaelite inclinations, further swayed the decision towards Deane and Woodward’s Gothic design.

Acland played a pivotal role in connecting the museum with Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics, being educated with Ruskin.
Engaged other Pre-Raphaelites like Rossetti in design ideas, although Millais eventually opted out due to personal conflicts.
The choice of decorative elements reflected Pre-Raphaelite priorities, with Ruskin advising on naturalistic decoration for the windows.
A series of statues representing great scientists were commissioned from Pre-Raphaelite sculptors.

Although Rossetti contributed by bringing other artists to the project, some Pre-Raphaelite sculptors were engaged for specific commissions by the university.
Alexander Munro sculpted the statues of several scientists, integrating Pre-Raphaelite principles throughout.
The museum eventually exhibited a series of statues representing significant scientists, evolving into a Pre-Raphaelite narrative of science and nature.

The architecture of the museum embodies visions of nature through its structural elements and decorative details.
There is a significant connection between Pre-Raphaelitism and High Victorian Gothic architecture, both embracing medieval roots while asserting a modern identity.
Hunt criticized the revivalist tendencies of some Gothic artists, stressing the need to evolve from medieval sources toward a modern interpretation of art.

Leading architects of the era, crisis in conventions, and the quest for originality led to the Gothic revival becoming an avant-garde movement.
Street categorized Pre-Raphaelism as aligned with Gothicism, arguing that both art forms sought adherence to truth and natural accuracy.

The use of modern materials like iron and glass in Gothic architecture reflects a fusion of historic styles with contemporary engineering advancements.
Acland promoted this idea, asserting that the Gothic architecture of the museum bridge the past and the new materials, forming a coherent aesthetic vision.

The design engaged deeply with contemporary scientific principles and aspirations, evident within different scales of the museum’s architecture.
Activating the idea of God’s creation through the museum’s corporeal form intends to establish an organic unity around scientific exploration.
The museum was not merely an educational space but a physical representation of divine artistry in nature.

Ruskin emphasized that Gothic decoration must convey truths about natural facts, aligning with the principles adopted in the museum’s decoration.
Acland delivered an address to the Architectural Congress reaffirming Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics: a quest for authentic ornamentation embodying natural representation.
Carvings by the O’Sheas were pivotal in furnishing the museum’s decor while expressing a vivid character of natural history.

The O’Sheas’ works feature harmonizations with the Pre-Raphaelite principles, revealing a deep connection between the ecologies of nature and their artistic interpretations.
The involvement of various artists, many influenced by Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics, supports the museum's portrayal of nature's complexities.

The Oxford Museum stands as a significant case of a successful union of science and art, remaining one of Victorian architecture's pivotal landmarks.
It represents an enduring connection between different artistic expressions and scientific endeavors, within which multiple interpretations of organic life interact dynamically, mirroring the complicated, random system of existence.