Andrew Lambirth

Open your eyes

Palladio: His Life and Legacy<br /> Royal Academy, until 13 April

issue 07 February 2009

Palladio: His Life and Legacy
Royal Academy, until 13 April

In a truly civilised society, a basic understanding and appreciation of architecture would be taught in schools. After all, most of us spend a large portion of our lives in buildings. Yet you only have to look around you to see that architecture is dishonoured and despised in England. How have we come to this? We have a good share of fine buildings scattered about the land, and even poor desperate built-upon London retains quite a few architectural marvels. Why then are we prepared to accept almost without comment acres of disfiguring ugliness? I refuse to believe that the English have no visual sense — though this is often said of our triumphantly literary nation. No, I think it’s more to do with using our eyes and forming our own judgments.

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