Radu Cristian Mihai 25B

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

and his work
One of Mackintoshs first biographers, Thomas Howarth, portrayed him as a
modernist, ahead of his time and a significant influence on twentieth-century
architecture. Subseuent scholars ha!e uestioned this, and many ha!e been more
interested in his position within artistic mo!ements of the nineteenth-century, such as
the arts and crafts mo!ement, initiated by "ohn #uskin, $. %. &. 'ugin and e!entually
by "ohn #uskin.
The $rts and (rafts mo!ement began in late nineteenth century )ritain and had
roots in the re!i!al of medie!al and *othic architectural styles. +n the nineteenth
century the taste in design for buildings mo!ed away from (lassical styles. These styles
were based on design patterns which were formulated and e,pressed in ancient *reece
and #ome, and included certain rules of proportion and a limited stock of shapes such
as the orders of columns. (lassical elements of this kind had been used in a !ariety of
ways - from the unconstrained )aroue style to disciplined 'alladianism, but in one
form or another they had dominated the design of large state buildings, churches, and
country houses, for hundreds of years. +n the place of classical styles the new
architectural styles of, first, *othic #e!i!al, and then $rts and (rafts emerged. *othic
style is easily recognised by pointed arches and high-pitched roofs, with structural
support being pro!ided by webbed !aulting and buttresses, rather than the strength of
walls. 'roponents of the *othic style placed great emphasis on indi!idual skill and
craftsmanship in construction. There was also an emphasis on a !ery practical
approach to design in which usefulness and comfort of the building for the occupants
was an important design goal.
(harles #ennie Mackintoshs work can be di!ided into three main areas- public
buildings, pri!ate homes and tearooms. .,celling in all these areas, Mackintosh left
hundreds of designs and a rich !olume of realised work. His distincti!e style mi,ed
together elements of the Scottish !ernacular and the .nglish $rts and (rafts tradition
with the organic forms of $rt &ou!eau and a dri!e to be modern. $s his work matured,
Mackintosh employed bolder geometric forms in place of organic-inspired symbolic
decoration.
The *lasgow tea rooms he designed in the early /011s are perhaps his most uniue
contribution in which art, architecture and design came together in a complete
en!ironment. These light, elegant and sophisticated interiors were an enormous
contrast to the gritty, smoky urban city of *lasgow where he was born, trained and
li!ed for most of his adult life. *lasgow is where the ma2ority of his work was
e,ecuted and Mackintoshs career paralleled the citys economic boom. )y the end of
the /0th century *lasgow was a wealthy .uropean city with an immense network of
trade and manufacture that supplied the world with coal and ships. +t was also a rich
source of commissions for a gifted young architect and designer. The /301s was a
decade of learning and de!elopment for Mackintosh, he continued his architectural
training, tra!elled to +taly, attended and ga!e lectures, and formed new friendships.
These e,periences widened his interest in architecture to include the fine and
decorati!e arts, and caused Mackintosh to align himself firmly with the progressi!e
school. $mong his friends were 4rancis &ewbery, the inspirational director of *lasgow
School of $rt and his wife "essie, Herbert Mc&air, a fellow draughtsman at Honeyman
5 6eppie and the sisters Margaret and 4rances Macdonald, who attended *lasgow
School of $rt.
+n /307 4rancis &ewbery in!ited twel!e local architects to enter a competition to
design a new building for *lasgow School of $rt. One of these firms was Honeyman 5
6eppie, which was almost certainly selected because of Mackintoshs friendship with
&ewbery. Honeyman 5 6eppie won the competition with Mackintosh as designer.
This, his first and most important commission, was to seal his future reputation. The
brief for the building of *lasgow School of $rt on a steeply sloping site with an
e,tremely tight budget was simple, utilitarian e!en. 8ue to the financial restrictions the
design was completed in two phases. The north end opened in /300, but the
construction of the west end did not start until /019 and was completed in /010. This
time lapse coincided with the most producti!e period of Mackintoshs career and
accounted for the changes in style between the first and second phases. The later west
end is not only much more radical and progressi!e than the north end, but Mackintosh
also added an attic storey to create more studio space.The School forms a simple .-
shaped building with an austere and asymmetrical north fa:ade with massi!e studio
windows. $ single central entrance leads to a staircase with two floors of studios to the
right and left. The bright and airy 8irectors Office with fitted cupboards and a
fireplace is directly abo!e the entrance. $t the centre of the school, at the top of the
stairwell top-lit with a gla;ed roof and timber trusses like a medie!al barn, is an
e,hibition space called the Museum. There was little additional decoration to the
building because of the limited budget. <nusually for the period there was only a small
stone car!ing o!er the entrance and any decoration that Mackintosh managed to
incorporate was functional as well as beautiful. The massi!e fenestration of the north
fa:ade is !isually broken up by decorati!e wrought-iron brackets that brace the huge
windows and can be used as window cleaning supports. The li!ely wrought iron
railings also gi!e decoration to an otherwise reduced building with finials of stylised
birds, bees and beetles that resemble "apanese Mon or family crests. +n the second
phase of construction, the west ele!ation was radically altered with the addition of the
librarys dramatic three-storey windows. The interior of the library is no less surprising,
with the central fall of light from the windows contrasting with the dark stained
wooden gallery supported by split beams. Mackintosh designed the fittings and
furnishings in dark stained wood decorated with splashes of red, green and white = a
magical mi, of academic sobriety and modern geometric intensity. This library was
probably one of Mackintoshs most e,citing interiors in a building that both kick
started his architectural career and later re!ealed his mature style.
(harles Mackintosh operated within the framework of an established
architectural practice where he could lea!e the business side, and the sociali;ing with
prospecti!e commercial clients, to "ohn 6eppie. %hen he left it, and left *lasgow, he
lost this support mechanism, and, e!en if he had li!ed longer, it is difficult to see how
his architectural career could ha!e been re!i!ed. "ohn 6eppie and #ennie Mackintosh
complemented each other for most of the period they worked together. $t the time
Mackintosh was under the shadow of 6eppie. +t is different today.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Co. 1854 to 2004; author David Stark; Stenlake
Publishing Ltd.
ISBN 1 84033 323 5
Art Nouveau Architecture; edited by Frank Russell; Academy Editions, London
ISBN 85670-I36x