The science of beauty

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 01 October 2009 00:00

Have you ever felt wonderfully serene in a particular place or ill at ease in another and attributed it to the shape of the room or the space layout? I have, and up until now I always thought that may have been a peculiarity of how my brain works. That was before I came across Paul Goldberger’s book Why Architecture Matters, which deals with how we respond emotionally and intellectually to architecture. It may seem trifling, but inconsequential things like wallpaper, curtains or the way a building is structured can influence one’s mood, can make us want to sit in one restaurant over another, can put us in the mood to enter a store and shop or make us walk right by.

Mr. Goldberger is the guest speaker for the 2009 Literary Lights Festival hosted by the Greenwich Arts Council on Nov. 12. The Pulitzer Prize-winning critic will speak at a luncheon at Chelmsford, a historic McKim, Mead and White-designed home in Greenwich. Tickets for the luncheon are $100 for Greenwich Arts Council members and $135 nonmembers and include a signed copy of Why Architecture Matters. To purchase tickets for the luncheon, or to obtain more information, call 862-6750 or visit Greenwicharts.org. Literary Lights continues that evening with more than 20 prominent authors convening for literary discussion, book signings, sales and refreshments from 6 to 8. This part of the event is free.

The ancient Greeks taught subsequent generations that the simplicity of geometric forms in architecture can create edifices of the utmost beauty. In the early 1800s many countries such as Britain, Scotland and the United States began looking to the Greeks for architectural ideas. This Greek Revival dominated American architecture during the early 1800s. It was the first dominant style of architecture in the United States and was found in all regions of the country. The architecture became so popular it became known as the first national style in America, and was the first architectural style that reached to the West Coast. The Greek style of architecture became very popular due to its beauty, simplicity, and its link to the world’s earliest democracy.

Beauty, harmony and proportion: these are all things one looks for in a house. But maybe beauty isn’t something we chance upon at random. Maybe it’s something we can distill into a science so that we can reproduce it time and time again? Maybe that’s what architecture is: the science of beauty.

Victoria Baker of Greenwich is an opera singer. She teaches piano and voice privately in Greenwich. Questions, call 531-7499 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .