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VytautasLevandauskas
standingliterature;heclaimedthatsciencesandarts
werecloselyconnectedandconstitutedanorganic
whole,theycomplementedandsupportedeach
other3.Abitlater,in1808,hepublishedinVilna
abooktitledOwymowieipoezyi(Onpronunciation
andpoetry),inwhichheelaboratedontheconcept
ofaestheticsbasedonclassicistrule.Hediscussed
detailsreferringtoartistictaste,criticizedthepro-
fusionofembellishmentsinpronunciation,and
compareditwithornamentalbas-relief,typicalfor
Baroquearchitecture4.Nevertheless,aftertouching
uponthosegeneralaestheticconcepts,hedidnot
elaboratefurtherontheproblemsofhistoryart.
Thosefactsprovethatbeforethe19thcenturyno
academicworksonarchitecture,orhistoryofartin
general,werecreatedatVilnaUniversity.
Theearliestknownworkonhistoryofarchi-
tectureisMowaoarchitekturze(Thediscourseon
architecture)byMichałSzulc,presentedduring
thepublicsessionoftheVilnaUniversityin1801
(il.3.1).Itwaspublishedasaseparatevolume.The
circulationisnotknown,butinBibliografiaPol-
skaXIXwieku(Polishbibliographyofthe19thcen-
tury)byKarolEstreicher(1885)itwaspresented
asaseparateentry,publishedstillin18015.The
bibliographydidnotgivetheplaceofpublication,
however,onemayassumeitwasVilna6.
ThesizeofthebookbySzulcwas21pageswrit-
teninsmallprint,which,accordingtocontempo-
rarystandards,wasanequivalenttotwoauthor)s
sheets.About62%ofthetextconstituteschrono-
logicaldiscussionofissuesconnectedwiththehis-
toryofarchitecture.Onlytheintroductionpro-
videsashortcharacteristicoftherelationsbetween
architectureandotherfieldsofart.Towardsthe
end,theauthorexplainswhatkindofknowledge
isessentialforarchitects.
SzulcwasnotundertheinfluenceofJeanLouis
NicolasDurand)sutilitariandoctrineandconnect-
edarchitecturewithfinearts,whichhecalledfine
sciences.Hewrote:“Describingpoetry,music,and
paintingisnotmypurpose,soIwillleavethose
threecharmingsisters,andwillhurrytotheone
Idevotedmyselfto.Iwillconcentrateonarchitec-
tureandherroots,herdevelopment,herfall,her
newrebirth,andherpresentcondition,thenIwill
3Prospectus(1798).
4Golański(1808:111).
5Estreicher(1878:459).
6Estreicher(1885:5).
enumerateherattributes,theknowledgeandthetal-
entsnecessaryforpeoplewhodevotethemselvesto
Architecture”7.Szulcthendidnothesitatetotreat
architectureasanothersisteroftheartsmentioned
above.ThatiswhyhisMowaoarchitekturze(The
discourseonarchitecture)canbetreatednotonlyas
thefirstbookonthehistoryofarchitecturecreated
attheVilnaUniversity,butalsoasthefirstbookon
thehistoryofartingeneral.
Belongingtotheclassicistperiod,theauthor
presentedtheevolutionofarchitecturefromthe
perspectiveofhisowninterestintheGreekartas
acontinuationofthecreativeoutputofancient
Greece.
Frequently,heexpresseshisconcernorevenan-
geraboutthedepartureintheworksofarchitects
ofpreviousagesfromclassicalrule.
SzulcclearlyidealizesclassicalGreekarchi-
tecture:“inaword,Greekscanbetreatedasthe
creatorsoftruearchitectureandcanbefollowedas
aguidinglight”8.Itwasnoaccidentthathedevoted
somuchattentiontothatperiod.Attheendofthe
subsectiondevotedtoGreeksSzulcsays:“Nocity
wasleftwithoutarelicsfromGreeks.Churches,
Palaces,Tombs,andpublicfountainswereates-
timonythatthenationhadtheperfectionoffine
Sciences”9.
SzulcwasmorecriticalaboutclassicalRoman
architecture,asheconcluded:NeverdidaRoman
reachaGreek.DiscussingRomanarchitectureas
anottoosuccessfulimitationofGreekoeuvre,he
quitecategoricallyclaimedthatRomansfromthe
verybeginningdisplayedgapsintheirknowledge
abouttherulesgoverningproportion.Apartfrom
shortnotesonVitruviusandPlinyastheexperts
onGreeks,hedidnotdevotemorespacetoRoman
architects.Amongtheobjectslistedbyhimwere
thePantheon,theroutefromRometoRimini,aq-
ueducts,thebridgesoverTagusandDanube,ob-
elisks,Nero)shouse,theColosseum,andBathsof
Diocletian.
DiscussingtheByzantinearchitecture,Szulc
concentratedontheHagiaSophiatempleinCon-
stantinople.Helistedtwoarchitectsresponsible
forthedesign,AnthemiusofTrallesandIsidoreof
Miletus,describedconstructionmaterialsthatwere
usedandthestructureoftheedifice,butexpressed
7Szulc(1801:A
8Szulc(1801:B).
9Szulc(1801:B
1).
1).
