38 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 32nd ANNUAL EDITION PUGIN IN COLOUR Painted decoration in the religious interiors of AW Pugin Ana Logreira PUGIN IS a pivotal figure in the history of English architecture and decoration who requires no introduction. His architectural works and writings formed the cornerstone of the development of the Gothic Revival style in the Victorian era, and his designs were a tireless source of reference for many of the period’s works. More concerned with how buildings looked and how people experienced them than with their technical realisation, Pugin emphasised the symbolic role of colour and decoration as an integral part of the architecture, but not for purely aesthetic reasons. He criticised excess, fakery and the misuse of materials. He was particularly opposed to decorative schemes that altered architectural elements or imitated materials dishonestly, and always argued that decoration could not be used to correct architectural errors. In his Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornament and Costume (1864), he wrote: ‘Every ornament, to deserve the name, must possess an appropriate meaning, and be introduced with an intelligent purpose… The symbolical associations of each ornament must be understood and considered: otherwise things beautiful in themselves will be rendered absurd by their application.’ Pugin’s approach to painted decoration on religious buildings was deeply theological, serving spiritual and symbolic purposes. His use of pattern, colour and gilded motifs was not for spectacle but to enhance the sacred atmosphere and communicate religious ideas. Although many associate Pugin with vividly saturated interiors full of polychrome and detail, his own writings express a more refined posture. The ‘Puginesque’ is more of a collective imagination than a decorative style and is not always in line with Pugin’s ideas. Pugin was a passionate and often dramatic character; his personality could fluctuate easily, and this is evident in some of his writings regarding Pugin’s Drumond Chapel is completely decorated from top to toe: the wooden ceiling is painted blue with gold stars and red quatrefoils; carved wooden friezes are painted with heraldic shields, and stencilled patterns adorn the walls. (Photo: Cliveden Conservation)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzI0Mzk=