James Stevens Curl "The Art & Architecture Of Freemasonry" (272 pagini)

"This ground-breaking study (which won the coveted Sir Banister Fletcher Award for Best Book of the Year in 1992) outlines Freemasonry's influence on modem American and European aesthetics. It has been recognised as one of the most important and original contributions towards a greater understanding of Western art, and will be invaluable to architectural and art historians, and to anyone interested in the complex esoteric ideas and iconographies that evolved during the Enlightenment.

Freemasonic influences in art and architecture reached their peak in the often strange and disturbing Neoclassical architecture of the eighteenth century, involving concepts such as mnemonics, death, journeys, trials, and descent into the depths. This book explores these, and shows how Freemasonic ideas have permeated the design of parks, gardens, and cemeteries, as well as other art forms, from literature to the performing arts. For example, Mozart's Magic Flute is Rill of Freemasonic elements in everything from the music to the stage-sets, many of which are reproduced here.

The many exceptional illustrations are accompanied by detailed, informative captions, and the Glossary clearly explains the complex ideas and iconography of Freemasonry. The extensive Bibliography contains an enormous amount of material for further study."

The Editor

CONTENTS :

List of Illustrations :
* Black and white ;
* Colour plates ;
* Jacket illustrations

CHAPTER 1

* An Outline of Some of the History of the Craft ;
* Introduction ; Freemasonry and Freemasons ; The Lodge

CHAPTER 2

* The Important Legends ;
* The Two Columns or Pillars ; The Hiramic Legend ;
* The Mysteries

CHAPTER 3

* The Renaissance Period and Freemasonry ;
* Introduction ; The Hermetic Tradition ; Mnemonic Techniques and Freemasonry ; Some Visible Evidence of Freemasonry in Artefacts in Scotland ; Scotland, England, Jacobites, and Hanoverians ; The Effect on the Design of Early Lodges ;


CHAPTER 4

* The Great Prototype ;
* Introduction : The Jewish Temple ; Representations of the Temple ;
Fischer von Erlach ; The Case of the Karlskirche ;
* The Spiral Columns ; Afterword

CHAPTER 5

* Masonic Design and Architecture ;
* Introduction ; Eighteenth-Century Certificates and Grand Lodge in London ;
Freemasonry in Europe ; Freemasonry and Neoclassicism ; Freemasonry and Egyptian Elements in Neoclassical Architecture ;
Antoine-Chrysostome Quatre mere de Quincy ;
* Freemasonry Becomes Overt

CHAPTER 6

* Sethos and the Egyptian Rites ;
* The Literary Forerunner ; Thamos ; Mozart and Freemasonry ;
Die Zauberflote : Masonic Opera ;
* The Stage-Sets and Egyptian Architecture ; Jean-Jacques Lequeu

CHAPTER 7

* Elysian Fields ;
* Introduction ; The Route and the Garden ;
The Monument and the Tomb in the Garden ; A National Pantheon ;
* Pere-Lachaise ; The Staglieno, Genoa ; The Kingdom of Death

CHAPTER 8

* Cemeteries, Monuments, and Mausolea ;
* Introduction ; Early British Cemeteries ; Other Descendants of Pere-Lachaise ;
The Monument and the Tomb

CHAPTER 9

* Conclusion ;
* Introduction ; The Masonic Peace Memorial and Other Masonic Buildings ;
Pictorial Cards ; Is there a Masonic Style ! ; Epilogue

* Glossary of Terms ;
* References ;
* Select Bibliography ;
* Index