The Picturesque: Architecture, Disgust and Other Irregularities

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

In this fresh and authoritative account John Macarthur presents the eighteenth century idea of the picturesque when it was a risky term concerned with a refined taste for everyday things, such as the hovels of the labouring poor in the light of its reception and effects in modern culture. In a series of linked essays Macarthur shows:


what the concept of picture does in the picturesque and how this relates to modern theories of the image
how the distaste that might be felt today at the sentimentality of the picturesque was already at play in the eighteenth century
how visual values such as irregularity become the basis of modern architectural planning; how the concept of appropriating a view moves from landscape design into urban design
why movement is fundamental to picturing the stillness of buildings, cities and landscapes.
Drawing on examples from architecture, art and broader culture, John Macarthur's account of this key topic in cultural history, makes engaging reading for all those studying architecture, art history, cultural history or visual studies.

Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.