The Grace of the Curve - Part 1

In past blogs I've often focussed on what appeals to me in the urban environment. I realize what I've really been doing is exploring the age-old question of "beauty". It's a subject that has haunted philosophers... artists... designers. An online definition says it is "a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight".

This definition intrigues me. In many of my blog posts I have featured images of colourful scenes that have appealed to me. However, lines, shape and form also are important features, and in this post (and the next one) I'm focussing on them.  

Our human-constructed cities tend to be made of straight lines - vertical posts in buildings, horizontal or pitched roofs, roads, and sidewalks. 

Nature, on the other hand, grows in curves - rivers snake through valleys, trees might form semi-elliptical canopies, branches are snarled curves.

The curves created by the shapes of the conifers soften the vertical and horizontal lines of the highrise in the background

While each branch of this birch is relatively straight, the tree's overall shape is of a soft "U"

An intriguing shaped multi-curved tree, probably caused by pruning decades ago

Another example of a tree with multiple stems and a graceful appeal which interacts visually with the pitched roof, and the horizontal and vertical lines of the house and the fence

In our built environments I appreciate how curves add aesthetic to the design. Some may disagree with me. I recall a recent zoom meeting I attended that included a presentation by an architect for a local proposed high rise project. In response to citizens' concerns that high rises might be ugly, she suggested that they should go to architecture school to learn to appreciate that form of design. Perhaps I need to go to architecture school!  But then, perhaps not.... Some highrises are indeed pleasant to look at - but not all!

I'll start with some of the old, large buildings in Victoria that I find aesthetic.

Arched windows at the Legislature soften the angles of windows and walls

Curves are created in many ways in this doorway of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church: the arched doorway, with the pattern repeated in black paint, the leaded windows above the door, the curved hinges, and the supporting columns

The arched entrance of St. Andrews Cathedral. Again, curved lines are repeated in the windows above the doors, and in columns

Fairfield Bicycle Shop. This building was originally built around 1913 and housed a pharmacy and a grocery store. (Source: Fairfield Gonzales Observer, Feb 2012)

Law Office, Burdett Avenue. I liked the "curves within curves" of the archway which is decorated with an embossed design.

St. John the Divine Anglican Church. The stained glass window was being lit up from light within the church, probably coming in another window on the opposite side.

Old town Victoria, near Bastion Square.

In editing this post, my partner Ken noted that in former times there were many architecturally designed buildings which remain beautiful to this day. He wonders -- is this beauty a quality which is no longer sought in present day construction?

While the bright colours of the central building draw the eye, the features I'm interested in are the varying curves of the arches above the windows. Do you see all three?

A mural designed almost exclusively with curves transforms this building.

I've noticed that window design can add interesting curves. Here are a few examples:

Maritime Museum window with curves which speak to the ocean.

Part of window detail, Visitor Information Centre, Victoria.

Window features for the Foundry, an addiction rehabilitation centre

Moving from larger buildings to houses: I have talked about the aesthetics of Victoria's old houses in many blog posts over the last few years. I will limit myself to just a few to demonstrate how adding a curved line or two adds to the appeal of the house.

This house has just a few simple curved lines in the balcony overhangs. Those curves are enough to give the building a more dynamic energy than if the lines were all straight.

I liked the curved lines of the brackets above the main floor windows, the rounded posts for the front porch, and the landscaping plants which all balance the vertical lines of the building.

This is one of several Vancouver Street houses built in the early 1890's and designed by architect John Teague. Curves are introduced through the  brackets with the "sunburst" design above the windows, the attic window, and the scalloped siding above the bay window.

Another house softened by an interesting front porch with sublte decorative details, and a half-moon window in the front door. I also like the way the picket fence introduceds a curve at the gate which gives the fence an energy flow.

One final example of curves obtained by porch detail - both the posts, and the railings. Even the drapes are tied back in curves.

I have more to observe about curves in urban design and will continue this theme in a subsequent blog post.