Book Description
Due to the secrecy of Masonic society, the members heavily relied upon symbols and icons to communicate. This groundbreaking study details the secret society's influence on modern American and European aesthetics. In its own way, this book may be one of the most important contributions to an understanding of Western art, and will be invaluable to architects, artists, and anyone interested in the esoteric ideas and iconography of Freemasonry.
Concepts such as death, trial, and descent into the depths are prevalent in Masonic architecture, and have permeated the designs of parks, gardens, and cemeteries for centuries. Architectural history professor James Stevens Curl also looks at the way Masonic ideas have permeated other art forms from literature to the performing arts, where operas like Mozart's The Magic Flute used Masonic elements in everything from the characters' names to the music to the stage designs-the original drawings of which are included here.
Concepts such as death, trial, and descent into the depths are prevalent in Masonic architecture, and have permeated the designs of parks, gardens, and cemeteries for centuries. Architectural history professor James Stevens Curl also looks at the way Masonic ideas have permeated other art forms from literature to the performing arts, where operas like Mozart's The Magic Flute used Masonic elements in everything from the characters' names to the music to the stage designs-the original drawings of which are included here.
The 190 exceptional illustrations are accompanied by detailed, informative captions.
About the author
James Stevens Curl is a professor of architectural history at Leicester Polytechnic in England. The author of numerous standard works on architectural history and contributor to many architectural journals, he is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London.
