razor
the question about a sentence
The ingenuity of Renaissance architects extended beyond merely using a material in a way not
suggested by its outward natural appearance. If they conceived a design that called for a certain
material either too expensive or difficult to work with, they made no scruple about imitating that
material. Their marbles and their stones are often actually painted stucco. When the blocks of
masonry with which they built were not in scale with the projected scheme, the real joints were
concealed and false ones introduced. Nor were these practices confined, as some scholars insist,
to the later and supposedly decadent phases of the art Material, then, was utterly subservient to
style.
what does the last sentence mean?
can someone explain it with grammar?
May 28, 2016 3:45 PM
Comments · 3
1
It is actually two sentences with the period of the first one somehow missing.
1. Nor were these practices confined, as some scholars insist, to the later and supposedly decadent phases of the art.
* Nor were/was XX: XX was not ("nor ..." adds the sense of "either", in the same vein, etc.
* be confined to: be limited to ; not present out side of; be exclusive to; be specific to.
* supposedly decadent phases: the phases that people consider to be decadent phases.
=-> Even though some scholars argue that the aforementioned practices existed only in the later phases of the art, which are the phases people consider to be the time the art became decadent, they in fact existed in earlier phases too.
2. Material, then, was utterly subservient to style.
* subservient: not independent but submissively adhering to.
==> Given the above, it is clear that in art the style completely dominates what material is used how.
May 28, 2016
From what I read in the text, it appears that the scholars in general have negative opinions on such unorthodox use of the materials. They don't believe in making false surfaces or using imitation building materials as you mention, and think this deviation from the norm happened only in the later phase of the Renaissance architecture, which was a period of decadence in their opinion. In other words, that is the scholars' opinion, but the author of the text is disagreeing with them.
As for using "even though", I just used it to make a point, not to mean that "as" has any such meaning. "as" in this text was used in the sense of "the way some fact is borne out by something else", not as a contradiction. What I meant is, "[even though] the scholars have a certain opinion, the author is saying it is not true". So "as" in the text is about "consistence" between the cited opinion and the scholars agreeing with it, while "even though" is what I used to point out the contradiction the author is making against the the scholars.
Any I hope it helps. And I recommend using the Answers page for this kind of a question - you'll get more answers there.
May 29, 2016
fisrt, thank you for your answer. : )
second, it is a reading passage. and the answer of what scholars hold is that they believe that a vigorous and healthy architecture would not usually employ false surfaces or imitation building materials.
however, as you put it, the scholars hold that these practices should not be limited in only in the later phases and should be confined at that time. And I think what the answer mean is that scholars also think it should be limited from the word "would".
by the way, what does the word "as" mean? does it mean " equally" or "even though"? at first glance, I think it means equally. and you inversly interpret it into " even though". How can I distinguish what "as" mean under certain circumstance?
thank you
May 29, 2016
razor
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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