Confrontation And Compromise

The architecture possesses dual values of art and history. On one side, it is a category of art; On the other side, it behaves as a witness of human activities. Moreover, the restoration and protection are considered to be the main methods to make the double values last. This article will mainly focus on three schools of historic buildings restoration and protection in western countries: French Stylistic Restoration, British Anti-restoration and Italian Restoration, along with their representatives: Viollet-le-Duc, John Ruskin and Cesare Brandi. What is more, the study will analyse and contrast their aesthetic, historic values and practices respectively. Finally, the influence of these three schools on the formulation of Venice charter and later generations will be discussed.