The character in a door.... and a doorway...

 There is the theory that, in the words of Ghandi, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

 I wouldn't contest that, but I would perhaps go on to add that a great deal of the aesthetic aspirations and social advancement of a society could be measured by....its doors.

A door has a seemingly simple function, little needs to be added to that since it is quite literally an open-and-shut point. 

And yet many of the doors that I have come across around and about here, and in other towns, seem to have gone beyond that mere functionality and seem to reflect much more than this basic role.

The simplicity or intricacy of the whole, the massive or delicate approach, the unique form of the door and doorways, the design employed on a practical and aesthetic level - all seem so varied and enriching, even to excess. 

Everything seems to give voice to something unique, even when it's obvious that the door in question is but one of many from the same model, usually dating from the reconstruction years of the two post-wars periods. 

It's almost moving to see the workmanship and the mastery of materials used, even if the end result isn't necessarily to personal taste. 

 Whatever their style or age, the doors that I've admired all have in common an initial desire to create something of enduring beauty in terms of quality and aesthetics.

 The door seems to be the focal point of the facade, not just the mere entrance to the space beyond.

The carpenters, craftsmen, ironsmiths or artistic commissioners that span these centuries have all painstakingly worked to produce a piece of art that puts to shame the shoddy, loveless and unlovely articles that are churned out today. 

I don't know what's worse; that we don't seem to care sufficiently enough to bother about what will adorn a building when installing a new door, or that we neglect and/or deface the original one to the point that replacement is an obligation.

 Or the fact that we don't even notice either way. If indifference is supposed to be the worst slight, then creative and cultural blindness must be an offshoot of this.

 Of course, there is the valid argument that few people today have the means or inclination to throw away considerable sums of money on such an investment, especially on a functional 'object'. 

But when has the situation truly ever been otherwise? The lavish decoration of many of the doors and doorways here must have been largely reserved for those with sufficent finances to undertake such projects, but nevertheless these were realized. 



I have yet to come across their equivalent today, but I am looking!

Naturally, there must surely be many, many exceptions to this apparent dearth of decent doors, but I haven't come across any of these so far.

In fact, I'm on a bet with a friend to see if anything can be found that merits being called a modern-day earnestly-created door as a thing-of-beauty accessible to more than just the elite.

 In fact, I'd settle for anything that had some basic interest of any kind, was vaguely contemporary and was visible to the general public.  

 After all, some of the ones selected here are simply part of the urban landscape - the one above is just next to the tram stop. I like the ornate forms, with their strange decorations, even if somewhat 'overladen'.

There are human forms with religious references...

Or as an expression of married fidelity...

 













There are many animal figures used to represent figures of authority...

 And the insignia of the town... I love the dignified expression of the sheep sitting above the coat of arms.

And the typical symbols of justice...

And then there are beasts that assume both manly and animal shape...

Or are just plain weird shapeshifters...

With strange feminine forms...

Or mermaid attributes...

That are neither fully female nor male...

Some the doorways seem to be set quite high, with stone steps worn done over the years, and the wood warped through age and damp...

While others, presumably for practical purposes are low like burrows...

I like the scaled paint, odd additions, accumulations and alterations that have been made by the passing years...

However, the vacuous tags that cover these doors make me grind my teeth with rage...

Although some are a little more original than others...

....they aren't exactly creating anything new, just carrying out some creative freeloading on existing forms that are dizzingly 'busy' enough as it is...

Fortunately not all doorways give you such a visual overdose, and are a more understated affair. 

Nevertheless, even on the most sober of doors, attention is drawn to some detail or another...

Perhaps an ornate door handle, frequently featuring the weirdest of lions...

The expression on this king of the beasts is far from regal!

 

Whatever the door, there is always a history behind its creation, but all these stories are gradually being deleted as these doors are effaced from our lives. Two of my favourite doors have been damaged or virtually destroyed since I photographed them a few years ago.  I'll write a separate post to show the art nouveau doorways of Reims as many have been vandalized or have simply vanished in a relatively short space of time. It really will be a case of appreciating something while still possible, because once these have disappeared this particular door to our past will be shut.