La couleur et la brique : les exemples du Sud-Ouest de la France et de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Brick is man-made, which gives it a special status quite different to that of stone. It can be highly resistant and also extremely sophisticated. But usually, because of poorly controlled firing, it is quite irregular or even very rustic. These imperfections have often prompted architects and masons to seek to improve the appearance and durability of brick masonry. For this reason, in clay-producing countries, brick has undergone numerous surface and decorative treatments: surfacing, painting, protective coatings with imitation brickwork, and so on. The fine colours of brick and its flexibility as a material have lent it to a wide variety of uses. Skilled masons have produced fine brick and stone polychrome, with subtle interplay of mortar joints (a particularly important aspect of small masonry) and complex assemblages. Whether exposed, painted or imitated, bricks have widely generated what might be termed a ‘culture of appearance’.