Schinkel was not arbitrary in his use of historical modes but rather eclectic in the best sense of the word. He could search the past for its conspicuous successes using them both freely and discursively as the basis for a contemporary architecture. Karl Friedrich Schinkel More Quotes by Karl Friedrich Schinkel More Quotes From Karl Friedrich Schinkel Indifference to the fine arts comes close to barbarism. Karl Friedrich Schinkel barbarism indifference art Schinkel's aesthetic was not a crudely materialistic "truth to material" affair... but rather an attempt to inform iron and other industrial materials with an appropriate beauty through the direct collaboration of the artist in the manufacturing process. Karl Friedrich Schinkel collaboration iron artist