Modernism and Rejection of Ornament
In the second half on the 19th century and early years of the 20th long and passionate debate arose in lives of theorists and practitioners of decorative arts which questioned the future of ornament which came to an end that ornament had no future. Or does it?
The answer is hidden in the 19th century America and Europe. During this time a lot of change occurred, not just in scientific and technologic areas but also in study of human societies. World was overwhelmed by new inventions and due to it, the design community had struggled to keep up with it. Each new development raised new questions - what was beautiful, practical and appropriate about it. The real challenge was the reformation of the Western society which now is now as the modernisation. So what is modernisation? - 1." Social scientists define modernisation as the shift from animate to inanimate sources of power for the operations that hold societies together: production of goods, transportation, communication." The transition to modernised society demanded new skills and devalued the old ones. Skill workers, such as hand weavers, lost their means of support. The implications of ornament were clear from the very start. How could it survive and continue to exist if the craft was heading towards the extinction. This question acquired a strong belief that if a society could stop ornament from extinction and preserve it, ornament would preserve a society. Ornament was symbolic of a preindustrial society that were considered to be essential in quality of life, which valued traditional skills, were pround in a job which was done to the best of ability, loved the beauty in objects of daily use. By protecting ornament, the design communit...
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...decoration. Third that combining ornament with machinery is wrong, because machinery is beautiful in itself, it looks forward to the future, whereas ornament in elaborate, it look backward to the past. Machinery and ornament have no common ground. Read's rejection of ornament allows him to free himself of finding out whether the ornament actually interfered with the function of machinery. For many many ages people have made their living with decorated tools, they fought for their lives with decorated weapons and played music with decorated instruments. But decoration prevents them from efficient use as they are afraid to damage it. Those objects may have the outward form of useful objects, but the design and material in which they are made makes them impractical for everyday use. For example, many swords were made to be beautiful but were impractical in battlefields.
The introduction of modernism to Australia is a more complex phenomenon than previously thought. Choose an aspect of Modernism, either Cubism or Surrealism or Expressionism or Modernist Design and Architecture and chart their development in Australia by focusing on the work of two artists, designers or architects.
It corresponded to the emulation, which emerged among the lower classes of the postindustrial era, to pretend to have a good taste of art like the upper class. After the Industrial Revolution, the underprivileged, who had previously produced things to fulfill their own daily needs, turned into the working class of the urbans, producing things whose value in daily usage they would never see . This shift from crafting to manufacturing, from formulating to fabricating, and from creative to repetitive triggered a new need among these people. Although they did not have the time or education to enjoy and appreciate fine arts when they were in the countryside, the lower classes felt a new inclination towards art in the factory towns where they had the opportunity to observe that taste in art provided social status. Their desire to own works of art was precluded by their incomes which were no match for the high prices of the art market. With the aid of the mass production technologies and the manufacturing-commercial culture that followed, it became possible to produce multiple copies of artistic works and reduce the prices. This situation not only expanded the scope of art market but also provided the lower class with what they desired –or at least what they thought they desired: affordable art
‘Florated madness, liniar hysteria, strange decoratve disease, stylistic free-for-all’, such were the terms its contemporaries used to describe Art Nouveau, the first international design style. Art Nouveau was the rebellion against the entire Victorian sensibility, steeped as it was in the past. The exponents of the style hoped to revolutionize every aspect of design in order to set a standard that would be compatible with the new age. Art Nouveau was a direct descendant of the Arts and Crafts movement and influenced by celtic ornament as well as Japanese woodcut prints, all this resulted in an international style based on decoration.
"Ornament serves strength with strength. It is not an afterthought as is decoration. It is not merely applied but becomes one with the object it helps create". Leon Alberti was an Italian architect, artist, rationist and renaissance humanist in the early 1400's (1404 -1472AD). He wrote variety of books on paintings, sculpture and about family and society but his most important book was when he decided to renew Vitruvius book.
In contrast, the architecture at the time represented wealth and stability, traditional enduring values. During this time, there was a lot of social change that came from science and philosophy. The kick from the Industrial Revolution accelerated the trend, even though ideas from the Gothic Style started it. Steam-powered sawmills could now create elaborate materials, cheaper and faster. As a result, houses became increasingly ornate. Lower income families could finally afford tr...
In the early 20th century, modernist writers broke free of the consistent pattern on the themes of religion, marriage, and family values, branching out with their actual opinions and observations on society, making more readers aware of the corruption of the traditional morality in America. It became evident that the American people were placing lust, wealth, and material prosperity over their marital vows and traditional values. This idea of amorality is noticeably identified in the literary works, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Major characters in both novels show signs of demoralization, in regards to Tom Buchanan, for example, whom openly cheated on his wife, broke the nose of his mistress, and sold Gatsby’s fate down the river, and Abigail, whom slept with a married man and killed an entire village in spite of the deteriorated affair. In this new, cutting-edge society the concept of materialism is prevalent. Materialistic power became a goal for many Americans in modern America, which is identifiable in The Great Gatsby. People of East and West Egg indulged themselves with parties, pricey automobiles and the latest fashions, meanwhile, the people in the Valley of Ashes merely scraped by. Jay Gatsby out of his desire to 'own' Daisy went to great lengths to appear as a man of great fortune.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, literature changed and focused on breaking away from the typical and predicate patterns of normal literature. Poets at this time took full advantage and stretched the idea of the mind’s conscience on how the world, mind, and language interact and contradict. Many authors, such as Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Twain, used the pain and anguish in first hand experiences to create and depict a new type of literature, modernism. In this time era, literature and art became a larger part of society and impacted more American lives than ever before. During the American modernism period of literature, authors, artists, and poets strived to create pieces of literature and art that challenged American traditions and tried to reinvent it, used new ways of communication, such as the telephone and cinema, to demonstrate the new modern social norms, and express the pain and suffering of the First World War.
Modernism is defined in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "a self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression." While this explanation does relate what modernism means, the intricacies of the term go much deeper. Modernism began around 1890 and waned around 1922. Virginia Wolf once wrote, "In or about December, 1910, human character changed." (Hurt and Wilkie 1443). D.H. Lawrence wrote a similar statement about 1915: "It was 1915 the old world ended." (Hurt and Wilkie 1444). The importance of the exact dates of the Modernist period are not so relevant as the fact that new ideas were implemented in the era. Ideas that had never before been approached in the world of literature suddenly began emerging in the works of many great authors. Two of the pioneer Modernist writers were Joseph Conrad and T.S. Eliot. The tendencies to question the incontestable beliefs embedded in all thinking and to focus on the inner self dominated. Old viewpoints were tossed aside to make way for the discovery of modern man's personal spirituality. Two works that are considered important forbears in the Modern period are T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Technology and social change have long been vital in the evolution of graphic design and its importance in the society. In particular was the Industrial Revolution between 1760 and 1840, which brought about the transformation from agrarian to industrialized societies across Europe and America. Mass production was made possible by new technologies; availability and variety of goods increased and cost of manufacturing decreased, accompanied by the higher standard of living for many people. A consequence of mass production on graphic design was that it led to the demise of the unity between design and production. Craftsmen were replaced by modern technologies, sacrificing artistry for speed and cheaper production.
Art is all around us. The architectural design of buildings to the ornamentation of jewelry and art is in almost everything. To those who have little prior knowledge of certain architecture styles and or influences, a building can appear, as just a building and a piece of jewelry can appear as just that. With the idea that art is everywhere there are two art styles that have heavily influenced the architecture seen in todays communities, those being Art Deco and Bauhaus. These styles represent so much more than architecture, they represent a time period and a cultural and political reform. The purpose of this paper is that one will be able to understand
...s such at flowers and plants. This form was mainly embraced during its decline as a movement as it became so popular that it was being watered down and lost its ingenuity and integrity as an art form. this was helped by the first world war as the war required an influx of new technology to fight with. things were further stimulated by the returned growth of the economy which meant that people had more money to spend thus were able to purchase better quality and luxury products. art deco began after as the period of glamour and extravagance which saw the creation and usage of new materials such as metals chrome and platinum, and the increase usage of vibrant paters such as stripes and zigzags used of furniture pieces both movements have greatly influenced their later years even after the second world war up to the 1960s which saw art deco revived for a short while.
How Loos first addresses ornament is interesting with evolution of mankind as a society. Loos compares ornament to a child where the child’s painting is erotic and the child is just release surplus urges. Loos describes this act immoral and goes on about the evolution of culture requires the removal of this ornament. He also details how ornament is a crime to the economy and humanity as add ornaments to objects cost labor, money, and materials. This excess labor is what is causes problems
In all, Mezieres defined decoration as a way of it being “possible to go further and give the whole its proper character”(Mezieres, 124). Simply, Mezieres’ believes that ornament in architecture is to seize every opportunity given to improve quality and the “ease of service” (Mezieres,124). Likewise, Mezieres defined distribution as the “harmony and rapport of architectural proportions wisely employed” and that overall, the purpose of distribution of a given space is to “bear a relation to the whole” (Meziere, 127). Moreover, ornament and distribution each play a significant role in the architectural representation of social rank. An instance of this can be seen in Mezieres’ work of comparing the apartment of a rich man, Magnate, Minister, Courtier, and Prelate (Meziere, 129).
...the beginnings of industrialization. The social issues are still unresolved, despite the reincarnation of the Arts and Crafts movement in the emerging Maker Movement. Factory conditions and the treatment of workers is still a prominent social issue. The distribution of resources and wealth is still uneven. The effects of industrialization which surfaced less than a century after the invention of the first mechanized processes are an even bigger problem today than they were almost two hundred years ago.
There are many periods in time that have been crucial in the development of human ideals and technology. One of the most important times was the Romantic Era. This period began in the late 18th century, and peaked around the 1850’s. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature until Industrialization had come fully into effect. Because of all the variables and factors of the time, the world was ready for a new era, a modern era that advanced the world far beyond expectations. The Romantic Era was a time of innovation, social struggles, and major changes in industry and society, all due to Industrialization. One of the most important was all of the innovation that occurred.