Design and Tradition: A short account of the principles and historic development of architecture and the applied artsFenn, Amor
History
Design and Tradition: A short account of the principles and historic development of architecture and the applied arts
Fenn, Amor
Architecture; Art; Decoration and ornament; Decoration and ornament -- History
In traditional ornament, composing or strongly marked lines are used,
but in types more nearly allied to natural forms, it is necessary for
the lines to bear some relation to the character of the selected
growth. The disposition of leaves and other elements must also be
characteristic, and natural terminals must be taken advantage of near
enclosing lines so as to avoid any appearance of mutilation. When such
forms as branches or leaves approach or cross, they should always do so
at decided angles; their points or extremities should never be directly
opposed to other details or to margins. The main growth should be
clearly discernible, and the direction of the stem lines evident even
when clothed with foliage.
_Grouping and Massing_
It must be borne in mind when designs are based on natural forms that
the mere rendering of a natural attitude does not in itself constitute a
design. In the case of plant forms, flowers and leaves should be grouped
and massed, primarily with a view to the composition of a harmonious
whole. Sometimes interest may be added by introducing animal forms in
keeping with the general environment.
Interest in design depends on the massing and emphasis of detail,
because, if a plain or uniform surface be completely covered with detail
equally distributed, with no regard to mass or emphasis of parts, it is
obvious that the result will again be uniform--the only difference being
that a certain texture is imparted to the surface, and this, though not
undesirable in a wallpaper, is not consonant with the nature of a panel.
_Division of Area_
The massing of detail should be as simple as possible and to some extent
should be guided by the scale. One expedient in panel designing is to
draw within the area, whether it be square, rectangular or any other
shape, a circle or oval to control the predominant detail in contrast to
that which is to be less conspicuous.
[Illustration: No. 215. Phases of Elaboration of Simple Shape.]
Large areas may be sub-divided into several masses, but the grouping of
these must be controlled by the general shape. When dealing with borders
a suggestion was made that the undulate stem could follow the lines of
adjacent circles, and this device is the basis of most of the scrolling
growth lines that are characteristic of Renaissance ornament.
[Illustration: No. 216. Byzantine Panel. Composition based on Circles.]
[Illustration: No. 217. Romanesque Lunette Panel. Composition based on
Circular Shapes.]
_Human and Animal Life_
Decoration, when the human figure or any form of animal life is
employed, is bounded with the same conditions with regard to
composition, inasmuch that they
[Illustration: No. 218. Figure Composition. Recognition of Framing
Lines.]
[Illustration: No. 219. Figure Composition. Spandril Treatment.]
must be so arranged as to occupy the area and be in harmony with the
boundaries or framing lines.
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