Ornament Podcast
For most of the 20th century the addition of ornament to architecture was considered a crime. After several decades of dull unadorned buildings, architects and clients started to hunger for the decorative elements of bygone eras. This revival came as part of the postmodern movement during the 1980s. Since then the use of ornament has been more accepted but still viewed with suspicion by the modernist establishment.
Ornament was my way into architecture. When I started working for my father during school and university holidays it was ornament which was my primary role. I had an interest and a facility for it from an early age and I became know within the office for drawing out full size details of Corinthian capitals, keystones, swags, chimneypieces, decorative ceilings and anything which demanded ornament. My output was known humorously as ‘the pretties department’ – a label I initially found patronising as it seemed that the ‘proper architects’ were doing construction and running contracts and I, like a child, was quietly drawing frivolous and unnecessary decoration. But I grew to love the label as I started to understand the importance of ornament and for that matter, prettiness too.
Here are some images which I drew over the years.
For most of the 20th century the addition of ornament to architecture was considered a crime. After several decades of dull unadorned buildings, architects and clients started to hunger for the decorative elements of bygone eras. This revival came as part of the postmodern movement during the 1980s. Since then the use of ornament has been more accepted but still viewed with suspicion by the modernist establishment.
Ornament was my way into architecture. When I started working for my father during school and university holidays it was ornament which was my primary role. I had an interest and a facility for it from an early age and I became know within the office for drawing out full size details of Corinthian capitals, keystones, swags, chimneypieces, decorative ceilings and anything which demanded ornament. My output was known humorously as ‘the pretties department’ – a label I initially found patronising as it seemed that the ‘proper architects’ were doing construction and running contracts and I, like a child, was quietly drawing frivolous and unnecessary decoration. But I grew to love the label as I started to understand the importance of ornament and for that matter, prettiness too.
Here are some images which I drew over the years.
We have made this into a podcast which can listened to by following this link, you are in for a treat!
