The term ornamentation is
varied and it is something that has several forms but, on a general level, it
is a term used for embellishment, decoration or for something that acts as an
addition to make something look aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Everyone
likes ornamentation. The extent of liking it is highly subjective and it varies
from person to person.
It was really interesting to
see Adolf Loos’s take on it. In his view ornamentation is something that is
highly unneeded. Ornamenting faces or
your surroundings leads to creating ‘plastic art’. He believes the evolution of culture lies in
the ‘removal of ornamentation’ of functional objects. He goes to the extent of
saying that ornamentation is degeneration and wastage of resources. He thought,
man from the fifteenth century would not understand him but a modern day man
would. As a modern day man believes in minimal decoration and simplistic
design.
He has made a comparison of
two families living side by side with same amount of income in the household,
same demands, same lifestyle but belonging to different cultures. The modern man
will be able to fulfill all his needs in the given budget since he will be
happy with just a few things that are necessary, where as, the man from the
earlier age will have vast demands. Leaving the food aside, he will need to
have ornamented crockery which would be a lot more expensive than what the
modern man will use to eat food.
I do not quite agree to his
way of thinking. Yes, a modern day man does prefer the minimalistic style,
which looks good, but ‘ornamentation’ and ‘decoration’ is not unneeded and
neither is it a waste. Everyone likes to make little additions whether it is on
their appearance or their surrounding to make it look visually appealing.
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