The unity of the arts is something that is missing in our present day, but it was not always so: “All mediaeval carving was subordinate to architecture therefore every piece of carving was designed with a view to being suitable to appear in some special place. The most striking difference between mediaeval and later sculpture is that the latter is designed as a thing apart an object to be stood anywhere to be admired for its intrinsic merit instead of being a functional component in a general scheme for beautifying a given building.” [from Arts and crafts in the Middle Ages, by Julia de Wolf Gibbs Addison] The large, empty, white walls of early architectural Modernism were originally intended to receive works of art, such as tapestries and paintings. Indeed, by the early 20th century the decorative arts were at a high point in quality and availability, likely due in part to the success of the Arts and Crafts movement. But eventually, utilitarianism led people to think that this decoration was unnecessary. After all — so goes their thinking — art is expensive and it does nothing practical. The blank white walls remain largely unfilled.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:39:48 +0000
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