- Paperback: 504 pages
- Publisher: DK ADULT (April 18, 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0789476460
- ISBN-13: 978-0789476463
An excellent resource for artists, designers, architects, craftspeople,
or anyone interested in the decorative arts. First published in 1856,
The Grammar of Ornament remains a design classic. Its inspiration came
from the pioneering architect and designer Owen Jones. His observations
of decorative art on his extensive travels in Europe and the Near East
were employed to improve the poor quality of Western design. His goal
was to change the Victorian habit of mixing elements from a wide variety
of sources and applying this mix indiscriminately to buildings, graphic
design, and products. His resulting study is a comprehensive analysis
of a remarkable collection of styles of ornamental design -- from
Ancient Egypt and Greece to Imperial China and Renaissance Italy. With
its sumptuous illustrations, its detailed survey of individual cultures,
and its manifesto of "General Principles," it offered guidance to the
designers of the future. In this new edition the designs are further
illuminated by Iain Zaczek's perceptive commentaries. Hugely influential
since its first publication, The Grammar of Ornament inspired great
figures such as William Morris and Frank Lloyd Wright. Contemporary
designers, entertained by the archaic charm of Jones's descriptions, are
struck by the book's enduring relevance and its soundness regarding the
essential principles of good design.
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