Rethink | Ornament
Ornamentation is very important, often having symbolic meaning, throughout antiquity and into the Renaissance, and later for religious buildings. Ornament as a process concerning the essence of construction of buildings, is the actual beginning of architectural style. John Ruskin has also argued that ornament is about the essence of architecture rather than being a robe put on from outside and that apart from revealing directly the relationship of humanity with god, it reflects the internal beauty of architecture. For him ornament is the primary part of architectural construction. It tells the stories of surrounding developments and lifestyles.
Ornament would have paid cheaper price in this twenty-first century compared to the eighteenth century as it reflected the changes of attitudes from now and then. Besides, with the aid of advance sophisticated technology, no matter how complicated ornament it is, it can be built with lesser hours compared to back then. Thus, labor and capital are saved. Though, ornament would loss its value of individuality itself. Therefore, no longer precious anymore.
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However, back then or now, ornament is still only function for aesthetic expression purpose though useless. Work suffers because no one is willing to pay for it as its true value. For Hans Poelzig, true architectural construction cannot be hidden beneath ornament and that the problems of modern architecture cannot be solved by means of solutions on the surface but it is important to discover an “original-form”. He had claimed that the designer, who approaches the designing of constructive elements in particular with the purpose of ornament only, would be drifted apart from an “original form”.
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H. Poelzig draws attention to an important point against the re-build attitude which is dealt with extensively in modern architecture: “If the building is to be turned completely into one piece of ornamented work, is it meaningful to get rid of ornament?” he asks and makes a critique of the entire modern movement in advance and from within. In other words, whatever is so beautiful does not need to decorate because it is itself décor. It is beautiful because it served its purpose directly. With the pace of time evolving, I believe the ornament is no longer required as the value of it has loss. It is something has gone but keep it leaving only the everglow.
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In addition, students at the Bauhaus school of design were taught purity of form and to design for a better world by Walter Gropius. The phrase ‘form follows function’ is often used when discussing the principles of modernism. It asserts that forms should be simplified – architectural designs should bear no more ornament than is necessary to function. Modernists believe that ornament should follow the structure and purpose of the building.