The Nature of Ornament: Rhythm and Metamorphosis in Architecture (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780393730364)

The purpose of ornament-to articulate a realm of the imagination-is as important as it is misunderstood. Kent Bloomer, an outstanding sculptor and ornamenter whose work adorns the Harold Washington Library, Chicago, Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC, and other buildings, maintains that ornament is neither pure "art" in the contemporary sense of the word nor mere decoration, but rather a category unto itself, with its own unique language. He describes the key elements of ornament, rhythm and metamorphosis, and shows their application in such figures as the foliated scroll. Illustrated with the author's evocative line drawings and photographs of ornament from ancient Greece to the modern cityscape, the book is a hymn to the riches of architectural ornament.

Author: Kent Bloomer
ISBN-10: 0393730360
ISBN-13: 9780393730364
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English
Published: 10/17/2000
Pages: 250
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.91lbs
Size: 10.27h x 8.25w x 0.75d

Review Citation(s):
Scitech Book News 03/01/2001 pg. 14