| Description |
This course has two aims, close encounters with some of the world's major traditions of ornament (ancient Mediterranean, European, Chinese, Islamic, and others) and close examination of some of the issues that arise in the study of ornament and its history. One troublesome issue is simply the problem of defining "ornament" (or "decoration"): is this anything besides a catch-all category for arts traditionally excluded from "the fine arts"? Other topics to be discussed are the relations between ornament and architecture, and between ornament and representation; plant, animal, and geometrical ornament; and ornamental systems. |