Design and Tradition / A short account of the principles and historic development of architecture and the applied arts

by Amor Fenn

Ethical Side of Art

Art is also reflective of the ethics and morals of the time; compare, for instance, the robust character of Gothic work with the lack of meaning and insincerity of the later Renaissance, degenerating into the license of the Rococo.

Much that is commonly regarded as ornament in traditional work was originally invested with symbolic meaning, in later times lost sight of, with resultant loss of character and interest.

The study of traditional work is essential to the designer, not merely for reproduction but on account of its value as reflective of the experience and point of view of past exploiters.