The Grammar of Ornament

Posted on 26 July 2018 by Owen Jones

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. Download The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones – kino-fada.fr As I am very interested in geometric patterns, and especially wallpaper tilings and frieze patterns I was very pleased when DK brought out an updated edition of this book It has all the text and illustrations from the 1856 edition, but with many helpful notes added for modern readers.There are separate chapters about the decorative styles of many different civilisations a...A wonderful tool for labor intensive artists who want to punish themselves through meticulously drawn pen and ink patterns A little bit of history, some possibly outdated categorical distinctions, pretty pictures.I ve kinda read this book already in full, as I have been reading bits here and there for a long time already Fantastic book for anyone interested in design and pattern, it s a wonderful history or anthology of design motifs through different cultures and history.Wonderful Victorian book.this is another great collection from dover, cheap books full of great reference points i like using it for palette ideas and a sort of encouragement to allow ornament to stand on its own without a central subject matter.Really good reference book for ornamental and pattern design.Excellent books for those who are keen to learn about the Islamic Pattern and ornament design.A great book when you re looking for visual inspiration.This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers To view it, click here Definitely Jones s studies of the Alhambra were highly significant in the development of both his interest in ornament and his theories of flat pattern, geometry and polychromy Jones and Goury observed that the harmony of Islamic decoration was achieved through the use of primary colours, with secondary and tertiary colours used in the background Jones was appointed as one of the Superintendents of Works for the Great Exhibition of 1851, a showcase of manufactures and industry from around the Definitely Jones s studi...As a reference book for artists, this is brilliant From a text point of view, Jones approach to the different cultures in this is peak Victorian, that is to say the Greeks are the pinnacle of learned achievement, Polynesian art is treated in a very noble savages way and apparently Chinese art holds very little value at all As a modern reader, I side eye those conclusions But from a visual reference point, I think it is very useful...I like this book so much I own both the very large hardback version, bought at great expense many years ago, and the smaller paperback version A treasure trove of design ideas

English
26 July 2018

Owen Jones