ISBN 73036-0
April 2000 / Illustrations: 250 photos & line drawings / 256 pages
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The
Nature of Ornament: Rhythm and Metamorphosis in Architecture
by Kent Bloomer
A treasure trove of ideas and encouragement for architects looking for alternatives to the
severity of modernism and graceless postmodernism
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.
ISBN 73036-0 / April 2000 / Illustrations: 250 photos & line drawings / 256 pages
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