Ornament and Crime Response

From the ornament and crime by Adolf Loos, It is obvious that the author claimed for modern architecture. He said the ornament is a crime because it is obsolete and an old fashion which it is going to restrain the development of the new design.

From the story I agree that ornament is sometimes unnecessary and sometimes can distort the purpose of the architecture itself. On the other hand, these ornaments can give us a feeling of home. For me, the modern architecture itself cannot perfectly complete the ‘home’ feeling because it is too plane and too simple. And it will take just only awhile then the owner will get bored and start to find the ornament to add in.

However, it is something personally, no one can really judge what is necessary or unnecessary. It is the same like when the author said the front row culture develop man can eat a bland food all the time, which is completely not true. Some of that people might not eat it or prefer something better. Because we are human and it is a fact that we never satisfy with what we have, we want more and more. The more ornament in the house can show the owner’s wealth, this maybe another reason of the need of the decorations. Nevertheless, too much decoration will became a mess in the house and worse than that, it will consume the living space in the house.

In conclusion, I think the best way is to have balance between the ornaments and the architectural space to avoid too much decorations and too much plain. 

Response1 : From Bauhaus to Our house

The book "From Bauhaus to our house" by Tom Wolfe is quite hard for me to read and understand. The story in the book was going on and on rapidly which makes me confused in some part. But when I have done reading this entire book I feel like I have known so many things that goes on in the history of architecture from the narrator's perceptions.  

For me it is quite surprise to know that the modernism that is popular in nowadays was derived from just a small group of people whom have very strong concepts. The concept "non-bourgeois" and "starting from zero" of Gropius go against the German civilian. I personally praise this group of men that they can win over the boring house style, which is popular back then. So they success with modern style by making it bourgeois. After the success in Germany comes the WWI, so these Bauhaus artist and architect move to America and got to be professors in the universities such as Yale and Harvard. The modernism now spread trough out America too. They are really White Gods; it is so incredible how they did this kind of revolution to two big powerful countries such as Germany and America, only god can do such a thing. 

I am so glad to know how the modernism was originated from; it makes me feel more deeply about this style of building. Before I read this book, modernism was just a box or something simple. But now, it is something that was already revolution our world, imagine how important is that. Modernism is a new and chic house style by the purity of the materials and without any detail or decoration. For me modernism is not comfortable enough to live in but its because its clean and weird appearance attract people to look at and interested in them.