Decorative Brush-Work & Elementary Design; A Manual for the Use of Teachers & Students in Elementary, Secondary & Technical Schools (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1909 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. ELEMENTARY FORMS OF ORNAMENT. The Square Style. Whilst proceeding with the manipulation of the brush as indicated in the previous chapter, it will be well at this stage to notice some of the influences which underlie the more important styles in ornament of former times, and which arc still in vogue, more or less modified and adapted to present use. An examination of the art work of the past reveals the fact that construction has greatly influenced it, and that a few simple types have prevailed, and have given a distinct character peculiarly effective in certain styles. The rectangle, circle, triangle, and ellipse, afford the primary forms, and one or other is adopted and used with a remarkable consistency. The rectangle is seen in Greek achitecture, both in the plan and elevation of the building. The windows and doors of the beam and column type present severe and simple construction, remarkable in the proportions of the parts to the whole. The thickness and height of column, of entablature, and of the mouldings and their contours, are all carefully calculated for strength, combined with grace and beauty; the ornamention is chaste and refined in itself, and in perfect harmony with the whole. The Parthenon illustrated on page 61 gives an example of a marble structure, probably adapted from a wooden one, as there are corresponding structural parts which are used decoratively. The entablature is divided into three bands as indicated, and the frieze is generally the band which receives the most important decoration. In some examples it is divided into panels, and the severe contrast of horizontal and vertical lines gives an expression of stability and repose. In other examples the frieze is continuous, and is decorated with repeating patterns of th...