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Why Did We Stop Building Beautiful?

8 points by elsewhen 2y ago

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
JohnFen 2y ago
Personally, I think it's because architectural aesthetics reflect the nature of the culture that builds the architecture. It expresses both the general "personality" and the priorities of the culture. I think the same is true for all man-made things, really, but architecture is the topic of the article. So when we are looking at buildings being created today, we're looking in a mirror of sorts.
zrn900 2y ago
Those ornamented buildings with gargoyles on every duct and non-functional bends and twists at every corner were the latest iterations of art and architecture, and inevitably, the culture, of the earlier centuries when the old noble aristocrats and new capitalist aristocrats ruled the societies and the common man had to 'know his place' and 'leave the governance to his betters'. That all came crashing down in World War I when those 'betters' threw millions of people into the meat grinder in the trenches, in a war that came to be due to rivalries between the aristocratic strata of countries, practically each of which was run by a royal family that was actually related to all the others participating in the same war, even in opposing sides. All the mythology and social contracts of the earlier centuries were proven to be horsesh*t within 2-3 years as the common man perished in mud-ridden trenches for the profit of this or that aristocratic elite led by interlinked royal families. As a result, the post-war years started with an immediate movement to discard all the culture and values of the pre-war world and forget the loss of life: From the flappers who defied women's social conventions to the explosion of non-traditional music like Jazz, and the immediate rejection of pre-war artistic trends in painting. Architecture got its share from this movement: Those 'beautiful' ornamented, decorated buildings represented the pre-WWI world. They reminded the society of the power that those aristocrats had over the common man, even the intellectuals, and how they were able to send them to their deaths in the millions for profit. The common man could never afford to live in those 'beautiful' buildings anyway - they could see them if they had some time after Sunday mass and were able to take a walk towards the richer neighborhoods instead of returning to their industrial slum where they lived to work for 7/24 except for Sunday mornings. So nobody looked back. Art, design, architecture, the intellectuals, and the common man ran away from the vestiges of a murderous social contract as fast as they could, and the 'beautiful' ornamented buildings disappeared in favor of buildings that prioritized function.

8 points by elsewhen 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

Personally, I think it's because architectural aesthetics reflect the nature of the culture that builds the architecture. It expresses both the general "personality" and the priorities of the culture. I think the same is true for all man-made things, really, but architecture is the topic of the article. So when we are looking at buildings being created today, we're looking in a mirror of sorts.

zrn900 2y ago

Those ornamented buildings with gargoyles on every duct and non-functional bends and twists at every corner were the latest iterations of art and architecture, and inevitably, the culture, of the earlier centuries when the old noble aristocrats and new capitalist aristocrats ruled the societies and the common man had to 'know his place' and 'leave the governance to his betters'. That all came crashing down in World War I when those 'betters' threw millions of people into the meat grinder in the trenches, in a war that came to be due to rivalries between the aristocratic strata of countries, practically each of which was run by a royal family that was actually related to all the others participating in the same war, even in opposing sides. All the mythology and social contracts of the earlier centuries were proven to be horsesh*t within 2-3 years as the common man perished in mud-ridden trenches for the profit of this or that aristocratic elite led by interlinked royal families. As a result, the post-war years started with an immediate movement to discard all the culture and values of the pre-war world and forget the loss of life: From the flappers who defied women's social conventions to the explosion of non-traditional music like Jazz, and the immediate rejection of pre-war artistic trends in painting. Architecture got its share from this movement: Those 'beautiful' ornamented, decorated buildings represented the pre-WWI world. They reminded the society of the power that those aristocrats had over the common man, even the intellectuals, and how they were able to send them to their deaths in the millions for profit. The common man could never afford to live in those 'beautiful' buildings anyway - they could see them if they had some time after Sunday mass and were able to take a walk towards the richer neighborhoods instead of returning to their industrial slum where they lived to work for 7/24 except for Sunday mornings. So nobody looked back. Art, design, architecture, the intellectuals, and the common man ran away from the vestiges of a murderous social contract as fast as they could, and the 'beautiful' ornamented buildings disappeared in favor of buildings that prioritized function.