Reflections Unit Summary

In this unit we discovered what stirs were occuring in the 18th and 19th century. How the rules for the 19th century were to repeat once that had already occurred in centuries before. This was a time of the Industrial Revolution when transportation flowed into the design world. East meets west influence of the exotic. China was seen as a celestial place, which had all the skills, desired in the west. Then designs methods were trades, exported, imported and eventually gravitated across the world. We see this in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The Pavilion turned into a resort area after the king sought refuge there for some time to get away from city life during his illness. This palace, although in Europe, was in a completely Islamic palace style. The Interior of the Royal Palace was done in Chinese styles. All together creating a multi-cultural center for design. This is a prime example for how the west began to imitate the decorative arts of the east.
As we progressed through the unit, we learned about how there was a 19th century controversy with surface versus depth. The surface being the wallpaper, paint and so forth and the depth being there has to be something about each placement of items, color choices and so forth and reasoning behind it. In history, surface seemed to be the primary design style. The Romans showed the world that surface was important, as did the Greeks with columns and decorative engravings. From this we learn that there is a third style, the classists. This style of design never shifts; they are traditional and stay traditional through all the trends and fads.
Also in this unit we delved into the Aesthetic Movement, where every surface was touched by art. From floor to ceiling and everything in between, there was an influence of art. Mr. Mortimer Merpes’ House in London from 1897 is very aesthetically designed. His home has unique flooring, decorative furniture, murals, the list is endless. With the Aesthetic Movement as well as this idea of borrowing from tradition in the 19th century, there was a big question, “Do we form or reform?” This was not an easy transition “to bring back souvenirs and artifacts, declaring power and place, u is leader in the world, population, growth across the world from rural to city/urban scenarios.” So there was this idea of form and reform churning beneath the surface and they ended up accusing two different mindsets. The reform was all about politics, war, voting, education, industrial, civil and having social design. Form was choice. Patrick Lucas said, “This means the ‘new’ exterior shows you something newer and different than the older one did.” There were people very passionately against the idea of machines to create, take William Morris for example. During the Arts and Crafts Movement he wanted Medieval Guilds to return. He wanted the Gothic world and naturalistic motifs including earth and nature. He was a famous voice against machinery and became a leader and writer in the design movement.
Then everything shifted in the 19th century to, “less is more.” The Red House in Kent by Phillip Webb and William Morris brings forward less surface decoration and more about space. The times were about social change and were in search of meaningful design. The past was being studied and reinterpreted for the 19th century. There were rich scientific developments, new materials, and a growing sense of privacy. Arch systems, glass, metal, concrete were being used in famous structures as well as residential structures. Homes like the Red House, Gamble House and the Robie House show us exactly what the times were about for Americans in the 19th century.