Response to Adolf Loos: Ornament and Empire

     In this reading, Adolf Loos took his "radical aesthetic purism" ideology too far in my opinion and at some points( the racist remarks) I almost took this piece of writing to be satirical. Loos brings his argument back to the beginning of "art" when the first men "smeared on the wall"; he states that if the modern man were to act upon this impulse and smear on walls then he would be considered "degenerate" in modern society. In a way, the ripples from this opinion of Loos' can still be seen today with street artists and the vast amount of disdain and criticism that they receive for acting upon this impulse. Through the century, our society has immeasurably changed for the better and highly opinionated and biased people like Loos are often shunned. I've noticed that we've continued to prove that ornament has not halted mankind's evolution but is instead co-existing with modern aesthetics to further advance and even inspire future forms of art.
     Another statement that Loos made in this reading was that "ornament is no longer organically linked with our nature" and "has absolutely no human connexions". From recently reading the "CAM Raleigh: Ornament and Pattern" article, I know that Loos' assertion close to false for modern science has suggested that humans are practically wired to seek out pattern in our surroundings. Another baffling opinion of Loos states that "We have art, which has taken the place of ornament." Little does he know ornament continues to permeate even in the modern art world; I'd love to see the look on Loos' face if he were to see Kehinde Wiley's massive paintings on display in some of the world's most distinguished museums today.

JUDITH AND HOLOFERNES, c.2012  

Kehinde wiley

OIL ON CANVAS 120" X 90"

REGARD THE CLASS STRUGGLE 

AS THE MAIN LINK IN THE CHAIN , 2007

Kehinde Wiley
OIL AND ENAMEL ON CANVAS 96 X 72 INCHES