Woodworking is BULLSHIT! Episode 35 - WHERE has all the COLOR GONE?
Apr 30, 2025
Jack Thomas, a former college art professor and learning designer, dives into the vibrant history of color and ornamentation in art. He discusses why minimalism has taken over contemporary design, reflecting on how societal shifts have influenced our aesthetic preferences. The conversation touches on the history of decoration, the emotional impact of color choices in woodworking, and the balance between craftsmanship and artistic expression. Listeners are encouraged to reconsider the value of ornamentation in our increasingly minimalist world.
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Ornamentation's Joyful Purpose
- Ornamentation and color historically brought delight and happiness for human experience.
- Their loss in modern design reflects shifts in cultural tastes and values.
Industrialization Devalued Ornamentation
- Industrial revolution's mass production made ornamentation common and less valuable.
- Ornamentation lost status as a wealth symbol once affordable to the masses.
Essay Tsunami Against Ornamentation
- Early 1900s ideological backlash framed ornamentation as primitive, wasteful, and immoral.
- Influential essays promoted minimalism for societal and functional purity, fueling its rise.