Universal Principles of Art

26 DECORATION

THE PLEASURES OF ADORNMENT

Art that is intended to simply please the eye, to adorn a surface, or to act as ornamentation is generally referred to as “decorative.” Much, but not all, decorative art deploys pattern, a repeated motif that forms a geometric regularity. Pattern making and its use to adorn surfaces appears in much tribal art and forms one of the most basic behaviors in art making. Moreover, some patterns and habits of decoration are identified with particular groups of people and specific periods in their history. Decorative elements, such as the Greek key pattern and the French fleur-de-lis, have become emblematic of entire cultures.

The arts of some cultures have been dominated by the decorative instinct. Celtic and ...