I’ve always deplored the barrenness of modern walls. At one time we had art, and it influenced even the most basic element of our building. But now we have nothing, a reflection of our souls.
I have pondered in what fashion I might revive in my own home a semblance of that classic decor whereby homes were once adorned with mouldings and trims and crowns. It is certainly an art, and requires prudence so as to refrain from the gaudy. But it is also a practical art, and requires some skill to apply the perfection of the ideal to the material of the real.
Joining my twin loves of classic line art and Inkscape a few nights since, I thought to create a mockup of a stenciled wall border that would be simple but elegant. The following is what I composed.
I will, as usual, tweak the design endlessly before I actually put it to use, assuming that I will follow through to my intentions. And I am certain the color scheme will evolve and, ideally, become a bit more subtle as I tweak.
I think an important thing to remember is that it was rich people who had all the art on their walls (still is). Regular people were lucky to have their walls particularly well-spackeld with mud.
So now our houses have come a long way, but most are still not adorned with fine art. A lot of people continue to toss dirt up on their walls, but what do you expect? We’re just peasants.
But, I do like your design, and any wall you put it on should consider itself lucky.
Ah, but the difference is that the common house owner now does have the ability to do some of these things, if not quite a bit of them. We’re far richer than our ancestors (materially, even if not spiritually). We don’t have to be peasants in the sense of artistic deprivation. Besides, in many cultures, especially in the flowering of art in the middle ages, the common home was decorated to a greater degree than are ours. But they had a faith we do not possess, and faith tends to increase artistic culture.
Also, it is important to note that newer structures built even by the rich lack, for the most part, these ornamentations. Some might be called “artistic” in the “modern” sense, but they certainly do not have this type of traditional flourish.
One of the things that makes art so valuable is its uniqueness (along with the artist’s skill). I was really thinking of those works of art that we all know. Rich people usually commissioned the artists to produce art for them. Most people today still can’t afford to pay the commission for a world-class artist.