Instead of being too expensive, I think that once ornamentation became cheap enough that it no longer differentiated class, it became a revealed marker of low class.
I think there is a huge opportunity for some city manager to go against the grain and revitalize a city with ostentatious ornamentation and statues. Not woke crap. Renaissance level statues and buildings that people travel around the world to gawk at. Either novel construction, or alternatively, reconstruction of amazing old world fascades.
Fascinating essay. Coincidentally I am just back from an art and architecture trip to the Veneto and your piece triggered a few thoughts on three things that resonated.
1. A trip to the Canova museum. His half brother broke up his Rome workshop and transferred original clay models, original terracotta models, original plaster models and some finished marble copies to Possagno. Canova died an extremely rich man thanks to his enhanced productivity
2. Palladio pioneered the use of brick bases covered with plaster, stucco, ie fake stone. He died a lot less well off. Clients had the upper hand in his day. And another museum, in Vicenza his home town (though a bit too modernist-run, IMO).
3. Nevertheless the Palladio museum did host a brilliant-looking exhibition a couple years ago, showing where the wealth of Venice/Veneto came from once its trade advantages declined post the rise of the Ottoman Empire. The wealthy Venetians reinvested capital in draining the hinterland and much else besides. Here is the link to the catalogue:
Seems more likely that rising building costs, largely due to land costs, would be the main culprit here which is why you still see ornamentation on suburban new builds while elite buildings with high land costs have to strive for design distinctiveness through structural means
Instead of being too expensive, I think that once ornamentation became cheap enough that it no longer differentiated class, it became a revealed marker of low class.
I think there is a huge opportunity for some city manager to go against the grain and revitalize a city with ostentatious ornamentation and statues. Not woke crap. Renaissance level statues and buildings that people travel around the world to gawk at. Either novel construction, or alternatively, reconstruction of amazing old world fascades.
Thanks, hugely informative article!
Fascinating essay. Coincidentally I am just back from an art and architecture trip to the Veneto and your piece triggered a few thoughts on three things that resonated.
1. A trip to the Canova museum. His half brother broke up his Rome workshop and transferred original clay models, original terracotta models, original plaster models and some finished marble copies to Possagno. Canova died an extremely rich man thanks to his enhanced productivity
https://www.museocanova.it/
2. Palladio pioneered the use of brick bases covered with plaster, stucco, ie fake stone. He died a lot less well off. Clients had the upper hand in his day. And another museum, in Vicenza his home town (though a bit too modernist-run, IMO).
https://www.palladiomuseum.org/en/
3. Nevertheless the Palladio museum did host a brilliant-looking exhibition a couple years ago, showing where the wealth of Venice/Veneto came from once its trade advantages declined post the rise of the Ottoman Empire. The wealthy Venetians reinvested capital in draining the hinterland and much else besides. Here is the link to the catalogue:
https://www.palladiomuseum.org/en/shop/207
Seems more likely that rising building costs, largely due to land costs, would be the main culprit here which is why you still see ornamentation on suburban new builds while elite buildings with high land costs have to strive for design distinctiveness through structural means
I wonder how much it also has to do with regulations, safety and maintenance costs. No risk of ornamental pieces falling off from a glass tower.