Thursday, July 5

Palette, Texture, Shape & Form

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Here's a background. There's really no subject, just another window... or set of windows - this time shuttered. I'm not certain what to think about images that are this static. And I do want to think about an image. Still, this grouping is just so perfectly executed by the artists who first imagined it, and the craftspeople who executed it.

So here... I've plagiarized it.

Or no... since the caption tells you the place - I suppose this is more a quote than a steal. And maybe it tells you something about how a current culture has dealt with the challenge of windows. Yet... you will note that they are not windows. Those shutters don't open, nor do they admit light or air. So even though they are dug through the walls - they're essentially decorative exterior objects which have been walled over on the inside. In a world where form follows function - these guys are odd. See, they have only an aesthetic function, yet they mimic a form. Viewers expect windows to decorate a building, so here form follows expectation.

Interesting idea... which seems to also fuel women's fashions. Or... does it?

3 comments:

John Roberts said...

I don't know when shutters went from being functional to merely decorative, but every house I've lived in had shutters that were permanently attached to the wall. They offered no protection for the window. This is the other extreme - no window to protect. I'm sure that says something about modern life, but I'm not sure what.

Debra Trean said...

I think these are beautiful shutters what an idea. Creative and such a different world than what I live in here. LOL...beautiful color

Ted said...

(pnf) Yeah... this ain't the American West. But it has its aging grandeur, no?

(John) You're right about shutters as decorative gee-gaws. In fact my 1840s home here in Lancaster's historical district has genuine, real, honest-to-storm-protection shutters which close. BUT... I have no idea when I'm supposed to close them? Perhaps before air conditioning they closed them during the day to hold out the heat? Or maybe back in the day they closed them at night to ward off the prowling cretins of the streets?

There was a hurricane watch the night before last. Hmmmm... maybe I shoulda gone out with a ladder and closed them suckers? Dunno... Thoughts anyone? What are the rules for real shutter owners?