Anomy in Design: Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s admonition to “democratic” society

Anomy in Design: Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s admonition to “democratic” society

KONDO, Ariyuki

Article:

In the eyes of Nikolaus Pevsner, twentieth-century design appeared to be in a state which could be described as “anomy in design,” where any act of design could be justified as long as it followed the taste of the majority. Thus he had come to admonish the world of design and the public, on various occasions, of the potential dangers of liberty that they were enjoying in post-World War II “democratic” society. For Pevsner, who believed art and design had roles to play in reforming post-World War II society, what could not be ignored was the fact that artists, designers and architects were pandering to a majority who so often accepted uncritically the taste of a powerful few who sought to control public opinion rather than cultivate and refine the aesthetic faculties of common people.

In the eyes of Nikolaus Pevsner, twentieth-century design appeared to be in a state which could be described as “anomy in design,” where any act of design could be justified as long as it followed the taste of the majority. Thus he had come to admonish the world of design and the public, on various occasions, of the potential dangers of liberty that they were enjoying in post-World War II “democratic” society. For Pevsner, who believed art and design had roles to play in reforming post-World War II society, what could not be ignored was the fact that artists, designers and architects were pandering to a majority who so often accepted uncritically the taste of a powerful few who sought to control public opinion rather than cultivate and refine the aesthetic faculties of common people.

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DOI: 10.5151/despro-icdhs2016-03_008

Referências bibliográficas

• [1] Crossley, P. (2004) Introduction, in Draper, P. (ed.) Reassessing Nikolaus Pevsner, Aldershot, Eng.: Ashgate.
• [2] Harries, S. (2011) Nikolaus Pevsner: The life, London: Chatto & Windus.
• [3] Mowl, T. (2000) Stylistic cold wars: Betjeman versus Pevsner, London: John Murray.
• [4] National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design. (1960-1966) Papers: Reference No. ED 46/853, Kew: The National Archives.
• [5] Pevsner, N. (1942) ‘Patient progress: The life work of Frank Pick’, The Architectural Review, vol. 92, no, 548, August, pp. 31-48.
• [6] Pevsner, N. (1946) Visual pleasures from everyday things: An attempt to establish criteria by which the aesthetic qualities of design can be judged, London: B. T. Batsford.
• [7] Pevsner, N. (1982) Studies in art, architecture and design: Victorian and after, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1968)
• [8] Pevsner, N. (2003) Pevsner on art and architecture: The radio talks, S. Games (ed.), London: Methuen.
• [9] Watkin, D. (1977) Morality and architecture: The development of a theme in architectural history and theory from the Gothic revival to the modern movement, Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Como citar:

KONDO, Ariyuki; "Anomy in Design: Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s admonition to “democratic” society", p-223-227. In: Wong, Wendy Siuyi; Kikuchi, Yuko & Lin, Tingyi (Eds.). <strong>Making Trans/National Contemporary Design History [=ICDHS 2016 – 10th Conference of the International Committee for Design History & Design Studies]</strong>. São Paulo: Blucher, 2016.
ISSN 23186968, DOI 10.5151/despro-icdhs2016-03_008