Be truthful. Nature only sides with truth.
Adolf LoosRead
Does it follow that the house has nothing in common with art and is architecture not to be included in the arts? Only a very small part of architecture belongs to art: the tomb and the monument. Everything else that fulfils a function is to be excluded from the domain of art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Architecture's relationship with art is limited, with only functional elements being excluded from artistic value.
Adolf Loos argues that while architecture may contain artistic elements, many functional aspects should not be considered art. He suggests that only structures that serve a commemorative or memorial purpose, such as tombs and monuments, can be included in the artistic domain, whereas most architecture aims primarily to fulfill practical functions.
Themes
ArchitectureArtFunctionDesignMonument
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about architecture's purpose, I cited Loos to emphasize the utility of design in modern buildings.
More from Adolf Loos
All quotes →The house has to please everyone, contrary to the work of art which does not. The work is a private matter for the artist. The house is not.
Adolf LoosRead
The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.
Adolf LoosRead
Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect's task therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise.
Adolf LoosRead
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