The Order of Ornament, The Structure of Style : Theoretical Foundations of Modern Art and Architecture

The Order of Ornament, the Structure of Style examines the emergence of modernism in Central European art, architecture and design, and its relationship to late nineteenth-century theories of style advanced by John Ruskin, Owen Jones, Gottfried Semper, and Alois Riegl.

In addition to basing their investigations of artistic development on works produced in all periods and cultures, these theorists looked to natural science and linguistic studies for models with which to order their studies.

They suggested to artists and architects that ornamental motifs and compositions from remote cultures and periods could furnish the means to create rational designs, express creative processes, and produce new perceptual possibilities for both the constructed facade and the painted surface.

Debra Schafter's study thus positions nineteenth-century visual aesthetics within a broader intellectual context that is philosophical and scientific, while contributing to a new understanding of the origins of modernism outside of the premiere centers often associated with the Modern movement.