Don’t worry about it. I read your posts and I understand. I see the same Brutalist architecture in places where people have an aesthetic sense, like Japan. It’s almost like a rebellion against the past. So the ugly and the beautiful coexist and people are supposed to make up their minds about what’s beautiful and what’s not. The photos you showed could be in Japan. They love their concrete but they also love Nihonga and the traditional arts. It’s strange. More than the West, Japan cleaves to its tradition.
After two weeks in Umbria and Tuscany, I find myself in Rome. We drove on the autostrada from Assisi to Rome, past Terni and saw the exit to Narni. I waved to you and prayed for you. Rome is a sewer. It’s unspeakably filthy. There’s trash everywhere. And it isn’t summer so it doesn’t smell. But 1/3 of the businesses are gone. Everywhere you walk - affitasi - my goodness, it’s never been like this even in August 2021, the last time I was in Rome. It’s a real Great Depression. Re: Mr. DiPippo - he so very kindly gave me his top 10 in Naples and in Rome back in early 2020 before Covid and I visited the Naples top 10 in late Feb 2020. Fantastic. Now I’m in Rome till April 11 and it’s sad. I just see tourists. Where are the Romans? Children? I loved Val d’Orcia. So beautiful! Tiny villages, no ugly stuff. I loved Umbria too, way better than Tuscany. I can totally see why you’re in Umbria.
I came back to the Church in 2017 after 40 years away (due to a miracle). I did not go through the JPII era, but even then I thought it was unseemly for a Pope to be a celebrity. I always thought that a Pope should be an older man sitting in front of a fire writing letters to his little children. JPII was an opportunist who allied himself with Reagan and his anti-USSR rhetoric. Americans always need a “Big Bad”. Reagan used JPII and vice- versa. Note please that the JPII nonsense is most pronounced among Americans and Poles.
“The cult of bad art begins, unsurprisingly, with the reign of Paul VI.”
It could be that the term "cult" requires a lot of unpacking here. Because there was already a great deal of bad art popping up in the early post-war years (1946-1962), in Europe, the Americas, and beyond, in both sacred architecture and the art that adorned those buildings and our publications: Consider that St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo, Paddy's Wigwam in Liverpool, and Rio de Janeiro Cathedral were all designed and commissioned in the late 1950's - before Paul VI came to the throne. Something about the world wars...broke something in the Catholic mind, and more than just the Catholic mind.
But it is true that under Paul VI, this movement for ugliness went into full overdrive. Maybe Greg means to say it had not attained full-cult status until Papa Montini was on the scene to give it a real imprimatur.
Spectacular post! I am going through an art ministry program right now and we were just talking about this concept, that the modern world has completely overturned the concept of beauty and how, in a way, that is a direct attack on God's character, as He is not just the creator of beauty, but the definition of beauty. I am definitely going to have to get my hands on some Ruskin. He sounds like an interesting guy.
This was a beautiful post. I am reminded of a lecture that Nikos Salingaros gave in 2012 at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg. He spoke with great conviction about the damaging effect of bad architecture on the human psyche and how the dominating and totalitarian forms create anxiety and illness. He was part of a group that approached the Vatican with great concern about the state of things and the people who were influencing the development of design. Naturally they were rebuffed. With a shrug and a sigh he added that as a Greek Orthodox he couldn’t say much. His concern was for all architecture both public and private and its role in enforcing alienation and he had grave forebodings of where society was going as it became unmoored from a human scale and human engagement. There were several modernist architects in attendance who were furious but I found him delightful.
Thank you, Hilary. Read half so far and will pick up the rest later. Really enjoying your blogging/stacking.
Don’t worry about it. I read your posts and I understand. I see the same Brutalist architecture in places where people have an aesthetic sense, like Japan. It’s almost like a rebellion against the past. So the ugly and the beautiful coexist and people are supposed to make up their minds about what’s beautiful and what’s not. The photos you showed could be in Japan. They love their concrete but they also love Nihonga and the traditional arts. It’s strange. More than the West, Japan cleaves to its tradition.
After two weeks in Umbria and Tuscany, I find myself in Rome. We drove on the autostrada from Assisi to Rome, past Terni and saw the exit to Narni. I waved to you and prayed for you. Rome is a sewer. It’s unspeakably filthy. There’s trash everywhere. And it isn’t summer so it doesn’t smell. But 1/3 of the businesses are gone. Everywhere you walk - affitasi - my goodness, it’s never been like this even in August 2021, the last time I was in Rome. It’s a real Great Depression. Re: Mr. DiPippo - he so very kindly gave me his top 10 in Naples and in Rome back in early 2020 before Covid and I visited the Naples top 10 in late Feb 2020. Fantastic. Now I’m in Rome till April 11 and it’s sad. I just see tourists. Where are the Romans? Children? I loved Val d’Orcia. So beautiful! Tiny villages, no ugly stuff. I loved Umbria too, way better than Tuscany. I can totally see why you’re in Umbria.
I came back to the Church in 2017 after 40 years away (due to a miracle). I did not go through the JPII era, but even then I thought it was unseemly for a Pope to be a celebrity. I always thought that a Pope should be an older man sitting in front of a fire writing letters to his little children. JPII was an opportunist who allied himself with Reagan and his anti-USSR rhetoric. Americans always need a “Big Bad”. Reagan used JPII and vice- versa. Note please that the JPII nonsense is most pronounced among Americans and Poles.
“The cult of bad art begins, unsurprisingly, with the reign of Paul VI.”
It could be that the term "cult" requires a lot of unpacking here. Because there was already a great deal of bad art popping up in the early post-war years (1946-1962), in Europe, the Americas, and beyond, in both sacred architecture and the art that adorned those buildings and our publications: Consider that St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo, Paddy's Wigwam in Liverpool, and Rio de Janeiro Cathedral were all designed and commissioned in the late 1950's - before Paul VI came to the throne. Something about the world wars...broke something in the Catholic mind, and more than just the Catholic mind.
But it is true that under Paul VI, this movement for ugliness went into full overdrive. Maybe Greg means to say it had not attained full-cult status until Papa Montini was on the scene to give it a real imprimatur.
Spectacular post! I am going through an art ministry program right now and we were just talking about this concept, that the modern world has completely overturned the concept of beauty and how, in a way, that is a direct attack on God's character, as He is not just the creator of beauty, but the definition of beauty. I am definitely going to have to get my hands on some Ruskin. He sounds like an interesting guy.
This was a beautiful post. I am reminded of a lecture that Nikos Salingaros gave in 2012 at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg. He spoke with great conviction about the damaging effect of bad architecture on the human psyche and how the dominating and totalitarian forms create anxiety and illness. He was part of a group that approached the Vatican with great concern about the state of things and the people who were influencing the development of design. Naturally they were rebuffed. With a shrug and a sigh he added that as a Greek Orthodox he couldn’t say much. His concern was for all architecture both public and private and its role in enforcing alienation and he had grave forebodings of where society was going as it became unmoored from a human scale and human engagement. There were several modernist architects in attendance who were furious but I found him delightful.
Speaking truth to power. This is a good story.