11. The application of Design in the various Arts and Crafts is well
understood and appreciated. We have many instances and examples in the
Art of the Past. The possibility of Pure Design, pure Art, followed for
the sake of Order and Beauty, with no purpose of service or of utility,
is not at all understood or appreciated. I think of Pure Design as I
think of Music. Music is the arrangement and composition of sounds
for the sake of Order and Beauty, to give pleasure to the ear of the
composer. Pure Design is the arrangement and composition of lines and
spots of paint for the sake of Order and Beauty, to give pleasure to
the eye of the designer. I am prepared to admit, however, that as
Music, once created, being appropriate to the occasion when it is
performed and to the mood of the listeners, may give pleasure to many
persons, so Pure Design, once achieved, being appropriate to the time
and the place of exhibition and to the mood of the beholders, may give
pleasure to others besides the designer. In that sense, I am willing to
allow that Pure Design may be Applied Art,—Art applied in the service
of Humanity, its purpose being to bring pleasure into human experience.
The underlying motive of it, however, is found not in the service of
humanity, but in the ideal of the artist. He aims at Order and hopes
for Beauty, as the highest reward of his effort. John Sebastian Bach
said of Music: “It is for the glory of God and a pleasant recreation.”
That is what I mean. The designer, like the musician, seeks first of
all to achieve Order and Beauty for the sake of Order and Beauty. That
is his religion,—the worship of the Ideal. When the Ideal is realized,
the object which has been produced may serve a useful purpose in giving
pleasure, and perhaps inspiration, to others.
The principles of Pure Design which are defined and illustrated in this
book are the principles which should be followed in all applications
of Design in the Arts and Crafts. In such applications, however, the
ideals of design are often obscured by the consideration of materials
and technical processes on the one hand, and of service or utility on
the other. It will be worth while, therefore, for those who wish to
bring Design into their work, whatever that is, to study Design in the
abstract, Pure Design, so that they may know, before they undertake to
use it, what Design is. It is the purpose of this book to explain what
it is.