Editor:
Re: “Tax Breaks for Historic Buildings Halted,” Nov. 19 edition and the comments that was made at the meeting “Architecture is not art.”
Is architecture art? Not unlike a painting which you stop to ponder and enjoy on the walls of your home or yes a dress designed specifically for you and that special occasion or a special piece of jewelry that accents this same couture. How about your sports car that embodies good design and finally, a splendid meal, simple but elegant say caviar and blennies; all of these are a form of art. Architecture is a piece of art that we live in enjoying all of the aforementioned creative endeavors.
So is architecture art? Absolutely! Finally to quote Oscar Wilde: “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Its beauty comes from the fact that the author (of all arts) is what he is and has nothing to do with the fact that other people desire what the artist has. Indeed the minute an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, but becomes a dull or amusing craftsman and honest or dishonest tradesman. Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known. Alone and without any reference to his or her neighbors and without any interference, the artist can fashion a beautiful thing, and if he does not do it for his own pleasure he is not an artist.”
Gregg Abel, Laguna Beach
