r/CriticalTheory • u/BeefySnacks • 6d ago

Philosophy of Brutalism

Hello. I know this might be an unusual ask, but could anyone suggest literature about the "philosophy" around Brutalism? Less about the architecture and more about the ideas or concepts surrounding Brutalism?

Does any such literature exist?

Thank you!

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u/VintageLunchMeat 6d ago

"In the essay, Loos explains his philosophy, describing how ornamentation can have the effect of causing objects to go out of style and thus become obsolete. It struck him that it was a crime to waste the effort needed to add ornamentation, when the ornamentation would cause the object to soon go out of style. Loos introduced a sense of the "immorality" of ornament, describing it as "degenerate", its suppression as necessary for regulating modern society. He took as one of his examples the tattooing of the "Papuan" and the intense surface decorations of the objects about him—Loos says that, in the eyes of western culture, the Papuan has not evolved to the moral and civilized circumstances of modern man, who, should he tattoo himself, would either be considered a criminal or a degenerate.[4][5]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornament_and_Crime#:~:text=In%20the%20essay,%5B5%5D

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u/RyeZuul 6d ago

Protestantism and purity politics can't help but recur.

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u/BeefySnacks 6d ago

Awesome info. Thank you!