H 
RERAMIC STUDIO 
CONVENTIONALIZATION IN DESIGN 
Hugo Froehlich 
TO coin'ciitionalize a plant form is to adapt the character- 
istic hnes of the plant to the space which it is to occupy. 
These lines must he consistent with the structural lines of the 
object which they decorate. The difficulty, according to this 
definition, lies in adapting the characteristic lines and in making 
them consistcni with the structural conditions of the obiect. 
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All forms included in the term " nature forms" possess in 
their contour a quality known as beauty of line. 
The long sweep of the iris stem and leaf, and the delicate 
edges of its flowers make a combination of characteristic lines 
which appeals to our sense of the beautiful. It mvist he ad- 
mitted that there are other elements of beauty in the iris 
plant, such as its color and modeling; however, its line element 
forms the chief source of delight and suggestion to the designer. 
This characteristic line qualitj^ is found in other aspects of 
nature such as landscapes, figvn"e and animal forms; hence the 
necessitj^ for gt)ing to nature. 
It is the designer's art training, however, that enables him 
to see lieauty and gather a wealth of material where others 
glean but little. As far back as we know, that has been true 
of all designers. Egyptian art which is the earliest record we 
have, bears out this statemeirt. 
The religious significance given by the Egyptians to the 
lotus, scarab, hawk, bull and other forms, coupled with their 
picture language, has resulted in a stjde full of A'ariety and rich- 
ness of art expression. They have, as it were, been father to 
design and directly or indirectly have influenced all historic 
styles. From Egyptian art have been evolved the laws of de- 
sign which governed the art of subsequent nations, known as 
historic styles. It is for this reason and that of their inherent 
beauty, that we consult the art records of the past. We go to 
the past for the grammar of art but we go to nature for inspira- 
tion. The past teaches us how to use the lines, masses, and 
color found in nature. 
Let us verify this. In Plate 1 we see the shell form. Its 
adaptation in the Greek border Plate II shows the process 
of the designer's mind in translating the natural form int(; a 
motive.* The spiral of the shell si.iggested design possibili- 
ties, because every spiral has by its related line movement a 
charm that attracts the eye. The arrangement, however, of 
the spiral in a border recjuired a complete knowledge of the 
principles of design. 
It is this problem of arrangement according to the laws 
of composition, that presents the greatest difficulty. 
The same spiral maj' be used in a border as m Plate III 
and not produce beauty or art, because the arrangement 
violates the laws of design. There must he plan and order. 
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Vlocte V 
Plate IV represents the natural lotus flower, m its detafl, 
perspective, and accident of growth. In Plate V we see four 
conventional renderings of the lotus. All details and acci- 
dents are eliminated. Only characteristic Hnes are retained 
and even these have undergone modifications prompted by the 
individuality of the artist. However, in each case, the law of 
growth has been expressed and the arrangement of parts can 
he traced back to the natural flower as in Plate VII. 
Sometimes the law of growth is disregarded as when a 
*A "motive" in design mux Idc one of two Ivincls, natural or_ purely im- 
aginative; a natural motive may be any form of nature, as animal, plant, 
cry.stal, cloud, brook, wave, road, or ;m\'l;iii(l-rape feature used as material 
in'dcsigii A purely irnaginntivc m(>ti\c i- ;in\ straight or curved line ex- 
pres.sion, or any abstract .shape bounded li> .-Uaiglit or curved lines. 
