Architecture of Happiness: Why Aesthetic Ideals Change Over Time

Introduction: Why Aesthetic Ideals Shift

Alain de Botton poses a very apt question in The Architecture of Happiness: why does society constantly hold shifting values about what it finds beautiful? He frames it simply: "Why do we change our minds about what we find beautiful?" (154). This is an important question, as de Botton demonstrates that what we consider aesthetically pleasing swings between polarities that are difficult to predict and subject to the influence of time: "Precedent forces us to suppose that later generations will one day walk around our houses with the same attitude of horror and amusement with which we now consider many of the possessions of the dead. They will marvel at our wallpaper and our sofas and laugh at aesthetic crimes to which we are impervious. This awareness can lend to our affections a fragile, nervous quality" (154).

This observation is entirely accurate, and it partly explains why architects truly scrutinize and agonize over their designs — precisely to ensure their work will stand the test of time. When something has withstood that test, it almost always seems in good taste or in fashion and never becomes an eyesore. Some argue, for example, that Georgian architecture is a classic style that has done precisely this (Spencer-Churchill, 40); others offer London's controversial Centre Point development as a modern example of something that has also succeeded in this regard (Sebestyen & Pollington, 50).

With architecture, the stakes of design are far higher than with fashion or interiors. Architects create buildings that are larger than life — structures that cannot be shoved to the back of a closet like a hideous dress and cannot be painted over like an ugly color scheme. Architecture can be overwhelming and often exudes a palpable sense of permanence. It is no wonder, as de Botton eloquently points out, that architects scramble to create pieces that will be considered timeless rather than eyesores or laughingstocks to later generations (154).

Worringer's Theory and the Attraction of Opposites

De Botton then moves into an analysis of what design generally means to society. Before one can understand why tastes change, one must first understand how society gravitates toward particular tastes and styles as a reflection of its era. De Botton refers to the work of Worringer, who developed a theory about society and art, stating essentially: "The determinant lay, he believed, in those values which the society in question was lacking, for it would love in art whatever it did not possess in sufficient supply within itself. Abstract art, infused as it was with harmony, stillness and rhythm, would appeal chiefly to societies yearning for calm — societies in which law and order were fraying, ideologies were shifting, and a sense of moral danger was compounded by moral and spiritual confusion" (155).

This theory makes perfect logical sense and clearly illuminates human nature, both individual and collective. Indeed, the same dynamic can be seen in romantic relationships, where human beings often seek out partners who possess the qualities they feel they themselves lack — lending credence to the idea that opposites attract. Buildings, too, do not begin with a blueprint; rather, they start with an expectation (Craven) — one often tangled up in a marrying of opposites.

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