Gingerbread Style And Dragon Forms example essay topic

D'ecor of Norway: 1875-1900 I'm going to go into a little about the terrain, the climate, & the environment, so we get a sense of what it was like to live in Norway in 1875. The country is predominantly mountainous from North to South. At the base of the mountains were valleys that were pretty sparsely populated, & the valleys extended out into the fjords, which are called the arms of the sea. Fjords are deep inlets of water surrounded by large cliffs.

(PICTURE) There was more community by the fjords because the weather there was not as cold as the rest of Norway, due to warm winds that came along the coast. The fjords became harbors, & this is where Ghosts takes place, besides a fjord. In general, if you moved beyond the water, Norway was very spread out. Beyond the major towns, there were no villages, thus no real areas to congregate. It was also very dark between Oct & April. Oct gets 6 hours of light, January gets 0 - 1, & April gets 6.

Conversely, between mid May and late August, there is little to no darkness. This dark time meant people spent a lot of time indoors, almost hibernating, as we can see in this picture of their beds. There is one sentence I found that captures a fundamental principle in Norwegian design. "True, the stillness of the gray, cold period has exacted a toll in seriousness and introspection that also manifest itself in planning and design, but a jubilant sense of humanity, and break-free exuberance reflect the warm flip side of life in Norway, in which everyone can count on physical well-being and enjoyment of nature's bounty". Their design focused on simplicity, restraint, and function, and then to compensate for the heavy darkness, the Norwegians were very ornamental, detailed, colorful, & playful in their decoration of wood.

Everything was made of wood, especially in the countryside. They used wood paneling on the floor and walls, and heavy wood beams on the ceiling. Wood was often darkened brown by the smoke from their fireplaces, and they brightened up the environment by painting brilliant colors on everything. Around this time, gingerbread style and dragon forms were growing popular.

Gingerbread style is similar to the gingerbread houses of today. Dragon forms employed animistic and spiritual motifs, & rich carvings, based on their Viking heritage. A form of this is called rose painting. (PICTURE) The Norwegians were very self sufficient & excellent woodsmen. Log cabins were common, well built, & very sturdy.

(PICTURE) Roofs were sometimes covered in grass and wildflower as a form of insulation and decoration. Slate was also used. Fjord houses often had to be elevated to protect them from the water. Inside the house, there was usually one large space in which most family functions went on. You could find cookware, tools, cupboards, beds, sleds, & hunting gear in these rooms. Often the main table was multipurpose.

It could be used for carpentry, business, eating, and serving guests. Fabric Heavy wool was a popular fabric because it went will with such a rustic d'ecor. Curtains were often made of heavy wool to keep them warm, while wool and rayon was combined to upholster furniture, creating a horse hair effect. They weaved and embroidered a lot, & like wood, embroidered many colors into their heavy materials.

Reds and blues were favorites. Unheated storage areas were used for servants in richer families (such as the Alvin g family) Conservatory is a greenhouse, and weather allowed for greenery to grow.