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Horror vacui (art) - Wikipedia

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In visual art, horror vacui (Latin for 'fear of empty space'; UK: /ˌhɒrə ˈvækjuaɪ/; US: /- ˈvɑːk-/), or kenophobia (Greek for 'fear of the empty'),[1] is a phenomenon in which the entire surface of a space or an artwork is filled with detail and content, leaving as little perceived emptiness as possible.[2] It relates to the antiquated physical idea, horror vacui, proposed by Aristotle who held that "nature abhors an empty space".[3] Italian art critic and scholar Mario Praz used this term to describe the excessive use of ornament in design during the Victorian age.[4] Other examples of horror vacui can be seen in the densely decorated carpet pages of Insular illuminated manuscripts, where intricate patterns and interwoven symbols may have served "apotropaic as well as decorative functions."[5] The interest in meticulously filling empty spaces is also reflected in Arabesque decoration in Islamic art from ancient times to present. The art historian Ernst Gombrich theorized that such hig

Horror vacui (art) - Wikipedia Horror vacui (art) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Latin phrase which means "fear of empty space" This article is about the concept in art. For other uses, see Horror vacui (disambiguation) . The art of Swiss outsider artist Adolf Wölfli contains spaces densely filled with ornamentation, writing and musical notation. The Fall of Babylon , engraving by Jean Duvet from the Apocalypse series, circa 1555, plate size: 11 + 7 ⁄ 8 in × 8 + 3 ⁄ 8 in (300 mm × 210 mm) In visual art , horror vacui ( Latin for ' fear of empty space '

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