The Australian Ugliness
Author | Robin Boyd |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Genre | Non-Fiction |
Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | 1960 |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 268 pp |
ISBN | 0-14-070083-8 |
The Australian Ugliness is a 1960 book by Australian architect Robin Boyd. Boyd investigates the Australian aesthetic in regard to architecture and the suburbs and in the process coins the doctrine "featurism" to describe it. Whilst not entirely a tragedy for the Australian community, Boyd proposes that education in design, landscaping and architecture can be a means to resolve the ugliness he observed.
Reception
After the book's first publication, Boyd was criticised for being unpatriotic by the Australian mainstream press.
The book became an influential best seller, opening up the debate about design, architecture and urban planning. It also channeled the "cultural cringe" and belief that Australia was not as lively, dynamic or beautiful as Europe or North America.[1]
References
Further reading
- The triumph of ugliness from the Sydney Morning Herald