BAD TASTE, Systematized by Gustav E. PazaurekI. Material MistakesBad and Spoiled MaterialsInferior materials such as knotty wood, poor alloys, or toxic substances; products that are poorly or cheaply processed or manipulated to conceal flaws; distorted moulds, heat checks, spotted or bubbled glaze, colour flaws, glazing flaws, reams.
Bizarre MaterialsObjects of human bone, skin, fingernails or hair; rhinoceros horns, ostrich eggs, shed antlers, animal teeth, vertebrae, feathers, fish scales; lizards, lobster claws, butterfly wings, beetle wings, live fireflies, egg membrane, cherry stones, spices, hazelnuts, straw, pine cones, mosses, tree fungus, cork, coloured sand, vegetables, sugar, butter, ice, bread, etc.
Material ObsessionsPainstaking hobby handicrafts with inferior or waste materials which, seen from a distance, look like craft products, such as objects made of postage stamps, matches, cigar rings, patchwork, broken glass, sardine tins, corks, used paper, wax, etc.
Violations of MaterialsOften very cleverly worked objects which overtax or completely disregard the properties of the chosen material; and objects made of perfectly good materials which are poorly or not at all suited to the purpose at hand.
Ostentatious MaterialsObjects made of materials that are too good or too costly; objects that “flaunt their wealth”. The craftsmanship is usually less artful than the valuable material deserves.
Material InfringementThe substance of one object is used in the spirit of another. These objects are based on clever little ideas; there is no intent to deceive by imitating another material. Rather, the objects are crafted in the style that is appropriate to a foreign material, with its typical forms and marks of handiwork.
Material DecoysMaterial decoys are playful attempts to imitate other materials without disguising the actual material substance of the object. Although the purpose is to create an illusion, the intent is not to deceive, but to make a “more or less clever, but usually shallow material pun.”
Material SurrogatesMaterial surrogates are inferior materials masquerading as more valuable ones. They imitate a costly material as closely as possible, with the intent to deceive and defraud the observer.
Reverse SurrogatesUnlike normal surrogates, reverse surrogates are imitations of an inferior material in a superior one. The substitute material is more expensive than the original.
II. Design MistakesRelief TranspositionsTranslation of flat forms into relief (or vice versa), such as three-dimensional representations of popular paintings, or sculptures of individual figures from such paintings.
Unbalanced WeightObjects made too heavy or too light; inconvenient distribution of weight; centre of gravity too high; base too small or extremely large.
Unsuitable or Tricky ObjectsVessels that tip easily or cannot be cleaned; handles that can’t be gripped; objects with sharp edges; also objects with overly fantastic or rich decoration at the expense of practical utility.
Cross-PurposesCombination objects that ostensibly serve two or more purposes, but are not optimally suitable for any of them.
Functional LiesObjects or parts which look deceptively useless or delicate, make false representations, or are superfluous, such as architectural ornamentation or decorative buttons.
Design Decoys and Artistic PranksUseful objects in forms that bear no relation to their purpose. The functional form is replaced with “far-fetched fantasy designs”.
Technical SurrogatesAn elaborate craftsman’s technique is imitated in the original material by machine; a difficult method or technique is merely feigned.
Patent HumourUseless, frivolous inventions; bad designs that concentrate attention on unimportant secondary purposes at the expense of the principal function.
Cheap OriginalityCrude forgeries, unimaginative imitations of established designs and forms, plagiarism.
III. Decorative MistakesOdd ProportionsObtrusive, abnormal shapes and proportions that detract from the clarity and familiarity of a traditional, functional form.
Manic Ornamentation, Wasteful DecorationExcessive inundation with ornament and extreme decoration, which can deteriorate into the “infectious and therefore very dangerous illness of ornamentational rage”.
Art as AtonementAddition of decorative elements to hide material flaws or for lack of another way to “distract attention from a botched functional and artistic design”.
Misplaced or Misoriented OrnamentationUnskilled use of decorative elements in regard to their relationship to the artistic form or to other decorative elements, or in regard to the intrinsic logic of the ornamentation, such as the direction of growth in botanical motifs.
Decorative Brutality“When one of two decorative schemes not only disregards the other, but destroys it to usurp its place, that is brutality.”
Decorative InvasionsThese objects are formed in a way that is typical for the material, but their surface imitates a different material, such as marbling on wood or gilding on porcelain or glass.
Recipe and ChanceOrnamentation created by the use of time-honoured recipes, especially those that make use of chance, such as ink blots, poured glaze, pictures drawn while in a trance, or pattern designers’ catalogues.
Original Decorative IdeasDecorative designs that are contrived, affected or excessively “original”.
“Not all originality is praiseworthy. Some kinds of originality can only be called oddity [...] Such things may indeed be original, but that does not make them beautiful.”
Unfitting Decorative MotifsDecoration that violates taste or the function of the object; unappetizing decorative motifs; mockery and misuse of national emblems for purely decorative purposes.
Anachronistic or Exotic DecorationMotifs and ornaments copied from past stylistic currents and foreign cultures.
Exaggerated FinishingExcessive use of a surface effect such as gilding, mother-of-pearl, iridescence, lustre, or fluorescence.
Primitive DecorationAn unimaginative, simple pattern used to adorn everything, such as a checkerboard or cube pattern.
Naive Decoration and FamiliaritySupposed folk art; inappropriately crude craftsmanship.
IV. KitschCheap mass rubbish with no attention given to the choice of materials, forms and decoration. The most common sub-categories are:
Jingoistic Kitsch (especially World War horrors)
Topical KitschTravel Souvenir KitschFolklore and Sportsmen’s KitschDevotional KitschCommercial Kitsch“The absolute antithesis of artistically inspired work of quality is tasteless mass rubbish, or kitsch: it disregards all the demands of ethics, logic and aesthetics; it is indifferent to all crimes and offences against material, technique, and functional or artistic form; it knows only one commandment: the object must be cheap and yet still attempt to create at least some impression of a higher value.” After Gustav E. Pazaurek, Guter und schlechter Geschmack im Kunstgewerbe, Berlin 1912
V. Contemporary MistakesGlorification of ViolenceBrutalizing objects; objects that encourage or trivialize violence and offences against humans and animals.
Harmful ToysObjects that encourage physically or morally harmful activities.
Child LabourObjects produced by working children.
Waste of ResourcesMass-produced, single-use articles; disproportionate, non-sustainable use of limited raw materials.
PollutionInsufficient regard for the consequences of the harmful substances involved in production.
Cadaver ChicObjects that dramatize or demonstrate Man’s absolute power over the animal kingdom, such as trophies and travel souvenirs.
Crimes against Endangered SpeciesObjects made of endangered animal or plant materials.
Sexist DesignDiscriminatory use of over-stylized and stereotyped gender characteristics in design.
Racist DesignDiscriminatory use of over-stylized and stereotyped racial characteristics in design.
Exaggerated Claims of ExclusivenessObjects which are declared as exclusive imports, but which are also available domestically, so that the additional cost of the imported objects is unnecessary.
これは「legal / illegal, Art beyond Law」のカタログ（英語あり）