Horror vacui (art)

[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.

"[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 highly ornamented patterns can function like a picture frame for sacred images and spaces.

The paintings of Williams, Faris Badwan, Emerson Barrett, Joe Coleman and Todd Schorr are further examples of horror vacui in the modern Lowbrow art movement.