The Rejection of the Machine
Wiener Werkstätte (1903 – 1932) was an Austrian Arts and Crafts Studio in Vienna.
History of Wiener Werkstätte
The Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops) was formed in June 1903 by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, with financial backing from wealthy entrepreneur Fritz Wärndorfer. The Wiener Werkstätte traces its Austrian roots to the late nineteenth-century Secessionist movement, inspired by William Morris, John Ruskin, and C. R. Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft, founded in England in 1888.
The Secession Exhibitions and the monthly Ver sacrum advocated its values (which in 1900 included work by C. R. Mackintosh and Ashbee that impressed through its simplicity of form). The Secession embraced the applied arts while vehemently opposing the art establishment’s conservative attitude. Metalwork, glass, ceramics, furniture, wallpaper, graphics, clothes, and jewellery were among the early Wiener Werkstätte items marked by geometric motifs and abstract patterns. The unusually rectilinear Werkstätte logotype, said to have been developed by Koloman Moser in 1903, was used to typeset this. These characteristics appear similar to the standardised shapes of current German design in its search for modern product types that were aesthetically consistent with twentieth-century manufacturing technologies.
Wiener Werkstätte Domain of Wealthy
Despite its founders’ original goals of manufacturing beautiful, basic designs for the house, Werkstätte’s most handcrafted products were inherently expensive. They remained the purview of a wealthy clientele, even though they employed more than 100 workers by 1905.
Embed from Getty ImagesDesigners of the Wiener Werkstätte
Carl Czeschka, Otto Prütscher, Berthold Löffler, and Michael Powolny were the designers of Werkstätte’s early years. Around 1915, there was a transition from Moser and Hoffmann’s rectilinear abstraction to a more florid, curved, and commercial style influenced by Dagobert Peche, the Werkstätte’s director, from 1910 to 1923.
Women Designers
Many women designed for the Werkstätte after WWI, reflecting the traditional percentages of women training and working in the applied arts. Vally Wieselthier, a textile, glass, wallpaper, and ceramics designer who won gold and silver medals at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels, epitomised this movement.
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite opening new retail stores, including one on Fifth Avenue in New York, the Werkstätte was disbanded in 1932 due to the harsh economic situation that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
Sources
Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.
More 1920s and 1930s Design History
Gérard Sandoz French Jewellery Designer
Gérard Sandoz, a prominent figure in French jewellery design, fused traditional craftsmanship with modern expressions, strongly impacting the modernist movement and leaving a lasting artistic legacy.
Keep reading
The Willys-Knight “70-B”: A Masterpiece of Automotive Design
The Willys-Knight “70-B” exemplifies 1920s automotive artistry with its innovative design, advanced engineering, affordability, and rugged reliability in challenging terrains.
Keep reading
Paul Du Bois: Bridging Art and Applied Design
Paul Du Bois, a prominent Belgian artist, melded monumental sculpture and applied arts. He was influential in the innovative Les XX group and Art Deco movement.
Keep reading
Introduction to American Art Deco: The Fusion of Modernity and Luxury
The blog post explores the influence of American Art Deco, from its Parisian roots to its impact on architecture, design, and entertainment, showcasing its enduring allure.
Keep reading
Art Deco: A Harmony of Fashion and Modernism
Art Deco, a 1920s-1930s design movement, fuses modernity, elegance, and diverse cultural influences, departing from tradition to embrace luxury and functionality.
Keep reading
The Hudson J-3a Locomotive: An Icon of Streamlined Design
Explore the enduring legacy of the Hudson J-3a Locomotive, a masterpiece of streamlined design by Henry Dreyfuss. Discover how it redefined function and aesthetics in American industrial design during the interwar years.
Keep reading
Jukebox Design by Wurlitzer iconic Americana
Jukebox Designs by Wurlitzer were celebrated for the iconic designs adopting “bubble tubes”, coloured filters and plastics. READ MORE
Keep reading
‘Moderne’ Style of Art Deco Popular in the 20s & 30s
Moderne was a decorative style that was mostly about how things looked on the outside. Moderne architecture was most noticeable in public buildings like skyscrapers and movie theatres. Postmodernism later brought back a lot of the styles that were part of the moderne movement.
Keep reading
Uncovering the History of Bakelite – The First Plastic
The synthetic plastic Bakelite, patented in 1907, revolutionized product design. Its impact on industrial design and jewelry made it a significant material in the 1930s.
Keep reading
Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925)
Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes was a vital exhibition that gave its name to ‘Art Deco,’ a rich vein of design across a wide range of applications, from cinemas to ceramics, textiles and tableware, and graphics to graphs.
Keep reading
Jaeger 🏴 clothes are Not Just Fashion but Function & Lifestyle
During the twentieth century, a movement arose that advocated for clothing to be worn as part of a sensible, healthy lifestyle rather than only for fashion. These concepts sprang from the work of nineteenth-century fashion reformers, in the same way, that English writer Edward Carpenter popularised the open-toed leather sandal for men.
Keep reading
French Art Deco – Fun Facts
French Art Deco, popular in the 1920s and 1930s, fused global influences, notably from Egyptian, African, and Asian art, inspired by the 1925 Paris Exposition.
Keep reading
Eugene Schoen (1880 – 1957) American Architect and Designer
He set up his architecture practice in New York in 1905 and, after visiting the 1925 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes.’ He began offering interior design services. In 1931, he became a professor of interior architecture at New York University. He sold his own and imported textiles and furniture and Maurice…
Keep reading
American Designers’ Gallery (1928) Design Group -Decorative Arts
The American Designer’s Gallery, founded in 1928 in New York, aimed to elevate modern decorative arts and support designers’ professional standing through exhibitions.
Keep reading
Maurice Matet (b.1903) French Decorator and Furniture Designer
Maurice Matet, a French interior designer and decorator, was known for his modern furniture designs post-WWII, collaborating with prominent figures in the field.
Keep reading
The Genesis of Domestic Bliss: The Salon des Arts Ménagers
The Salon des Arts Ménagers, initiated in 1923, symbolized modern domesticity in France, promoting efficient household management and aesthetic appeal. Despite its decline in late 20th century, its legacy endures in domestic design and consumer education.
Keep reading
The Timeless Allure of Route 66: A Testament to Americana Design
Route 66’s signage, featuring vibrant typography, is an iconic symbol of a bygone Americana. Despite the fading of this historic pathway’s physical landmarks, its aesthetic and cultural impact continues to inspire contemporary design and evoke a sense of nostalgia and adventure.
Keep reading
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld – Dutch Architect and Furniture Designer
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, a Dutch architect and furniture designer, created groundbreaking furniture, including the iconic Red Blue Chair, and was influenced by De Stijl.
Keep reading
French Fabrics in the Art Deco Style
The Art Deco movement in French textiles, flourishing in the 1920s, featured bold geometric patterns, vibrant colors, and luxury materials, influencing fashion and interior design.
Keep reading
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.