Geschichte des modernen Industrie-Designs: Von Arts & Craft zum Jugendstil, Art déco und Bauhaus
The artist Erwin Plönes ,
Erwin Ploenes (https://kunstverlag-fink.de/titel/kunsttechniken-aufgezeigt-am-beispiel-des-werkes-von-erwin-ploenes/),from whom many of the designs in this shop originate—for example, the silk scarves , canvas prints , and children's mugs —was certainly not a designer. However, his abstract and sometimes figurative drawings are wonderfully suited as motifs for applied art . This, in turn, demonstrates that fine art, applied art, and art techniques or crafts do not necessarily have to be considered separately—an old rule of thumb from the Bauhaus and the art schools that followed it, such as the Cologne Art Schools , where the artist himself studied.
The following article provides an overview of the development of modern product design.I hope you enjoy reading it.
Modern product design developed during the 19th century as a result of industrial manufacturing. In the production of industrially manufactured goods, form and function—that is, product design—played an increasingly important role. Products with rich ornamentation were in demand at this time. Designers drew on historical models and borrowed ornaments from various art periods (Historicism). The resulting aesthetic was showcased at the first World's Fair in 1851 in Hyde Park, London. It led to criticism and counter-movements.
Arts & Crafts movement
This reform movement, originating in Great Britain, sought a return to traditional craftsmanship during the age of industrialization. It contrasted industrialization with the self-determined working methods of the medieval craftsman, instead of the purely economic division of labor within mass production, and rejected industrial manufacturing.
The key figures in this movement were John Ruskin andWilliam Morris. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who also made a name for himself as an Art Nouveau artist, worked in Glasgow.The Arts and Crafts movement influenced subsequent movements such as Art Nouveau, the Vienna Secession and the Werkstätten, the Deutscher Werkbund, and the Bauhaus. The focus was on the applied arts.
Christopher Dresser, also from Scotland (1834–1904 Mulhouse), who lived at this time, was not part of the Arts and Crafts movement: The Arts and Crafts movement rejected industrial mass production, while Dresser, as the first modern industrial designer, utilized the advantages of modern production techniques to make design accessible to a wider audience. He is considered a pioneer of modern product design.
Art Nouveau 1900 – 1914
Art Nouveau, as an artistic epoch and 'new style,' manifested itself in different ways in various countries. Originating in Belgium, the movement spread to other countries and cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Weimar, and Darmstadt, resulting in distinctive local variations. In Belgium, for example, floral elements predominate, as can still be seen today in numerous Art Nouveau buildings by renowned architects like Victor Horta. His colleague Paul Hankar, on the other hand, also incorporated geometric forms. This style can also be found in Vienna.
Photo: Art Nouveau house “van Eetvelde” by Victor Horta, Brussels (1895-1898)
There was a consensus to reject the 'old style'. Key stylistic elements also spread beyond national borders, such as stained-glass windows, sgraffito, mosaic floors, ample light, and conservatories. The demand for a connection between "art and life," and thus the integration of art into everyday life, was also widespread. Product designers adapted new ornaments, borrowed from nature, onto everyday objects and furnishings. The Belgian artist Henry van de Velde, for example, created total works of art with his buildings in Belgium and Germany, such as the "Villa Esche" in Chemnitz (1902/03) or "Hohe Pappeln" in Weimar (1907/08): he was responsible not only for the architecture but also for the entire interior design. An exhibition in Munich on Art Nouveau demonstrated how the artist Richard Riemerschmid, trained as a painter, freed himself from historicism with his designs for furniture and other functional art such as tableware, approaching Art Nouveau while simultaneously reducing ornamentation. During this era, both handcrafted and industrial production methods were used.
Other distinguishing features:
Decor: stylized plant ornaments on everyday objects and furnishings, borrowing from nature; this is referred to as the 'Belgian line'.
Architecture: large rooms with plenty of light, made possible by the use of new materials such as steel.
Gesamtkunstwerk: Architecture, interior design, and everyday objects are subject to an overarching design approach. This involves the use of specific design techniques: stained glass windows, mosaic floors, and sgraffito for interior and exterior walls.
Art Nouveau in Austria: the Vienna Secession and the Wiener Werkstätte
The Vienna Secession, known since 1895, was a movement of Viennese visual artists such as Joseph Olbrich who advocated for a renewal of art. Within this movement, fine art, applied arts, and crafts were considered together without hierarchy. As with the Arts and Crafts movement, it turned away from industrial production, placed handcrafted production at the center, and created a new aesthetic of applied arts: furniture, glass, porcelain, cutlery, textiles, jewelry, etc.
Josef Hoffmann played a central role. In 1903, he founded the Wiener Werkstätte (much earlier than the Bauhaus, and it wasn't a school but a production facility). His goal was to beautify the everyday lives of his clients. He created total works of art, much like the Belgian artist van der Velde before him: harmonious ensembles of architecture and interior design. This artist-run company manufactured products in its own workshops but also used external suppliers who produced items based on Wiener Werkstätte designs.
The movement came to a standstill with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The return to traditional craftsmanship and a new style of ornamentation ultimately only suited the interests of the wealthy; for most people, the products and houses were simply too expensive.
An influential critic of ornamentation was the architect and cultural writer Adolf Loos, with his publication "Ornament and Crime." He spoke of an "ornament plague" and pointed to Art Nouveau as an example. He based his rejection on social, economic, and ecological arguments. Hermann Muthesius expressed a similar view. He argued that Germany needed to become more competitive on the world market by redesigning its products. These products needed to be more user-friendly, sustainable, and visually appealing.
Photo: Joseph Olbrich, 1897-1898, built for the artists' association of the Vienna Secession, Vienna.
