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Avant-Garde Repercussions and the School of Applied Arts in Bratislava

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Avant-Garde Repercussions and the School of Applied Arts in Bratislava Iva Mojzisova Avant-gardeRepercussions and the School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, 1928-1939 At the turn of the 1920s and 193os, art in Slovakia which Slovak modern art was searching for its made an energetic attempt to free itself of provincial- identity. ism and to gain space within the central European The School of Applied Arts was the first public and the broader international context. Unfortu- establishment in Slovakia for teaching the visual nately, for various reasons-especially political arts. It was founded in 1928 and originally provided ones-this activity, whose centre was Bratislava and evening courses in drawing and advertising. But it the local School of Applied Arts, has remained at the soon set itself a higher goal-that of raising domestic margin of interest on the part of art historians and manufacture to the international standards of the acquisition policies of museums and galleries. A modern industrial production. That meant setting few lectures on this topic have been delivered at simplicity of design, elementariness of shape and conferences abroad and at times during more authenticity of material against decorativism, pur- favourable climates in Czecho-slovakia as well,1 but posefulness and economy against luxury and team no book on the phenomenon has been published to work against individualism. These principles were to date. The first minor exhibition, entitled 'School- be applied to the mode of dwelling and house Experiment', took place in Bratislava as recently as furnishing, to dress, to typography and advertising the autumn of 1991. This paper, which for the sake graphics and to photography, stage design and film. of conciseness does not go beyond essential It was in this spirit that Vydra also conceived the information, has been written as a contribution to various departments of the School-not according to the preparation of a more extensive publication. technologies, but according to materials and func- The School of Applied Arts in Bratislava became a tions. Hence there were departments for textiles, legend, even during its short period of existence. Its metal, wood, ceramics, photography, typography, fame as a sort of 'Bratislava Bauhaus' reached as far decorative painting and window-dressing. Study in as Walter Gropius. If we pose the question whether specialized departments was preceded by prelimi- there was any truth in that fame, the answer will be nary basic elementary courses in drawing, surface both yes and no. Although the founder and director and space composition, colour harmony, modelling of the school, Josef Vydra (1884-1959)2 was in and lettering. In reality, this already involved an contact with Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten, and application of the Bauhaus method. When Vydra although such prominent personalities as Laszlo acquired rooms in the newly-built Apprentice Moholy-Nagy, Jan Tschichold, Ernst Kallai and Schools designed by the architects Alois Balan Hannes Meyer gave lectures at the School, this does (1891-1960) and Jiif Grossmann (1892-1957), not suffice to make its claim to that fame. artisans' workshops were also available 11].Both the The School of Applied Arts was not an academy or schools were connected, under Vydra's direction, an institution of higher learning, as the Bauhaus and the School of Applied Arts became a master was. It was born under different conditions and school for the most talented pupils.4 Creative within a different context. Bratislava in the 1920S designing was combined with craftsmanship, and was a town in which institutions were being founded ultimately also with industrial production.5 in the new Czechoslovak state. Many things were As an outstanding teacher and a first-class organ- started from zero. Of primary importance in art was izer, Vydra knew that he could build up a school the need to obtain a clear view of national traditions.3 capable of responding readily to the needs of the The yearning to open the windows to Europe times, with people possessing creative minds and simultaneously brought in a scent of avant-garde modern views on educational practice. He therefore movements. It was a period of 'accelerated time' in invited two of the most assertive young painters to Journalof Design History Vol.5 No. 4 ? 1992 TheDesign HistorySociety 273 :", i1 Alois Balan and Jifi Grossmann, facade ... -of the Apprentices School and School of B Applied Arts in Bratislava, 1930 _..,..,j""'.s1 Ir -II Il a ^ ~ ~eas-- --- --- ------r ..I. ' " ":' J . E. '...... teach at the school--udovit Fulla (1902-80) and Czech professors were forced to leave Slovakia. He Mikulas Galanda (1895-1938)6-an experienced persuaded Fulla to take up the direction of the textile designer and painter Frantisek Maly (1900- School after him in the hope that continuity would 80), the ambitious ceramics artist Julia Horova thus be preserved. It was for a very short time only- (1906-78), a member of the Devetsil in Brno and ten months. In October 1939 the School of Applied former Bauhaus pupil Zdenek Rossmann (1905-84), Arts was closed. as well as the eminent avant-garde photographer If the School went beyond the boundaries of an Jaromir Funke (1896-1945). Later, when a depart- educational institution, it was not thanks solely to ment for window-dressing was set up in 1933-4, the modern organization of its teaching9 and its further experts joined the teaching staff: Frantisek international orientation.'0 Likewise the fact that it Reichental (1895-1971) who had studied painting in became one of the principal centres of struggle Petrograd and had taught for some time in Irkutsk; against inherited provincialism was not uniquely due and the architect Frantisek Tr6ster (1904-68) who to the clear-sighted and integrating personality of its had worked on Le Corbusier's project for a new director. The surplus of creative energy in the young quarter in Algiers, and who was put in charge of the professors, which the School could not consume, metal-working department at the School. During the radiated outwards and manifested itself in the way last years of the School's existence, further experts the artistic avant-garde did elsewhere in Europe, not came in: the sculptor and designer Josef Vinecky in just one sphere of art, but in all. (1882-1949) from the famous academy of WrocFaw, It was a period of shifting values." The concept of the architect Josef Emanuel Margold (1889-1962) 'art' declined in dignity and doubt was cast on the from Berlin, a former member of the artists' colony in term 'applied arts'. No essential difference was made Darmstadt, and finally Karel Plicka (1894-1987) who between designing a house and a chair, typography founded, here in 1938, the first film school in and photography became art, with design acquiring Czechoslovakia.7The last to join the teaching staff in the decisive role. the film department during Vydra's directorship was Fulla and Galanda, two of the greatest rebels in the architect Frantisek Kalivoda (1913-71)8 from Slovak painting, preachers of an 'uncompromising Brno, but that was in the unfortunate autumn of fight for new artistic movements'"2and propagators 1938. of absolute painting which 'does not intend to Vydra did not quite give up hope even when imitate or portray objects, but to create a picture of 274 iva MojziSovd SLOVENSKA GRAFIA CASOPISVENOVANF POVZNESENIU KNIHTLAtCARSTVA A KRASNEJ TLACE NA SLOVENSKU 1929 CISLO 3-4 *6odnotnkh kn$, o6rraa umeleckychk pmedmetov,Wor3 sova rteiov vyivarni uov. te STEVNA PRACA Z dobu tryan iivdCinia an o na slto publikstci ytvarne spoup acuje tidsat' mapiroy,Dua aiskdu. Sdruujepodrune dnbenetrstc a5OOO5000 lenov, enpeoene pvo (tofl saspojil, abyvydavahi preJadrustvo seba hoclnotna itatero pycoa ]acnetypogra-ic . knihy.so pca arnikovnihy stevnsy vydva Z A Len stroj sa I Za dobu trvania vydane bleo na sto publikdii. ydBvaniyprieb iv y (1rsviasaovrie), VYtvarnespolupracuie tridsat'r(4 kniavy roarie), prea hvrodnnotn ra acn a mnahou ey Meinyicnov (6pracovnikov o typografickych.N reklama si len dobr& zaplativyp ati Druistevni prdca vydiva sbierky ZWvek6ihy A, populdrni beletristickiEd;ela p6vodnd a pi eloiene (10 ssakkov roine), bivi knihy B9 knihy prdeboin *? *. * ?* * * * a umelecky nove (6 svizkov roine), Nesmratedni, dobr? B za ladni diela svetovych iiteratur(4 krnkyrorne). o i ir p e v j r 6u Genericia,knihovAu basnickych vyborov s reliefy o E * B 0- autorov (3 svazky rocne). t o r I a m a p r e p r eda j 111 TYPOMONTA2 L F ULLU 2 Ludovit Fulla, typomontage on the title-page of the journal, Slo- 3 Ludovit Fulla, typographic illustration, 1929. Print, black and venskdgrafia, 1929. Black and brick-red lettering brick-red lines and colour forms','3 designed advertising sociological and international contents and its prints, posters and installation projects for industrial functionalist layout, was already in step with the exhibitions. European avant-garde trends of the early 1930s [4]. In 1929, the magazine Slovenskd grafia was Rossmann and Hoiejs also published monographic launched, intended to promote the modernization of notes on the architectural work of the period in polygraphy and applied graphics. It was edited by Bratislava. Antonin Hoiejs (1901-67), who gave lectures at the It was Rossmann who stimulated Funke1' to School of Applied Arts on contemporary taste, and photograph architecture, and not solely modern Fulla designed the typographic layout [2-3]. facades and interiors [5]. The objective of this When in 1931 Rossmann14-the graphic designer abstract photographer was for the first time focused of such avant-garde Czech magazines as Pdsmno, in Bratislava, also on the 'utilization of contrasts- Disk and Index-came to Bratislava direct from wealth and poverty, luxury and misery-where Dessau, he brought the functionalist conception of precisely photography speaks in a direct and un- typographic design to a downright ascetic form.
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