DOCSLIB.ORG

Rom Ashes to Jugend Norwegian Jugendstil In

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Rom Ashes to Jugend Norwegian Jugendstil In SHORT rom Ashes to Jugend ARTICLESF Norwegian Jugendstil ART NOUVE AU in Ålesund. Stina Aadland Jensen Norway Introduction regional versions, depending on the different This article will give a short introduction to nation's history, culture and language1 . This Norwegian Art Nouveau (referred to as Ju- was also the case in Norway. gendstil) and how this is especially visible in Still a relatively young nation at the end of the the town of Ålesund. I will focus mostly on 19th century and still a part of the political architecture and give some examples on some union with Sweden (1814-1905), there were of the most outstanding examples of the style. heated discussions about art and culture that I will use the German term Jugendstil, which became a question of self-assertion. With the covers the Norwegian version of Art Nou- struggle for independence came a renewed veau. Even though one can find elements that interest in local traditions and the quest to find coincide more with the international Art a national style, independent from any Danish Nouveau, in Norway it is most commonly or Swedish influence. Even though these referred to as Jugendstil. discussions were not new, unlike the previous National Romantic period with its emphasis Nationality, identityidentity and and on depicting the Norwegian landscape and the independence farmer, the focus was turned to the Middle Art Nouveau manifests itself in different ways Ages and folk-art. Mythical creatures found in depending on the country in which it folktales, like trolls, were incorporated into art, originates. The idea about breaking with past for instance through the painter and drawer styles and form, and embracing modernity and Theodor Kittelsen (1857-1914). industry, gave it its universal dimension. But Other artists tried to find ways to express this also resulted in a quest for national and a new, national style, often based on Norse wszetecznicom amen manship. mythology and Norwegian history dating back Gerhard Munthe Mørkredd to times before the union with both Denmark (Afraid of the dark). 1892. (1380-1814) and Sweden (1814-1905). The Tapestry 158 Book. leading M. Skeibrok, Sanfærdige Skrøner (Truthful tall tales).1891 Uncommon Ill. by Theodor Kittelsen Culture A style that flourished side by side with Jugendstil in Norway was the Dragon Style, inspired by Viking ship ornamentation and stave churches. For some artists and architects this style sometimes blended with Jugendstil, making it a symbiosis of styles. leading naturalist painter and designer JJugendstilugendstil in inNorwegian Norwegian Gerhard Munthe (1848-1929) found inspi- architecture ration from folktales and medieval times to In Norway, like in the rest of Europe, the make his decorative art, trying to renew the architecture of the last decades prior to 1900 national folk art and raise the level of crafts- was mostly dominated by historicism, but in manship. the mid-19th century many architects felt it was A style that flourished side by side with Ju- time for a renewal and to break away with the gendstil in Norway was the Dragon Style, in- past3 . The Jugendstil period in architecture in spired by Viking ship ornamentation and stave Norway lasted for about 10 years (1900-1910). churches. For some artists and architects this The claim for honesty and a coherent look, like style sometimes blended with Jugendstil, ma- in the Arts and Crafts movement in England, king it a symbiosis of styles. This is most noti- was important for the Norwegian architects ceable in wood architecture dating back to the and a young nation needed a new identity. Ar- last decade of the 19th century, but later it also chitecture would serve this purpose, and re- became popular in silverware and furniture de- present the nation through aesthetics, prac- sign. Dragon Style was to become the official ticality and symbols4 . Even though few archi- representative of Norwegian building tradi- tects used the term Jugendstil to define their tion and cultural heritage at the end of the 19th work, one can clearly see elements that coin- century, and was presented at exhibitions cide with what is considered Jugendstil, and around the world. The Dragon Style is some- many architects looked to Germany and Aust- times referred to as a movement and a national ria for inspiration. The theatre in Bergen (Nor- offshoot of the Gothic revival in Europe2 . way's second largest city), Den Nationale Bergen's theater Scene Den Nationale Scene, Architect: Einar Oscar Schou, 1909. Photo by Stina Aadland Jensen 159 Uncommon Culture SHORT ARTICLES ART NOUVEAU Scene (1909) by Einar Oscar Schou is a good of the best architects in the country, and most example on monumental architecture inspired of these architects were educated abroad, by Viennese Jugendstil. taking the international impulses with them to To understand the impact Jugendstil had on Norway5 . The town where this is most visible Norwegian architecture, and especially in Åle- is Ålesund, on the west coast of Norway. sund, we have to look at some socio-economi- cal and historical facts.. It is important to stress Ålesund that Art Nouveau did not have the same The internationally well-known Norwegian ar- impact in art and architecture in Norway as it chitect Christian Nordberg-Schultz once sta- did in other European countries. Norway's in- ted that: Among Norwegian cities, Ålesund has a dustrialization and the growth in economy had unique position. Hardly anywhere has such an given rise to a new economic structure, which extensive and complete environment been preserved; meant that not only high officials and land- thus we are provided with a rather unique example of owners could afford to build big mansions, but what a city environment once meant6. also the growing bourgeoisie. They hired some A devastating fire in 1904 left almost the entire offffffffffffffffffffffffffff towntown Svaneapoteket (Swan Pharmacy), Architect: Hagbart Schytte-Berg, 1907 Photo by Stina Aadland Jensen 160 Uncommon Culture town of Ålesund in ashes, making 10000 peo- it was we need to look at some important ple homeless. But this tragedy soon turned into factors. Henrik Nissen, the man in charge of a stroke of luck for architects and craftsmen in the rebuilding and one of Norway's most Norway at the beginning of the 20th century. In acclaimed architects at that time stated that: 1899 Norway's two largest cities (Christiania One had to avoid using historicism and classicism. A and Bergen) experienced a collapse in the buil- new, Norwegian style, based on the Dragon Style from ding industry, leaving many people unemplo- the Middle Ages would best suit this purpose8. His yed. The fire of Ålesund resulted in one of the importance to the development of Ålesund biggest makeovers a Norwegian town has ever cannot be underestimated. experienced and over 50 architects and hun- Another important factor already mentioned dreds of builders and craftsmen were emplo- were the impulses the architects had from their yed to rebuild the town. In only three years, studies abroad. Many of them had been to from 1904-190, a new town was erected from Germany and Scotland, thus giving them ins- the ashes. The fire also resulted in an obli- piration and knowledge about Jugendstil and gation to build in stone or brick within the city the Arts and Crafts movement. The simplicity limits in Norway, and was a continuation of a and rationality of the Arts and Craft move- law from 1896, and this had a direct impact on ment were especially well looked upon. Most the architecture in Ålesund7 . This historical of the architecture in Ålesund can therefore be and stylistic shift made Ålesund the most sig- seen as a symbiosis between simple neo- baro- nificant Jugendstil town in Norway. Even que form and Jugendstil ornamentation and though there is Jugendstil architecture in most asymmetry. Medieval masks and Norse orna- of the big cities in Norway, Ålesund stands out mentation are features seen throughout the due to the confined area in which the buildings town, as well as the medieval tower construc- are found and because of the vastness in buil- tions. From the beginning of the 20th century dings with a more or less coherent look. there was much debate about ornamentation But to understand why Ålesund was rebuilt as and the need to focus on the purpose of the new, building The pharmacy in 1917. Photographer unknown The pharmacy in 2013. Photo by Stina Aadland Jensen 161 Uncommon Culture SHORT ARTICLES ART NOUVE AU building among Norwegian architects9 . These 1907 by the architect Hagbart Schytte-Berg, issues were also addressed by Henrik Nissen in who brought new ideas to Norwegian archi- his writings about the town planning in Åle- tecture from Europe, as well as individually sund10 . renewing them. The strong emphasis on the functional aspects The building is actually made up of two sec- linking the architecture to its surrounding spa- tions, divided by a firewall in the middle. But ce is highly visible in Ålesund. Both the moun- both sections were still owned by the employer tains and the sea form an important backdrop J.A.J Øwre. and some of the architectural elements reflect The Swan Pharmacy is one of ten listed the scenery, mostly visible in the ornamenta- buildings in Ålesund and most of the interior tion. If we look at some of the architectural has not been changed since 1907, as shown on drawings for warehouses, this can be seen. the two photographs of the pharmacy from Some of the most significant buildings in Åle- 1907 and 2013. sund have similar features, and this is the rea- The Swan Pharmacy expresses both national son why so many have argued that Jugendstil is and international impulses through materials highly visible throughout the town.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • At the Confluence of Art Nouveau and Ecclectic Early Modernism in Riga's
    ZDZISŁAWA TOŁŁOCZKO* AT THE CONFLUENCE OF ART NOUVEAU AND ECCLECTIC EARLY MODERNISM IN RIGA’S METROPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE U ZBIEGU ART NOUVEAU I EKLEKTYCZNEGO WCZESNEGO MODERNIZMU W ARCHITEKTURZE METROPOLITALNEJ RYGI Abstract The aim of this paper was to draw attention to the coincidence of streets intersections ending, in general, in corner buildings making up typical and picturesque parts of the townscape of the 19th c. European cities, including the central quarter of Riga. This type of town-planning establishments perfectly compose with the art and aesthetics of Art Nouveau in Riga. An additional and very important component of the town- planning-architectonic solutions is the decorative finial of the corner houses (not only inJugendstil , but also the Latvian national romanticism) creating a harmonious composition in respect of art and town-planning, ideally completing the townscape of this Baltic metropolis. Keywords: Latvia, Riga, Cracow, New York, London, Berlin, history of architecture and city-planning, Art Nouveau, Modern Art, Jugendstil, National Romanticism Streszczenie Celem prezentowanego artykułu jest zwrócenie uwagi na koincydencję zbiegów ulic zakończonych na ogół wyraźnymi narożami, tworzącymi typowe, a jednocześnie malownicze, fragmenty krajobrazu dziewiętna- stowiecznych miast europejskich, w tym również śródmieścia Rygi. Tego rodzaju założenia urbanistyczne doskonale komponują się ze sztuką i estetyką Art Nouveau w Rydze. Dodatkową i jednocześnie niezwy- kle ważną komponentą rozwiązań urbanistyczno-architektonicznych są umieszczone na narożach ozdobne zwieńczenia (nie tylko w stylu Jugendstil’u, ale także łotewskiego narodowego romantyzmu) komponujące się wspólnie i harmonijnie pod względem artystycznym i urbanistycznym, uzupełniając znakomicie pejzaż tej nadbałtyckiej metropolii. Słowa kluczowe: Łotwa, Ryga, Kraków, Nowy Jork, Londyn, Berlin, historia architektury i urbanistyki, Art Nouveau, Modern Art, Jugendstil, Narodowy Romantyzm DOI: 10.4467/2353737XCT.15.154.4191 * Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Modernism Without Modernity: the Rise of Modernist Architecture in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, 1890-1940 Mauro F
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Management Papers Wharton Faculty Research 6-2004 Modernism Without Modernity: The Rise of Modernist Architecture in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, 1890-1940 Mauro F. Guillen University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/mgmt_papers Part of the Architectural History and Criticism Commons, and the Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons Recommended Citation Guillen, M. F. (2004). Modernism Without Modernity: The Rise of Modernist Architecture in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, 1890-1940. Latin American Research Review, 39 (2), 6-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lar.2004.0032 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/mgmt_papers/279 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Modernism Without Modernity: The Rise of Modernist Architecture in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, 1890-1940 Abstract : Why did machine-age modernist architecture diffuse to Latin America so quickly after its rise in Continental Europe during the 1910s and 1920s? Why was it a more successful movement in relatively backward Brazil and Mexico than in more affluent and industrialized Argentina? After reviewing the historical development of architectural modernism in these three countries, several explanations are tested against the comparative evidence. Standards of living, industrialization, sociopolitical upheaval, and the absence of working-class consumerism are found to be limited as explanations. As in Europe, Modernism
    [Show full text]
  • Einar Oscar Schous Arkitektur 1900-1915
    «...HAM SELV TIL HÆDER, ALLE BERGENSERNES ØINE TIL GLÆDE...» Einar Oscar Schous arkitektur 1900-1915 TEKSTDEL Ingfrid Bækken HOVEDFAGSOPPGAVE I KUNSTHISTORIE UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN NOVEMBER 1998 «...HAM SELV TIL HÆDER, ALLE BERGENSERNES ØINE TIL GLÆDE...» Einar Oscar Schous arkitektur 1900-1915 TEKSTDEL Ingfrid Bækken HOVEDFAGSOPPGAVE I KUNSTHISTORIE UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN NOVEMBER 1998 Formgivning: Per Bækken EINAR OSCAR SCHOU INNHOLD KAPITTEL 1. INNLEDNING . .9 1.1. OPPGAVENS FORMÅL . .9 1.2. DE UTVALGTE BYGNINGENE . .11 1.3. SCHOU SOM JUGENDARKITEKT . .11 1.4. ART NOUVEAU/JUGEND . .12 Begreper . .14 1.5. NORSK JUGENDARKITEKTURS FORSKNINGSHISTORIE . .14 1.6. EINAR OSCAR SCHOU . .16 KAPITTEL 2. FRA NYRENESSANSE TIL JUGEND. DEN NATIONALE SCENE . .19 2.1 EKSTERIØR . .20 Planløsning . .20 Den additive oppbygningen . .20 Sokkeletasjen . .21 Hovedfasaden . .22 Sidefasadene . .22 Vertikalitet - horisontalitet . .23 Veggflatens utforming . .23 Det dekorative formspråket . .24 Det organiske uttrykket . .26 2.2. INTERIØR . .27 Helhetsvirkning . .27 Dekorative elementer . .28 Møbler og lamper . .29 2.3. KONKURRANSEUTKASTET . .30 Nyrenessanse . .30 Horisontalitet . .31 Helhetsvirkning . .31 2.4. BEARBEIDELSEN AV KONKURRANSEPROSJEKTET . .32 Tidlige skisser og prosjekter . .32 Schak Bull og arbeidsutvalget . .34 2.5. MULIGE FORBILDER . .34 De øvrige konkurranseutkastene . .34 Dramatiska Teatern i Stockholm . .35 Kontinentale forbilder . .36 Interims Hoftheater i Stuttgart . .37 Teatrene i Meran og Dortmund . .37 KAPITTEL 3. DET GEOMETRISKE FORMSPRÅKET . .41 3.1. KALFARLIEN 18 . .41 Bygningskroppen . .41 Fargebruk . .42 Taket . .42 Vinduene . .43 Verandaen . .43 Det dekorative formspråket . .44 Det «romantiske» og det engelske preget . .44 5 Den bergenske tone . .45 Planløsning . .46 Interiør . .46 Hagen . .46 3.2. KONG OSCARS GATE 70 . .47 Fasadene . .47 Dekorative detaljer .
    [Show full text]
  • Report No. 15 (2008–2009) to the Storting
    Report No. 15 (2008–2009) to the Storting Interests, Responsibilities and Opportunities The main features of Norwegian foreign policy Table of contents Introduction. 7 5 The High North will continue Norwegian interests and globalisation . 8 to be of special importance The structure of the white paper . 9 to Norway . 49 5.1 Major changes in the High North Summary. 10 since the end of the Cold War. .. 49 5.2 The High North will continue to be Part I Challenges to Norwegian a major security policy challenge . 51 interests . .15 5.3 A greater role for the EU and the Northern Dimension . 52 1 Globalisation is broadening 5.4 International law issues . 53 Norwegian interests . 17 5.5 Cross-border and innovative 1.1 Globalisation and the state . 18 cooperation in the High North . 54 1.2 Globalisation is a challenge to 5.6 Increasing interest in the polar Norway . 18 areas and the Arctic Council . 55 1.3 Norway is becoming more closely involved in the global economy. 20 6 Europeanisation and Nordic 1.4 Norway’s broader interests . 22 cooperation . 57 6.1 The importance of the EU . 57 2 The downsides and 6.2 Further development of the EU . 59 counterforces of globalisation . 24 6.3 Europeanisation defines the 2.1 Globalisation includes and excludes 24 framework . 60 2.2 The new uncertainty of globalisation 6.4 Agreements and cooperation . 60 – new security policy challenges. 26 6.5 Fisheries policy. 63 2.3 Threats to Norway from global 6.6 Broad Nordic cooperation . 63 instability . 27 6.7 The Council of Europe and the OSCE .
    [Show full text]
  • Look to Norway™ Current Norwegian Foreign Cultural Policy — Ola Kveseth Berge Ola K
    University College of Southeast Norway Look to Norway™ Current Norwegian foreign cultural policy foreign cultural policy Norwegian Current Look to Norway™ Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences — Doctoral dissertation no. 26 2017 Ola K. Berge Look to Norway™ Current Norwegian foreign cultural policy — Ola Kveseth Berge Ola Kveseth Ola K. Berge Look to Norway™ Current Norwegian foreign cultural policy A PhD dissertation in Culture Studies © 2017 Ola K. Berge Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences University College of Southeast Norway Kongsberg, 2017 Doctoral dissertations at the University College of Southeast Norway no. 26 ISSN: 2464-2770 (print) ISSN: 2464-2483 (electronic) ISBN: 978-82-7206-445-6 (print) ISBN: 978-82-7206-446-3 (electronic) This publication is, except otherwise stated, licenced under Creative Commons. You may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. You must give appropriate credit provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ deed.en Print: University College of Southeast Norway Cover Photo: Ola K. Berge Berge: Look to NorwayTM Current Norwegian foreign cultural policy Preface In 2009, being the first assignment as a rookie researcher at Telemark Research institute, I conducted a small project on the international work of the performing arts organization, the Performing Arts Hub Norway (PAHN). The project aimed at finding trends and tendencies concerning what art and artists who travel where and
    [Show full text]
  • Norwegian Art and Crafts Teachers' Conceptions of Creativity
    Journal for Research in Arts and Sports Education Peer-reviewed article Vol. 4 | Nr. 1 | 2020 | pp. 1–18 Norwegian art and crafts teachers’ conceptions of creativity Brynjar Olafsson* University of South-Eastern Norway Abstract This study investigates Norwegian art and crafts teachers’ conceptions of creativity through the responses to a questionnaire from 791 teachers in compulsory education. The curriculum in Nor- way for compulsory education emphasizes the development of creativity in the art and crafts field more than in the other core subjects. However, the curriculum does not offer a clear definition of creativity or how creativity-related goals should be reached. According to prior research, teachers express different ideas about what creativity involves, and their conceptual understanding can affect their teaching practices. Results indicate that teachers hold beliefs that are in misalignment with recent literature, and a better conceptual understanding could support them in emphasizing cre- ativity in the classroom. This applies especially to individual creative capacity, assessment, and the role played by domain knowledge in education. Keywords: Art and crafts education; compulsory education; Norway; creativity Received: May, 2019; Accepted: November, 2019; Published: February, 2020 Introduction Creativity is recognized as a fundamental skill that is indispensable in a complex and ever-changing digital age (Craft, 2011). For this reason, the issue of creativity is receiv- ing increased attention within compulsory education in many countries (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2017). According to a recent Norwegian study, leaders of innovative production companies often identify creativity and experience as more important than formal education when seeking new employees (Svare, 2014). Despite creativity being highlighted in the national curriculum (Ministry of Education and Research, 2006), Gjærum and Gran (2016) posit that the Norwegian compulsory education system tends to depress creativity and demotivate students with significant emphasis on theoretical subjects.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Scandinavian Folk Art Education Within the Contemporary Context
    The Evolution of Scandinavian Folk Art Education within the Contemporary Context A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Mary Etta Litsheim IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Shari L. Peterson, Adviser December 2010 © Mary Etta Litsheim 2010 i Acknowledgements My thanks and appreciation go to Dr. Shari L. Peterson, graduate adviser and inspiring educator; Dr. Rosemarie J. Park, Dr. James M. Brown, and Dr. Karen L. LaBat, members of my Ph.D. committee who model excellence respective of the University of Minnesota; Jan DeNoble, loyal and accomplished teacher, editor. Also to Dr. Howard Y. Williams, the initial inspiration for my interest in the field of adult education; and Dr. Gary N. McLean, my first coach in the rigors of academic research. All supported me in their teaching, research, and vigor for affecting and challenging intellectual development. Most important, my thanks and gratitude go to Jim, Mary Sara, and Scott, who supported me behind the scenes as if they too were engaged in the process. Last, but not least, Ruby and James Rorris, Esq. My gratitude to Dr. Marion Nelson, my mentor in spirit who inspired me from the day I met and heard him speak at the Revitalization of Ethnic Arts and Crafts Conference in 1996. I still have my notes. ii Abstract Folk education in Scandinavia evolved through the influences of political, social, and cultural change in 18th and 19th century Denmark. Danish high society supported the academic rigor of the German education system and expressed little interest in sustaining the rural folk and its culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Minnesota Painters of Norwegian Background, 1870-1970 / Marion J
    Minnesota Pai nters of N o An exhibition, Painting by No Minnesota painter of Norwegian background ever gained Minnesotans of Norwegian the stature of Ole Rolvaag in literature, Knute Nelson in poli - Background, 1870 –1970 , tics, or F. Melius Christiansen and his St. Olaf choir in music, opened at the James J. Hill but Norwegian Americans have contributed significantly to the House, St. Paul, on April 1. state’s visual arts. Rather than making reputations as ethnic Guest-curated by Marion artists, they have been a well -integrated part of the Minnesota Nelson and sponsored by the art scene from its beginnings. Settling in Minneapolis in the Minnesota Historical Society, 1880 s, Peter Lund, Haakon Melvold, and Herbjorn Gausta were the exhibit will remain open among the state’s first professional artists and showed their through October 14 , 2000 . work in its earliest exhibitions. 1 The following images are The affiliations of the Norwegian immigrant painters were selected from the work of largely with American art groups. In 1910 the professional 28 artists on view in this artists’ organization known as the Attic Club was founded in and lively show. Minneapolis by a visiting artist from San Francisco, who was serving as assistant director of the school of art. The watercolor- ist and stained-glass designer Andreas R. Larsen, originally from Norway, was a mainstay of this organization from its founding to its demise in about 1930 . Artists of Norwegian background were also well represented in the Minnesota Artists Association, founded in 1937 , and the somewhat more radical Artists Union, 74 rwegian Background, 187 0–1970 organized at about the same time.
    [Show full text]
  • Eros and Thanatos in Norwegian Art Nouveau Tove Kristin Lande Stiftelsen Kulturkvartalet; Jugendstilsenteret and KUBE
    Strand 3. Les Fleurs du Mal: Style in a Troubled Age Eros and Thanatos in Norwegian Art Nouveau Tove Kristin Lande Stiftelsen Kulturkvartalet; Jugendstilsenteret and KUBE Abstract The worship of fertile and pure youth in Art Nouveau iconography, with its frequent symbols such as rosebuds, eggs, and the shy gaze of maidenhood, is well documented. However, as the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig tells us in his autobiographical novel The World of Yesterday (1942), the Art Nouveau movement was as much a youthful revolt that explored taboos and the limits of established attitudes as it was an aesthetic movement devoted to the worship of beauty and innocence. How is this represented in Art Nouveau iconography in the visual arts? Using Sigmund Freud’s theoretical concepts of Eros and Thanatos, which address phenomena like the subconscious, morality, decadence, desire, sexual liberation and sexual identity, I will focus on the movement’s darker side, with special reference to Norwegian Art Nouveau. Keywords: Rebellious, Kristiania Bohemians, Taboos, Erotic, Death, Intoxicants, The subconscious, Femme fatal, Male seduction, Liberation 1 The worship of fertile and pure youth in Art Nouveau iconography, with its frequent symbols such as rosebuds, eggs, and the shy gaze of maidenhood, is well documented. However, as the Austrian writer Stefan Zweig tells us in his autobiographical novel The World of Yesterday (1942), the Art Nouveau movement was as much a youthful revolt that explored taboos and the limits of established attitudes as it was an aesthetic movement devoted to the worship of beauty and innocence. How is this represented in Art Nouveau iconography in the visual arts? Using Sigmund Freud’s theoretical concepts of Eros and Thanatos, which address phenomena like the subconscious, morality, decadence, desire, sexual liberation and sexual identity, I will focus on the movement’s darker side, with special reference to Norwegian Art Nouveau.
    [Show full text]
  • Works by Norwegian-American Artists
    Works by Norwegian-American Artists: During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, about three hundred individuals were considered Norwegian- American artists, "who felt they had to speak to express their feelings by creating some object," (Rolf H. Erickson, 1986). While a universally accepted definition of "Norwegian-American art" has not been determined, the definition followed by the Chicago Norske Klub of 1920 still serves us today. Norwegian- American art was then defined as "painting and sculpture produced by artists with Norwegian backgrounds." Over 180 works in the Luther College Fine Arts Collection concentration were created by Norwegian- American artists. Fifteen of these artists were born in Norway and emigrated to America while fifteen other artists are American but have a strong Norwegian background. Their works form a significant component of the Collection, especially meaningful since Luther College was founded by Norwegian immigrants. Some of the art works in the Norwegian-American Collection also are components of other Named Collections. The fifteen artists born in Norway are Sigvald Asbjørnsen (sculptor and painter from Oslo); Arne Berger (painter from Valdres); Emil Biorn (painter from Oslo); Ben Blessum (painter from Marstein, Romsdalen); Nils Saebjørn Buttedahl (actor and sculptor from Lier); Herbjørn Gausta (painter from Tinn, Telemark); Claus Hoie (print-maker and painter from Stavanger); Tarkjel Landsverk (stone artisan, painter, and carver from Seljord, Telemark); Marie Løkke, aka Mrs. Finn Mathiesen (painter from Oslo); Elizabeth Maurland (potter from Oslo); Karl Peter Andreas Ouren (painter from Halden); Gulbrand Sether (painter from Saerslovbygda, Elverum); Yngvar Sonnichsen (painter from Oslo); and Svend Rasmussen Svendsen (painter from Nittedal).
    [Show full text]
  • Adolf Loos, a Controversial Architect -Adolf Loos’ Architectural Position Presents a Complex Relationship with Art Nouveau
    -In the last session, we studied Art Nouveau. -Adolf Loos, a controversial architect -Adolf Loos’ architectural position presents a complex relationship with Art Nouveau. -On one hand, he appears to reject Art Nouveau’s decorative tendency, Art Nouveau’s aesthetic ideal of the total work of art. -On the other hand, Adolf Loos seems to still accept the significance of ornament. -Art Nouveau: ornament completes form -Loos somehow seems to embrace this idea of ornament when it comes to the design of civic buildings. Adolf Loos (1870-1933) -the son of a stonemason -studied at the Imperial State technical College in Vienna and the Dresden College of technology -traveled to America to visit his uncle in Philadelphia -admiration of American culture -Louis Sullivan “Ornament in Architecture” (1892) Advocated temporary abandonment of ornament until the architect was better able to manipulate unadorned forms Adolf Loos (1870-1933) Architectural position -Loos reacted strongly against Art nouveau’s and Jugendstil’s attempt to replace Beaux-Arts eclecticism with what he saw as a superficial system of ornament -rejection of Gesamkunstwerk (especially his article “Poor Little Richman”) -rejection of the very concept of ‘art’ when applied to the design of objects for everyday use, and rejection of the artist as the giver of Form (Gestalt) to machine age. And thus attack on the Werkbund -Building versus Architecture The building is a useful object and therefore not architecture (art). The portion of building activity that is considered to be architecture includes only memorials, cenotaphs, and monuments Adolf Loos (1870-1933) -the filling-up of the chasm bt.
    [Show full text]
  • Bruno Paul – the Life and Work of a Pragmatic Modernist 128 Pp
    Edition Axel Menges GmbH Esslinger Straße 24 D-70736 Stuttgart-Fellbach tel. +49-0711-574759 fax +49-0711-574784 William Owen Harrod Bruno Paul – The Life and Work of a Pragmatic Modernist 128 pp. with 205 ill., 233 x 284.5 mm, hard-cover, English ISBN 978-3-932565-47-2 Euro 59.00, sfr 89.00, £ 39.00, US $ 69.00, $A 109.00 At the dawn of the 20th century, Bruno Paul (1874–1968) stood like a colossus astride the landscape of an emerging Modernism. As an illustrator, architect and educator his influence was unequalled. Arguably the most important German designer of his generation, his work was ubiquitous in the technical and professional publica- tions of his day. For five decades, Paul’s reputation was unparal- leled among progressive German artists. As a young man he was a member of the Munich avant-garde responsible for the creation of the Jugendstil. As a designer of furniture and interiors, he achieved a commercial success unmatched by his illustrious con- temporaries. In the light of his professional accomplishments, he was the most influential German architect of his generation, a fig- ure of international significance. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Adolf Meyer and Kem Weber were among his students, and their work developed from the practices of his atelier. Indeed, as director of Distributors the Vereinigte Staatsschulen für freie und angewandte Kunst in Berlin he presided over an institution that rivaled the Bauhaus as Brockhaus Commission a center of progressive instruction in the arts. Kreidlerstraße 9 Despite the renown he enjoyed at the height of his career, Paul’s D-70806 Kornwestheim name has been largely absent from the standard histories of the Germany modern movement.
    [Show full text]