Page 48 - Studio International - April 1971

The house of the him, the construction of the Vienna municipal At all events, most of the ornamental motifs
railway system, and about this time there was a employed by Wagner—known in Vienna as
Vienna Secession major change in Wagner's style. It is still not 'Franzisko-Josefinisch' and still figuring in the
clear, for a man who was a genius in the art of plans submitted in April 1898—were missing in
movement abstract drawing and decoration, to what extent the completed decorations (for example the
this change resulted from the influence of work interior basket-handle arch in fig. 2). The end
Peter and Klara Hautmann done by Olbrich, equally a genius in the same result was a partial breakthrough to a kind of
field. At all events, Wagner's new creations ornamentation remarkably like that used by
suddenly became younger and fresher, while the Frank Lloyd Wright in 1906 for his Unity
first designs produced by Olbrich for the Temple in Oak Park: in addition to a similarity
Secession building in 1896-97 use all the in the ground plan, the use of pillars and of deep
elements devised by Wagner for the Vienna well recesses housing the ornamental elements is
municipal railway system and display great reminiscent of the Secession building, with its
decorative similarity. golden ornamentation in the dark of the recessed
A significant development was the change of entrance. In a sketch of the building (fig. 3)
site from the Wollzeile to the edge of the Olbrich presented the main features of his
Karlsplatz, where part of the municipal railway concept: a southern effect through high, dark
system was being built over the Wienfluss (the poplars; a cubic construction; geometric
On 27 March 1897 an article by Ludwig Hevesi River Wien). The new site lay beneath the ornamental motifs (starting with the pillars
entitled 'Die Wiener Sezession' (The Vienna windows of the Academy, where Olbrich was around the cupola), which later became a
Secession) appeared in the Wiener Fremdenblatt ; working under Wagner. On the other side of the principal element in the work of Josef Hoffmann
it was the first news the general public had of the Karlsplatz rose the mighty domes and soaring and his Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop).
Secession movement in Vienna. The article columns of St Charles's Church (Karlskirche), The cynical Viennese christened the building
began with the words 'In a moment of built by Fischer von Erlach in 1715-35. It may `the Mandi's tomb' or—even more spitefully—
enlightenment the City Council decided a few be assumed that a sensitive and knowledgeable `the Assyrian convenience', while Hevesi
days ago to make available to the Austrian architect like Olbrich took into account the countered humorously with the pedantry of
Association of Artists—albeit subject to certain changed setting; certainly the plans for the new which only a critic is capable, 'The investigations
conditions which will have to be relaxed site, the façade design, the cupola and the of Layard, Rawlinson, Schrader, Oppert and
somewhat—a site at the corner of the Wollzeile cruciform layout of the building—so much George Smith have proved that no such
for the erection of an exhibition building.' smaller than the one it would have to face across building existed in Assyria'. The gilded open-
Hevesi went on to say, 'This may be termed a the Karlsplatz —reveal how he strove to enable his work cupola consisting of 3,000 leaves each
piece of local Vienna news, but it is far more concept to compete on fair terms. The cupola over one foot long and 70o berries each the size
important than all the local news of many years designs date from April 1897, when he began of a fist became known as 'the golden cabbage', a
put together. It is the magic word which will designing for the new site; they display rich, name probably inspired by the proximity of
sever chains and bring the dead to life. Vienna— rounded decorative shapes both outside and Vienna's biggest vegetable market. The
the city of art, this monstrous provincial town— inside. (Figs 1 and 2—plans approved by the openwork motif derived from Otto Wagner,
has a chance of expanding in the field of fine arts, building authorities on 6 April 1898, with who used it first in 1891 in a design for Berlin
of becoming a great city, a new city.' signature of Gustav Klimt, President of the Cathedral. The cupola motif is one of the most
Naturally, by the time the City Council Society—from the Secession archives). common elements in Viennese architecture
reached its decision and Hevesi wrote his Construction began early in May. Work on originating in the baroque period, during which
article preparations for the construction of an the decorative arts must have begun about three great domed churches were built in
exhibition building were well under way. August, by which time the shell had been Vienna. During the Ringstrasse period, noted
Joseph Maria Olbrich, one of the founder erected. This work was done mainly by the for its historicism, the cupola motif became so
members of the new artists' association, had the artists themselves. For example, Kolo Moser cut widespread that hundreds of private apartment
plans ready. 'A palace of the arts covering some a large bas-relief entitled Krantzträgerinnen buildings adorned with every conceivable kind
65o square metres will be erected in a tasteful (Women with wreaths) in the rendering; this of cupola still characterize the silhouette of
setting on the site, which measures over 1200 frieze extended along the entire rear façade. Vienna. The openwork cupola, which made its
square metres. The handsome building will have Olbrich himself executed, on the basis of first appearance in Olbrich's Secession building,
a raised ground floor and skylights; the outer drawings by Moser, the three owls which figure later recurred on numerous occasions in the
walls, without windows, will be decorated with on four reinforcing pillars and the ornamental work of Wagner—in the plans for the Hall of
frescoes. Vienna will gain a new architectural tree and leaf motifs of the entrance and main Honour of the Academy (1898), in the plans for
adornment.' The funds for the building were to façade. The latter are stylized laurels climbing up the City Museum on the Karlsplatz (1903-10),
be raised through the first Secession exhibition, the outside of the building to the leaf-cupola. and finally executed in the canopy of the high
in the glass halls of the Gartenbaugesellschaft Olbrich also used gilded laurel wreaths as a altar of the Steinhof Church (1905-7).
(Horticultural Society), which opened a year decorative element in many places on the The Secession building—representing the
later on 26 March 1898 and proved an building. The exterior decoration of the building confluence of so many streams—was completed
unparalleled artistic and financial success. consisted almost entirely of designs in the on 1I November 1898, after a construction
Josef Maria Olbrich (born in 1867) studied rendering. In a description of the building period of six months. It was the first of the 'jewel
at the Vienna Academy under Freiherr von Hevesi wrote proudly on II November 1898, box' buildings, lovingly polished and
Hasenauer, one of the last great Ringstrasse `Olbrich has rendered his Secession building the `confectioned' like a cake. It was followed by
architects, and won a trip to Rome as graduation way Voysey renders his cheap buildings'. It was Olbrich's white 'jewel box' villas and Hoffmann's
prize. In 1894, after visiting Rome and Tunis, probably because the artists themselves did most one-family houses. While the Secession
Olbrich joined Otto Wagner, who had of the work on the decorations that these building was under construction, Adolf Loos
succeeded Hasenauer as professor at the turned out so simple—perhaps in subconscious asked to be allowed to design the room 'for
Academy in the same year. It was also in 1894 response to Adolf Loos, who did not object to which the least money had been provided'. His
that Wagner embarked upon the biggest ornamentation as such, but resented wasting request was declined, apparently at the
architectural assignment so far undertaken by time which could be put to so much better use. instigation of Hoffmann. A year later, in 1899,
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