Page 27 - Studio International - January 1971
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Macdonald Mackintosh.                   up with writing so much as brought to life   IV
         All these objects are described as loans from   through a mysterious ornamental system   The most noteworthy of Hoffmann's exhibi-
         Waerndorfer, so that there can be little doubt   which happens to consist of letters. The orna-  tion designs for the Secession was that for the
         that the Mackintoshes' stay in Vienna during   mental value of the writing far outweighs its   fourteenth exhibition, in 1902, in which Max
         the 1900 Secession exhibition had been a pro-  value as communication.              Klinger's recently completed Beethoven monu-
         ductive one.                              There were many direct contacts between    ment was used as the centrepiece. All the
         Naturally the exhibition led to conversations   Hoffmann and Mackintosh; but it is worth   works done for this exhibition by the Seces-
         between Hoffmann and the Mackintoshes;    concentrating here on one letter, written by   sion artists, including the celebrated frieze by
         and Hoffmann also soon went to Glasgow    the Mackintoshes to the Secession, in German;   Klimt, were in the service of this central idea.
         himself. In December 1902 he accompanied   as it may have been the circumstances sur-  Here two-dimensional decorative art came
         Myrbach on a study tour for the Culture   rounding this letter that led to an estrange-  closer than ever before to the world of decora-
         Ministry, visiting art schools in Brussels,   ment between Vienna and Glasgow. It seems   tive craftsmanship; a mosaic-like handling of
         London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dresden and   that Myrbach, who was president of the    surfaces, governed by the material used, now
         Berlin. Hoffmann probably discussed the   Secession from the eighteenth exhibition   began to take on a dominant position.
         formation of the Wiener Werkstätte with   (1903) to the nineteenth (1904), had once   In June 1903 Hoffman founded the Wiener
         Mackintosh, and perhaps with Ashbee, during   more asked the Mackintoshes to exhibit. His   Werkstatte, on the model of Ashbee's Guild
         this trip. In March 1903, Mackintosh wrote   invitation was answered, as the apologies at   of Handicraft; he had also, as we have seen,
         out a series of suggestions concerning the   the beginning of the letter indicate, only after   taken the advice of Mackintosh. His partners
         foundation of such an institution.        a long delay. The Mackintoshes write that   in the undertaking were Koloman Moser and
         How close, and yet in some ways how far apart,   they will be pleased to exhibit, and ask for   Waerndorfer; the aim was to give artistic
         Hoffmann's and Mackintosh's positions were   more details. Myrbach, to whom the letter   form to objects of use of every kind. The work-
         at this time can be demonstrated through two   was addressed, had been in the United   shop at first executed only designs by Hoff-
         comparisons. Mackintosh's stand at the Glas-  States since 4 April 1905, working on the pre-  mann and Moser; later other artists were
         gow Exhibition of 1901 and the saleroom of   parations for the St Louis World Exhibition;   brought in. Curiously, Hoffmann's very first
         the Wiener Werkstätte by Hoffmann (1904)   there he was taken ill, and he did not return   furniture and vase designs include some extra-
         show a similar reliance on a grid pattern (in   to Vienna until January 1905. On his return,   ordinarily clear and almost cubist forms which
         Hoffmann's case this is largely because he did   he came in for criticism as a result of the dis-  have no parallel before the Dessau phase of
         all his drawing on squared paper). Two    honest actions of a Kunstgewerbeschule em-  the Bauhaus. The Wiener Werkstätte was the
         examples of lettering, on the other hand,   ployee, although he had been away at the   very last flowering of the craftsman as artist.
         demonstrate the wide differences that separ-  time of the events, and he then asked to be   The working drawing is often no more than
         ate the two artists. Hoffmann's trade-mark   relieved of his post as director. On April 6 and   an idea, which is transformed into a finished
         for the Wiener Werkstatte (1903) is built up   7 he auctioned off his entire output at the   prototype by craftsmen who work intuitively.
         on a grid, and the letters are harnessed into a   Dorotheum, and on April 20 he retired on   Just after its foundation, the Wiener Werk-
         framework. Mackintosh's sample of lettering,   pension and moved to Paris. Mackintosh's   stätte was commissioned to build the sana-
         which he did for Rudolf von Larisch's book   letter was probably not opened until early in   torium at Purkersdorf (1903-5), one of the
         Beispiele künstlerischer Schrift (Vienna 1902), is   1905, by which time the breach between the   primary buildings of twentieth-century archi-
         also based on a square framework, but there   Engelhart group and the Klimt group was   tecture. The use of a façade added for show
         is in it no attempt to reach equilibrium be-  already in existence; this was to lead in June   was abandoned, and the system of construc-
         tween the surface covered by letters and the   of that year to the withdrawal of the Klimt   tion was made visible. The system of skele-
         spaces between them. The surface is not filled    group from the Secession.          ton construction with reinforced concrete,
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