Modernism is not just an art movement that prevalent in the 1950s that was solely seen in galleries and magazines. It also crossed into home design and pop culture. Many will have heard of the famous Knoll furniture, but the teak chair overall became a more commonly seen fixture in American homes.
This Scandinavian school of design was first seen before the start of World War II, where models like the bent-plywood designs of Alvar Aalto were on display at the 1939 World Fair in New York. However, it was not until the end of the war, when formerly occupied Scandinavia was able to find an outlet for their hardship and optimism for the future that Scandinavian Modern really took flight. As a result of wartime shortages, artisans and craftsmen turned to the past for inspiration, drawing on the old arts of pottery, weaving, and glassblowing. A symbiotic blending of past traditions and modern design came to be the foundation for the movement, and it allowed Scandinavian artists a new opportunity to express themselves on a global scale. The carving of wood also became a popular pastime. Though in the beginning, artisans could only get such materials as oak, birch, linen and clay, eventually more exotic woods became available, and this is where the teak chair comes in. Though originally grown in Southeast Asia, teak wood had already achieved worldwide exposure by the late 19th century, and it was a common building material seen in furniture, in housing and on ship decks. Some of the prominent early leaders in this movement included the likes of Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl. Wagner was considered a master of detail and line, while Juhl was famous for his structures. Together, their avant garde but still approachable works solidified the new movement and gained it both acceptance and exposure.
When it was first introduced onto the American market, many people thought the modern style to be too austere and expensive. After all, a teak chair and other such high-end wares are not cheap to begin with, but paired with the “of the moment” art movement, many middle class citizens could simply not afford it. However, Danish Modern, a subset of the greater Scandinavian Modern movement found an elevated spike in sales for a few decades, and today that style is once more au courant and sought-after. At the same time, Edgar Kauffman, Jr., who worked at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, also helped to spread the movement. As the son of the owner of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Falling Water,” Kauffman’s opinion held a special weight among the New York design scene, and his enthusiastic approval of Scandinavian Modern was of great benefit to the movement. So even while the rest of the country may have hesitated to buy the pricy furniture, stores in Manhattan, including Bonniers and Raymor, were selling items like hotcakes. From there, there was an a trickling outward effect where the postwar style became more accessible to the rest of the United States, especially among younger generations, and larger retailers began replicating the look and feel of the specially designed teak chair and other furniture stylings. In fact, Americans were more inclined to the exotic woods like teak, wenge and rosewood than were their Scandinavian peers.
By 1963, the movement had reached its apex, and Scandinavian Modern had permeated every niche of society. The style was becoming more experimental and avant garde by this point, but the important thing was that it was now available for every price point that people could afford. For the wealthy, there were designers like Wegner, Juhl, and Jacobsen, while the lower and middle classes could find the distinct furniture at Sears and Penney’s. Around 1966, the trend began to diminish as a new prominent Mediterranean style came to the forefront of popular taste. However, in recent years, Scandinavian Modern has come back into favor as a sort of retro chic style.
By: Tonya Kerniva
Posts Tagged ‘World War Ii’
The Teak Chair in Scandinavian Modern Design
December 21st, 2009Abstract Art: a Breakthrough in Artistic Expression
November 8th, 2009The origins of abstract art can rightly be attributed to the imagination of man. Abstract art is distinguishable from fantasy art, which makes imaginative characters and myths its subject. It is closer to reality as it reflects the real in figurative terms. In other words, abstract art depicts real forms in a simplified or rather reduced way, keeping the original subject the same.
Abstract art did not originate all of a sudden nor is it the outcome of the 20th century thinkers. In the Jewish and Islamic religion, depiction of human beings was banned. As such, they took recourse to all forms of decorative and non-figurative arts or calligraphy.
Wassily Kandinsky is regarded as the inventor of non-figurative art in the 20th century. Gradually, his paintings moved out of figurative subjects. In 1910, he created the first figurative work of art- a watercolor sans any reference to reality. Kandinsky not only became the first abstract artist, he also took pains to promote it as a theorist. After Kandinsky, it was the Russian painter, Kasimir Malewich, who took abstract art to the next level. Melewich’s paintings mostly focused on simple geometrical forms.
The landmark events in the mid-twentieth century changed the course of abstract art. The World War II, persecution of Jewish people by Hitler, and denunciation of modern art by the Nazis led to the immigration of hundreds of avant-garde European artists into the United States of America, especially New York. This created a new wave in the American art scenario prompting the birth of Abstract Expressionism.
Abstract expressionism is more a concept of performing art than a style. This movement stresses the trend of pushing the conventional boundaries beyond all limits. Some of the famous artists of this movement are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.
Currently, there are two primary segments of abstract art. One segment, known as Color Field Abstract Art, features unified blocks of color. Mark Rothko is one of the pioneers of this genre. The second segment includes multiple genres- Surrealism, Expressionism, Cubism, and Action painting. Regardless of all these influences, the core of abstract art paintings remains the capturing of the essence of the artist’s subconscious on canvas.
By: Suzanne
How the Teak Chair Became a Work of Art
September 1st, 2009A teak chair evokes a lot of praise about its durability, attractiveness grain and coloration and its popularity in patio furniture. However, teak was once a part of the art world. Modernism, an art movement prevalent in the mid-20th century, was not confined to just galleries and expositions. It had crossed into the public sector as a functional design movement, and one branch of it, Scandinavian Modern, saw great success in the American market, where a new life was breathed into the teak chair and other furniture made from the special hardwood.
The Beginnings of Scandinavian Modern
This Scandinavian school of design first came about around the start of World War II, where designs like the bent-plywood prototypes of Alvar Aalto were displayed at the 1939 World Fair in New York. It was not until the end of the war, though, when formerly occupied Scandinavia, had the freedom and outlet to express the years of oppression and hardship they had faced. What resulted was a look to the past as inspiration, in the form of traditional crafts like pottery, weaving, glassblowing and woodworking. However, finding materials did not prove easy as a result of wartime shortages, and artisans could at first only work with limited natural materials like oak, birch, linen and clay.
New Materials
As the movement gained momentum and reached a larger audience, so too did the materials become more exotic, and this where the teak chair and other previously hard to find materials became available. Though native the Southeast Asia, teak had already achieved worldwide success as a building material for structures, furniture and ships by the mid-19th century. It was a only a matter of time, then, that Scandinavian craftsmen took up the flexible and workable wood.
Early Practitioners
Two of the main names associated with Scandinavian Modern are Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl. Wegner was called the master of line and detail, while Juhl had perfected the art of structure. Together their works encompassed a style that was both avant garde but approachable. These first designs laid the foundation for the school of design, from where it gained acceptance and further exposure on a grand scale.
Introduction to America
When it first appeared on the American market, Scandinavian Modern was thought by many people to be austere and forbiddingly expensive. To say a teak chair other high-end goods are expensive to begin with is one thing; match that with the “of the moment” art movement and watch the prices go up. As a result, most middle class citizens could not afford it, and it took the help of one Edgar Kauffman, Jr. to convince the people otherwise. Kauffman worked at the New York Museum of Modern Art, and as the son of the owner of Frank Llyod Wright’s “Falling Water,” he had secured for himself a prominence in the New York design scene. His enthusiastic opinion on the modern movement proved to be a vital turning point. From there, Scandinavian Modern popped up in local stores like Bonniers and Raymor, where well-to-do New Yorkers began buying up pieces. A subset of the movement, Danish Modern, was especially popular during these few decades. After the furniture began to sell in New York, there was a trickling effect outwards to the rest of the country. All of a sudden, younger generations were reveling in the distinct postwar style. At the same time, large retail stores began building their own versions of the Scandinavian teak chair and other furniture stylings. Americans in particular were more receptive to the exotic woods like teak, wenge and rosewood.
Peak and Decline
Because of the mass market influx, prices for Scandinavian Modern furniture dropped significantly. By 1963 the movement had reached an acme, where pieces were seen in practically every home and store. The 1960s also saw an era of more experimental design, but in the end the most important factor was that now the furniture could be seen selling at every price point. For the well off, there were the big names like Wegner, Juhl and Jense. For the middle and lower classes, the furniture could be purchased at Sears and Penney’s. However, by 1966 the trend was starting to wane. A new style, Mediterranean had grabbed the public eye and Scandinavian Modern was on its way out. However, in recent years, it had seen a marked resurgence, especially in conjunction with the European retro chic designs.
By: Tonya Kerniva
