International studio (15.1901/1902(1902))

Professor J. M. Olbrich

the art of transforming an artistic idea into details,
of utilising it to its last shred. Herein, however,
lies the chief fault in his manner, for, like almost
all artists, he has the defects of his qualities.

Very often Olbrich’s houses, more especially
his interiors, suffer from a superabundance of ideas
and details. Thus it will happen that they some-
times lack repose, and lose the uniformity which
should never be absent from a constructive design.
But it must be admitted that Olbrich has shown
considerable improvement in this respect. Any
one knowing his work of former years must be
aware how he has devoted himself latterly rather
to the simple and the constructive than to the
decorative.

Passing through the gate of the Colony,
and proceeding down the street past Behrens’
house, we arrive at an open space, with a slight
downward gradient. On the top, in the centre of
the site presented to the
Colony, stands the Ernst
Ludwig House—so called
after the Grand Duke, the
creator and protector of the
Settlement—and beside it
the artists’ common working
and “representation” build-
ing. The House extends
lengthwise, and, dominating
the other buildings, forms
the middle portion, the
intellectual centre of the
whole. The Ernst Ludwig
House has two storeys, of
which, howrever, only the
upper one—looked at from
below—is fully seen in the
fagade, as, owing to the fact
that the house has been built
on a gradient, it has been
found possible to extend the
ground floor at the back as
a full, high storey. The
house has a flat roof. The
fagade receives its character
from the portal, which, placed
in the centre, is reached by
an open flight of steps. It
is broadly constructed and
flanked by two heroic figures
of a man and a woman, by
Ludwig Habich, the sculptor
of the Colony. Some gold
ornamentation employed for

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the decoration of the doorway contrasts well
with the white of the plaster applied to this as
to all of Olbrich’s houses. The interior of
the house has, in the upper storey, a central hall,
intended for small exhibitions, and to the right
and left the studios of the several colonists—two
rooms for each member, placed one behind the
other, and separated towards the fagade by a
corridor. By this arrangement good light is pro-
vided from above as well as from the sides, and
the artist is able to vary his distances, as he has
the whole depth of the building at his disposal.

The lower storey contains living rooms for the
bachelors, commercial rooms, as well as the
general fencing, gymnastic and recreation rooms
for the artists.

Right and left of the Ernst Ludwig House the
colony spreads out with the dwelling-houses of
Gliickert, Christiansen, Keller, Habich, and Deiters,

DESIGNED BY J. M. OLBRICH
From “ Olbrich Architektur” (Berlin • Ernst IVasmuth).