“Artistic thought” which
permeated “common taverns”.
Restaurant interiors at the Stary
Teatr in Kraków designed by the
artists connected with the Polish
Applied Arts Society (tpss)w
In 1906, Kraków s municipal authorities decided to entrust the interior design of the
restaurant in the newly renovated Stary Teatr to artists associated with the Polish Ap-
plied Arts Society (tpss). This gesture was long awaited, and very much welcomed
by the artists and the admirers of Polish applied art. It permitted the presentation
of skills and a new look at designing interiors and furniture, and paved the way for
further orders to artists and artisans associated with the tpss. Unfortunately, the
restaurant interiors have not survived to this day. Numerous reconstruction and
remodelling works on the edifice, restoring it to the function of drama theatre, as
well as the lack of awareness about the value of applied art in the early twentieth
century led to their irreversible destruction. Other than descriptions in the press,
and photographs, the only other memento is the armchair designed by Ludwik
Wojtyczko, kept at the Masovian Museum in Płock. Therefore, the purpose of the
present paper is to recreate the appearance of individual rooms, to indicate what
formal Solutions designers had proposed, and to place the interiors of the Stary
Teatr within the context of designs for this type of premises elsewhere in Poland
and in Europę.
One of the principles followed by the Society was to support the production and
sale of Polish applied art. In order to implement this postulate, the Society sought to
establish collaboration with manufacturers of furniture and kilim woven tapestries,
with printing houses, and so forth. This collaboration consisted in announcing
competitions via the tpss, providing them with designs, or employing the artists
as creative directors. The tpss also tried to obtain orders from public institutions
and private persons for architectural designs, interior designs, and prints. In order
to acquire furniture and interior designs, the Society organized several competitions,
* The article was created as part of the research project titled Ojcowie polskiego designu. Towar-
zystwo Polska Sztuka Stosowana. Architektura wnętrz i meblarstwo (“Fathers of Polish design.
Polish Applied Arts Society. Interior architecture and furniture”), financed by the National
Science Center (2015/17/D/HS2/01215).
modus
prace z historii sztuki
art history journal
xviii, 2018
0
Wersja polska - str. 123
AGATA WÓJCIK
ARTICLES
137
permeated “common taverns”.
Restaurant interiors at the Stary
Teatr in Kraków designed by the
artists connected with the Polish
Applied Arts Society (tpss)w
In 1906, Kraków s municipal authorities decided to entrust the interior design of the
restaurant in the newly renovated Stary Teatr to artists associated with the Polish Ap-
plied Arts Society (tpss). This gesture was long awaited, and very much welcomed
by the artists and the admirers of Polish applied art. It permitted the presentation
of skills and a new look at designing interiors and furniture, and paved the way for
further orders to artists and artisans associated with the tpss. Unfortunately, the
restaurant interiors have not survived to this day. Numerous reconstruction and
remodelling works on the edifice, restoring it to the function of drama theatre, as
well as the lack of awareness about the value of applied art in the early twentieth
century led to their irreversible destruction. Other than descriptions in the press,
and photographs, the only other memento is the armchair designed by Ludwik
Wojtyczko, kept at the Masovian Museum in Płock. Therefore, the purpose of the
present paper is to recreate the appearance of individual rooms, to indicate what
formal Solutions designers had proposed, and to place the interiors of the Stary
Teatr within the context of designs for this type of premises elsewhere in Poland
and in Europę.
One of the principles followed by the Society was to support the production and
sale of Polish applied art. In order to implement this postulate, the Society sought to
establish collaboration with manufacturers of furniture and kilim woven tapestries,
with printing houses, and so forth. This collaboration consisted in announcing
competitions via the tpss, providing them with designs, or employing the artists
as creative directors. The tpss also tried to obtain orders from public institutions
and private persons for architectural designs, interior designs, and prints. In order
to acquire furniture and interior designs, the Society organized several competitions,
* The article was created as part of the research project titled Ojcowie polskiego designu. Towar-
zystwo Polska Sztuka Stosowana. Architektura wnętrz i meblarstwo (“Fathers of Polish design.
Polish Applied Arts Society. Interior architecture and furniture”), financed by the National
Science Center (2015/17/D/HS2/01215).
modus
prace z historii sztuki
art history journal
xviii, 2018
0
Wersja polska - str. 123
AGATA WÓJCIK
ARTICLES
137