DOI Artikel:
Wójcik, Agata: „Myśl artystyczna”, która przeniknęła do „knajp”: Wnętrza restauracyjne w Starym Teatrze w Krakowie projektu artystów związanych z Towarzystwem Polska Sztuka Stosowana
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44918#0140
and the results thereof were presented to wider audiences at exhibitions. However,
the orders that came in during the first years of the activity did not satisfy those
who still waited for larger and morę prestigious commissions in the field of interior
design. The Society s report for the year 1904 had read: “Let there be someone who,
finally, sparing no costs, would give the Society or an individual talented artist the
opportunity to arrange the whole house for himself, from its outer architecture
to the smallest usable objects, and one such commission, successfully carried out,
shall pave way to others”.1
At the beginning of December 1905, the authorities of the city of Kraków had
the opportunity to inspect the building of the Stary Teatr, reconstructed accord-
ing to the design of Tadeusz Stryj eński and Franciszek Mączyński, and meant to
house concert and restaurant halls. Mayor Juliusz Leo and the City Council have
decided to allocate 60,000 kroner for the interior decoration of the restaurant
interiors. Therefore, on December 6, an anonymous article was published in the
“Czas” newspaper, by the author undoubtedly associated with the tpss. The arti-
cle featured the appeal, namely that “decorating and furnishing the rooms in the
usual manner, such as for instance in the style of Viennese Secession [...] would
not correspond to the cultural level of our city and the artistic requirements of
the public”. It was emphasized that such a large sum should be directed to the
representatives of the domestic industry, and that it would be best to address local,
Krakovian artists, and preferably directly the Society, with view to commissioning
the interior designs.2 On December 8, “Czas” reported that the municipal authori-
ties had allocated 45,000 kroner for the furnishing of the restaurant, and further
20,000 kroner for “acquiring the inventory”, and that domestic craftsmen were to
be commission for the job.3 Four days later, the paper reported that the authorities
turned to the tpss, and asked the Society to provide interior designs, and added
that the artists had already begun their work.4 In the first days of January 1906,
“Czas” reported that the projects were selected in the internal competition at the
tpss, and then approved by the committee composed of, inter aha, mayor Juliusz
Leo, vice mayor Józef Sarę, and doctor Józef Muczkowski. The article also tells us
about the artists’ original intentions. Designing the furnishings for the larger room
was entrusted to Trojanowski. The artist intended to arrange it in light grey and
dark red tones. “Inside the main wali, there will be a huge sideboard madę of pear
tree wood, light-grey, with some parts of mahogany, and red columns of rosewood.
The sideboard fittings will be polished, the glazing clasped in mahogany frames.
In front of the sideboard, a buffet will be fitted, a type of table in light grey, as well
as restaurant tables, chairs and half-rounded seats, covered in mahogany-coloured
fabric. An ornamental frieze of folk motifs will run over the wainscot.” The smaller
room on the ground floor was designed by Wojtyczko, and the description of its
intended appearance read: “the walls will be grey, smooth, and instead of wainscot,
there will be bright kilim tapestries. A striking feature of the design - apart from
the original ornaments - is a particularly cleverly contrived cabinet with a clock,
that will cover the radiator, veneered with a yew-tree wood in the natural colour,
1 iii. Sprawozdanie Towarzystwa „Polska Sztuka Stosowana” w Krakowie. Rok 1904, Kraków 1904, p. 7.
2 Zwiedzanie starego teatru, “Czas”, 1905, issue 279, p. 2.
3 Rada miasta Krakowa, “Czas”, 1905, issue 281, p. 1.
4 Dekoracya sal w starym teatrze, “Czas”, 1905, issue 283, p. 2.
138
ARTICLES
Agata Wójcik
the orders that came in during the first years of the activity did not satisfy those
who still waited for larger and morę prestigious commissions in the field of interior
design. The Society s report for the year 1904 had read: “Let there be someone who,
finally, sparing no costs, would give the Society or an individual talented artist the
opportunity to arrange the whole house for himself, from its outer architecture
to the smallest usable objects, and one such commission, successfully carried out,
shall pave way to others”.1
At the beginning of December 1905, the authorities of the city of Kraków had
the opportunity to inspect the building of the Stary Teatr, reconstructed accord-
ing to the design of Tadeusz Stryj eński and Franciszek Mączyński, and meant to
house concert and restaurant halls. Mayor Juliusz Leo and the City Council have
decided to allocate 60,000 kroner for the interior decoration of the restaurant
interiors. Therefore, on December 6, an anonymous article was published in the
“Czas” newspaper, by the author undoubtedly associated with the tpss. The arti-
cle featured the appeal, namely that “decorating and furnishing the rooms in the
usual manner, such as for instance in the style of Viennese Secession [...] would
not correspond to the cultural level of our city and the artistic requirements of
the public”. It was emphasized that such a large sum should be directed to the
representatives of the domestic industry, and that it would be best to address local,
Krakovian artists, and preferably directly the Society, with view to commissioning
the interior designs.2 On December 8, “Czas” reported that the municipal authori-
ties had allocated 45,000 kroner for the furnishing of the restaurant, and further
20,000 kroner for “acquiring the inventory”, and that domestic craftsmen were to
be commission for the job.3 Four days later, the paper reported that the authorities
turned to the tpss, and asked the Society to provide interior designs, and added
that the artists had already begun their work.4 In the first days of January 1906,
“Czas” reported that the projects were selected in the internal competition at the
tpss, and then approved by the committee composed of, inter aha, mayor Juliusz
Leo, vice mayor Józef Sarę, and doctor Józef Muczkowski. The article also tells us
about the artists’ original intentions. Designing the furnishings for the larger room
was entrusted to Trojanowski. The artist intended to arrange it in light grey and
dark red tones. “Inside the main wali, there will be a huge sideboard madę of pear
tree wood, light-grey, with some parts of mahogany, and red columns of rosewood.
The sideboard fittings will be polished, the glazing clasped in mahogany frames.
In front of the sideboard, a buffet will be fitted, a type of table in light grey, as well
as restaurant tables, chairs and half-rounded seats, covered in mahogany-coloured
fabric. An ornamental frieze of folk motifs will run over the wainscot.” The smaller
room on the ground floor was designed by Wojtyczko, and the description of its
intended appearance read: “the walls will be grey, smooth, and instead of wainscot,
there will be bright kilim tapestries. A striking feature of the design - apart from
the original ornaments - is a particularly cleverly contrived cabinet with a clock,
that will cover the radiator, veneered with a yew-tree wood in the natural colour,
1 iii. Sprawozdanie Towarzystwa „Polska Sztuka Stosowana” w Krakowie. Rok 1904, Kraków 1904, p. 7.
2 Zwiedzanie starego teatru, “Czas”, 1905, issue 279, p. 2.
3 Rada miasta Krakowa, “Czas”, 1905, issue 281, p. 1.
4 Dekoracya sal w starym teatrze, “Czas”, 1905, issue 283, p. 2.
138
ARTICLES
Agata Wójcik