Modus: Prace z historii sztuki (18.2018)

15. Secesya cafe in Kraków,
reproduced in “Świat”, 1907,
Issue 47, p. 26.
-> see p.133
16. Richard Riemerschmid,
interior of the “Haus Trar-
bach” winę bar in Berlin,
reproduced in “Innen-Deko-
ration”, 16,1905, p. 97.
-> see p.134

Each of the restaurant interiors constituted a coherent whole - individual pieces
were replicating a set of decorative motifs or forms, whereas the colours of the fur-
niture, upholstery fabrics, walls, and kilim rugs were in harmony with each other.
At the same time, Krakovian artists tried to design with regard to the existing shape
of rooms and architectural elements (for instance, the wainscot and the ceiling
beams). In this way they enrolled themselves in the idea of “Gesamtkunstwerk”,
fulfilling the demands of Hermann Muthesius, who wrote: “a stool, as it is, is noth-
ing, because it belongs to room furnishings; the ornament in itself does not arouse
interest anymore; the decoration of the ceiling is justifiable as long as it appears as
part of the interior designed on the basis of one unified thought”.28
The press emphasized that the artists associated with the tpss created interiors
with a very original design. The Warsaw “Świat” reported: “a thing of beauty has
been created, far from the pseudo-refined overcrowding of modern metropolitan
interiors, fuli of restraint and aesthetic taste, in which every detail is captivating
and enticing”.29 The restaurant interiors designed by the tpss artists were different
from other cafes and restaurants in Kraków, which were arranged in reference to
those in Vienna. A good example of the interior that can be juxtaposed against the
design for Stary Teatr is the “Secesya” cafe (see: Fig. 15), one of the most representa-
tive venues throughout the city, created at a roughly the same time as the interiors
here discussed. It was located on the first floor of a building on the corner of świętej
Anny and Wiślna streets. The cafe hall was very spacious (it included a reading
room, billiard rooms, and gamę rooms), its large Windows madę it possible for the
patrons to admire the views of Market Square, and the owner also had the latest
technical innovations installed (such as ventilation and central heating). However,
the interior decoration itself was not original, and Viennas influence was clearly
visible - the walls were covered with panelling, the equipment consisted of round
tables with marble countertops and bentwood chairs; there were also Borne type
settees, and large chandeliers rendered the interior even morę attractive.30
Analogies to the designs by Kraków artists should not be sought in the nearest
Vienna, and even less so in Paris, which favoured curvilinear Art Nouveau. I be-
lieve that the features of the interiors are much closer to those created by artists
associated with the Dresden workshops. In 1904-1905, their co-founder Richard
Riemerschmid designed the interior for the Berlin wine-house of “Haus Trarbach”
(see: Fig. 16).31 The German designer, just like the members of the tpss, did not
use mass-produced furniture, but instead he designed chairs with a simple form,
whose only decorative element was the arched back legs. Riemerschmid mostly
created an impact using the decorative qualities of the materiał itself - the walls
received the wainscot, where decorative wood grains and contrasts between differ-
ent wood species were exposed, and in another room, the walls were covered with
glazed tiles, whereas the radiators were hidden behind square metal plates, clasped
together. These minimalist furnishings were enlivened by polychrome paintings -
friezes showing stylized plants and medallions with figural scenes; medallions with
floral decoration on the ceilings; and numerous chandeliers of subtle forms. Both
28 H. Muthesius, Sztuka stosowana i architektura, translated by J. Warchałowski, Kraków 1909, p. 18.
29 Ze sztuki „stosowanej”, “Świat”, 1906, issue 42, p. 10.
30 W salonach „Secesyi” krakowskiej, “Świat” 1907, issue 47, p. 26.
31 “Innen-Dekoration”, 16,1905, pp. 96-97,103,112.

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ARTICLES

Agata Wójcik