DOI Heft:
Nr. 117 (December 1902)
DOI Artikel:The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Art at Turin, The German section
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19877#0206
Turin Exhibition
opinion may be as to his art as a whole, he is
the very prince of modem decorators, the most
powerful and prolific of them all. It is impossible
to help admiring his style, and it must always
be remembered that it is his very own, and that he
knows how to turn it to account with a verve, an
irresistible logic, such as is indeed rare amongst
those who devote themselves to decorative art.
No one has known as he has how to combine
simplicity with lavishness in decoration, and on
certain occasions he has approached perfec-
tion. He has, indeed, become almost a classic
master: there is something Greek about him, and
he has borrowed from the Greeks many of his
decorative motives. There really is very little of
the German in him, and it is almost painful to
watch the efforts of his fellow countrymen to follow
in his steps.
Olbrich exhibited three rooms at Turin : a
Dining-room in blue and grey; a Tea-room in lemon
yellow, with a white ground ; and a Bedroom in
white varnished wood, with chestnut-brown de-
corations. The first is certainly the most success-
ful ; the bow window is a charming detail, and
the furniture is beautiful in design. The Bedroom
is less satisfactory, though the woodwork is very fine,
for the chandeliers are heavy, and the bed is rather
clumsy. I have reserved mentioning the yellow
Tea-room to the last, because, bearing in mind the
designer, it is especially interesting, recalling, as it
does in some of its details, the time of Louis XVI.
and of the Empire. The walls are enriched with
panels in stucco. The acanthus-leaf ornaments are
classic in feeling, a fact which has amused those
who have not yet developed a love for modern
art, and caused them to exclaim, " Why, even the
anarchist Olbrich reverts to ancient types!"
It is not, however, surprising that a man
of such intelligence and such wide sympathies
should study the art of every period. I am
not so sure that these Turin exhibits are far
different from the designs for the Friedmann
Villa. For my part, I think there was more
freshness, more elan, about his early work
than there is in these later more classical
productions.
With regard to Behrens, it is just the very
reverse. He has lately made a very distinct
advance, and that simply because he has approached
Olbrich more nearly. The Library designed
by him for the Koch Collection is very superior to
the various interiors for which he is responsible in
DINING-ROOM
194
DESIGNED BY JOSEPH OLBRICH
opinion may be as to his art as a whole, he is
the very prince of modem decorators, the most
powerful and prolific of them all. It is impossible
to help admiring his style, and it must always
be remembered that it is his very own, and that he
knows how to turn it to account with a verve, an
irresistible logic, such as is indeed rare amongst
those who devote themselves to decorative art.
No one has known as he has how to combine
simplicity with lavishness in decoration, and on
certain occasions he has approached perfec-
tion. He has, indeed, become almost a classic
master: there is something Greek about him, and
he has borrowed from the Greeks many of his
decorative motives. There really is very little of
the German in him, and it is almost painful to
watch the efforts of his fellow countrymen to follow
in his steps.
Olbrich exhibited three rooms at Turin : a
Dining-room in blue and grey; a Tea-room in lemon
yellow, with a white ground ; and a Bedroom in
white varnished wood, with chestnut-brown de-
corations. The first is certainly the most success-
ful ; the bow window is a charming detail, and
the furniture is beautiful in design. The Bedroom
is less satisfactory, though the woodwork is very fine,
for the chandeliers are heavy, and the bed is rather
clumsy. I have reserved mentioning the yellow
Tea-room to the last, because, bearing in mind the
designer, it is especially interesting, recalling, as it
does in some of its details, the time of Louis XVI.
and of the Empire. The walls are enriched with
panels in stucco. The acanthus-leaf ornaments are
classic in feeling, a fact which has amused those
who have not yet developed a love for modern
art, and caused them to exclaim, " Why, even the
anarchist Olbrich reverts to ancient types!"
It is not, however, surprising that a man
of such intelligence and such wide sympathies
should study the art of every period. I am
not so sure that these Turin exhibits are far
different from the designs for the Friedmann
Villa. For my part, I think there was more
freshness, more elan, about his early work
than there is in these later more classical
productions.
With regard to Behrens, it is just the very
reverse. He has lately made a very distinct
advance, and that simply because he has approached
Olbrich more nearly. The Library designed
by him for the Koch Collection is very superior to
the various interiors for which he is responsible in
DINING-ROOM
194
DESIGNED BY JOSEPH OLBRICH