DOI article:
Wettergren, Erik: Applied art in Sweden
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19430#0118
APPLIED ART IN SWEDEN
mony with beautiful and expressive form. The problem, therefore, was
to bring the masters of form—the artists—into touch with the manufac-
turers and retailers. It is unnecessary to point out the number of diffi-
culties and prejudices which had to be overcome before such an aim could
be achieved. Face to face with the artist’s suspicion of the manufac-
turer’s mammon-worship and contempt for genius stands the manufac-
turer’s doubt of the impractical and self-willed artist, a doubt shared
equally by the retailer, obsessed, as the latter usually is, by his respect for
the “ stock article ” and the supposed conservatism of his public. In
order to try and bridge this initial difficulty, the Slojdforening established
a special institution called “ The Bureau of Information.” The object
of this bureau was, on the one hand, to discover such artists as seemed
specially suited for a particular branch of the work, to interest them in
that work, and to assist them to obtain a thorough knowledge of, and inti-
mate acquaintance with, its details. On the other hand, the Bureau was
to try and arouse in the manufacturer a desire for artistic help—or rather
to give him an insight into the commercial value of such help,—and,
finally, to bring the artist and manufacturer together.
The first fruit of any importance of the Bureau’s activity was seen in the
Domestic Exhibition,” as it was called, which was arranged in Stock-
holm in 1916-17 by the Svenska Slojdforening. The official object of this
exhibition was to show a collection of simple objects for furnishing and
decorating the home, from beds to coffee cups, from cooking ranges to
ornamental vases, and so forth. But behind all this was the desire to at-
tain more permanent results in the production of cheap, yet beautiful
goods, and so to justify the newly-established co-operation between art
and industry. The result of the exhibition was both depressing and en-
couraging. The depressing element was confined to one branch, namely,
the furniture section, for which, as the result of a competition, there had
been afranged no less than twenty-three excellent types of rooms. The
Association’s hope that these models would come into general use
through mass production was blasted in consequence of the fact that at
that time the furniture trade was doing such a flourishing business in the
old models that manufacturers simply refused to try any experiments
with new types, the success of which they considered problematical.
But later these exhibited types came into vogue to some extent in con-
sequence of the Slojdforening presenting applicants gratis with full-size
working drawings.
Far more satisfactory is the improvement in the quality of the recent pro-
ductions emanating from a number of other branches of industry, more
especially from the china factories. The origin of this improvement
was, as a matter of fact, the criticism levelled at this trade by the lead-
108
mony with beautiful and expressive form. The problem, therefore, was
to bring the masters of form—the artists—into touch with the manufac-
turers and retailers. It is unnecessary to point out the number of diffi-
culties and prejudices which had to be overcome before such an aim could
be achieved. Face to face with the artist’s suspicion of the manufac-
turer’s mammon-worship and contempt for genius stands the manufac-
turer’s doubt of the impractical and self-willed artist, a doubt shared
equally by the retailer, obsessed, as the latter usually is, by his respect for
the “ stock article ” and the supposed conservatism of his public. In
order to try and bridge this initial difficulty, the Slojdforening established
a special institution called “ The Bureau of Information.” The object
of this bureau was, on the one hand, to discover such artists as seemed
specially suited for a particular branch of the work, to interest them in
that work, and to assist them to obtain a thorough knowledge of, and inti-
mate acquaintance with, its details. On the other hand, the Bureau was
to try and arouse in the manufacturer a desire for artistic help—or rather
to give him an insight into the commercial value of such help,—and,
finally, to bring the artist and manufacturer together.
The first fruit of any importance of the Bureau’s activity was seen in the
Domestic Exhibition,” as it was called, which was arranged in Stock-
holm in 1916-17 by the Svenska Slojdforening. The official object of this
exhibition was to show a collection of simple objects for furnishing and
decorating the home, from beds to coffee cups, from cooking ranges to
ornamental vases, and so forth. But behind all this was the desire to at-
tain more permanent results in the production of cheap, yet beautiful
goods, and so to justify the newly-established co-operation between art
and industry. The result of the exhibition was both depressing and en-
couraging. The depressing element was confined to one branch, namely,
the furniture section, for which, as the result of a competition, there had
been afranged no less than twenty-three excellent types of rooms. The
Association’s hope that these models would come into general use
through mass production was blasted in consequence of the fact that at
that time the furniture trade was doing such a flourishing business in the
old models that manufacturers simply refused to try any experiments
with new types, the success of which they considered problematical.
But later these exhibited types came into vogue to some extent in con-
sequence of the Slojdforening presenting applicants gratis with full-size
working drawings.
Far more satisfactory is the improvement in the quality of the recent pro-
ductions emanating from a number of other branches of industry, more
especially from the china factories. The origin of this improvement
was, as a matter of fact, the criticism levelled at this trade by the lead-
108