Graphic Postcards

Brandstätter, Christian. Wiener Werkstätte Design in Vienna, 1903-1932: Architecture, Furniture, Commercial Art, Postcards, Bookbinding, Posters, Glass, Ceramics, Metal, Fashion, Textiles, Accessories, Jewelry. New York, N.Y: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Print.

Czeshka Calender

carl otto czeschka - 1907

This almost purely typographic poster created by Czeschka demonstrates the experimentation of the era through the wonky letting and color juxtoposition. The word Kalender is hand-drawn in a kind of psychedelic-era kind of way. Also, the choice to use black type on a dark grey ground was an equally questionably choice. I do, however, think that the decorative swirls in white help create a balance to the piece and help draw the attention away from the rest.

Brandstätter, Christian. Wiener Werkstätte Design in Vienna, 1903-1932: Architecture, Furniture, Commercial Art, Postcards, Bookbinding, Posters, Glass, Ceramics, Metal, Fashion, Textiles, Accessories, Jewelry. New York, N.Y: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Print.

Poster for Car Factory / Dairy Product

This lithograph, created by Moriz Jung, Wenzel Oswald, and Gustav Marisch, reflects the experimental nature of both form and content during the Wiener Werkstatte. This particular advertisement uses the contrast of a vibrant rainbow over dark clouds to presumably emphasize the almost divine beauty of these automobiles. The colors seem fairly bizarre but the very idea of cars traveling over a rainbow bridge makes the former pale in comparison.

The bottom piece is apparently an advertisement for a dairy product from Die Flasche, Volume II. The combination of the semi-nude caped child with a quirky red hat paired with the strange embellishments to his sides again lead me to question the approach of the artist. That being said, I can certainly see this in the context of other design from the era. The decoration and color use is very consistent with much of the graphic design of the times.

Brandstätter, Christian. Wiener Werkstätte Design in Vienna, 1903-1932: Architecture, Furniture, Commercial Art, Postcards, Bookbinding, Posters, Glass, Ceramics, Metal, Fashion, Textiles, Accessories, Jewelry. New York, N.Y: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Print.

Postcards Pt. II

collection of unsigned Wiener Werkstatte postcards, lithographs, ~1906

(source V&A Image Collection, Victoria & Albert Museum)

Posters for Fledermaus Cabaret

Poster by Josef Von Diveky, lithograph, 1907. (source)

Poster by Carl Otto Czeschka, lithograph, 1907. (source)

Poster by Josef von Diveky, lithograph, 1910 (source)
Poster by Franz Karl Dellavilla, lithograph, 1907. (source)

Wiener Werkstatte and high Art-Nouveau

Kolomon Moser, "SOMMER", lithograph, date unknown

When considering the artists of the Wiener Werkstatte, one normally expects abstracted figures and geometric forms and generally innovative images. However, a number of the big names in the WW produced work that, at first glance, looks quite like conventional French Art-Nouveau. The Wiener Werkstatte were producing work while Art-Nouveau was still very active in Europe. Thus it is unsurprising that they share stylistic forms. Granted, some of these examples were produced prior to the WW but they certainly serve as influences for these artist's later work.

Carl Otto Czeschka, "Ritter", Lithograph, 1897.

Carl Otto Czeschka, "Knight and Two Girls", lithograph, date unknown.

(via art_nouveau and Pabst, Michael. L'art Graphique À Vienne Autour De 1900. Paris: Mercure De France, 1985.)

Die Nibelungen

Illustrations for 'Die Nibelungen' by Frans Klein, illustrated by Carl Otto Czeschka, 1906.

An ancient epic poem of Germany, 'Die Nibelungen' is a heroic tale passed down from the oral epics of ancient Pagan Germany. It tells the story of the dragon-slayer of legend, Seigfried and the mythological events surrounding his life. This story is well known as the great opera of Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen. Produced exactly 30 years after the opera premiered, this book by Klein and illustrated by Czeschka reflect the ornamental style present in some illustration of the time. Here, figures are composed almost entirely of abstracted ornament instead of sensual contours. They very much reflect a standard set by Gustav Klimt, which was the subject of much attention at the same time this book was published.

'Jurisprudence' detail, Gustav Klimt, oil on canvas, 1903-1907

(source Dorotheum Auctions)

Designs for Playing Cards by Czeschka

These designs were produced by Carl Otto Czeschka in 1906 as a series of playing cards to be produced by the Wiener Werkstatte. The figures of the face cards exist within very geometric framework around somewhat abstracted figures. The number cards themselves begin to feel like surface design by Hoffmann or Moser, delighting in the gridded structure and abstracted forms inherent to the symbol of each suite.

(source Rita Buichet Ltd. European Antiques)

Textiles+Graphic Design

Due to the underlying concept of the 'gesamtkunstwerk', the artists of the "Wiener Werkstätte" often found themselves merging disciplines or at least blurring the boundaries a bit. Graphic design specifically applies to this behaviour because its intrinsically communicative. It would not only be the main promotional tool, it was used for archival purposes, simplification/clarification of ideas, small-scale entertainment (e.g. postcards), etc. This is one example of GD working with textiles:

via: Subjective's Flickr Set

Woodcuts

Franz Karl Delavilla. 'A Sad Little Piece', eight-page accordion book with six coloured woodcuts, 1906. Hand-printed coloured woodcuts.

Brandstätter, Christian. Wiener Werkstätte Design in Vienna, 1903-1932: Architecture, Furniture, Commercial Art, Postcards, Bookbinding, Posters, Glass, Ceramics, Metal, Fashion, Textiles, Accessories, Jewelry. New York, N.Y: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Print.

Postcards

UL: Rudolf Kalvach. Greetings card to celebrate a name day. Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 15, 1907-8. Coloured lithograph.
UR: Rudolf Kalvach. Humorous card. Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 59, 1907-8. Coloured lithograph.
LL: Rudolf Kalvach. Birthday card. Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 27, 1907-8. Coloured lithograph
LR: Rudolf Kalvach. Humorous card with clown. Wiener Werkstätte postcard no. 94, 1907-8. Coloured lithograph



Brandstätter, Christian. Wiener Werkstätte Design in Vienna, 1903-1932: Architecture, Furniture, Commercial Art, Postcards, Bookbinding, Posters, Glass, Ceramics, Metal, Fashion, Textiles, Accessories, Jewelry. New York, N.Y: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Print.