The book Slovenian Secession provides a new perspective which is reflected in the selection of artists included herein; it includes some names that art history has until now only discussed in the context of other movements. Analysing individual artists the interpretation points out their development, characteristics and elements that bring a painter, an architect or a sculptor closer to the Secession. The concept of ornamentation and the phenomenon of the "Heraclitian flux" are clearly analyzed from the universal perspective as omnipresent features in the fine arts of the period. The most typical figures of the period have been interpreted both in the context of visual art, as well as in the literary context. The style experienced numerous modifications which first manifested in the imitation of the elements of the Vienna and Munich Secessions, but later also in the omission and in the search of its own artistic expression.
SIMONIŠEK, Robert, 2011 / Slovenska secesija (Slovenian Secession)
SLOVENSKA MATICA, Ljubljana
374 pp. 24,5 x 17,5 cm, 116 illustrations. Published in Slovenian (with Summary in English)
Available in hardback / ?29, 70
For more information: http://www.slovenska-matica.si/nove_knjige
Slovenska secesija (Slovenian Secession)
Ljubljana, 18.04.2012 | Published by Robert Simonišek
Casa Masó: a noucentista interior in Girona
Girona, 02.03.2012 | Published by Jordi Falgàs, Doctor in History of Art and Director of the Fundació Rafael Masó
After five years of remodelling and restoration, in April this year Casa Masó - the house where the architect Rafael Masó (1880-1935) was born - will open its doors to the public. Masó reformed the family residence in two phases, first from 1910 to 1912, at his father´s request in order to unify the interiors and façades of three contiguous houses; then again in 1918-19, when his brother Santiago added a fourth house to the collection. Restoration has fundamentally consisted of recovering and reinstalling original architectural and decorative elements, as well as eliminating certain later structures that were not Masó´s work, so as to return the house to the appearance it had around 1920.
The architectural language employed in Casa Masó had abandoned Gaudí´s organicism and was much closer to the Arts & Crafts movement and the new central-European Regionalist architecture, with a predominance of formal austerity and the incorporation of materials and techniques from local architecture. For this reason, the interiors, furnishings and decoration of Casa Masó evoke the work of architects who Masó admired, above all Voysey, Mackintosh, Baillie Scott, Hoffmann, Muthesius and Olbrich. In this sense, Masó´s work on Casa Masó is a small anthology of his contributions to the language of architecture and interior design, since here he could work without fear of rejection, striving to realise that which he and his generation upheld as ideal. As a noucentista (Noucentisme was the early twentieth-century cultural movement that reacted against Modernisme), in turn-of-the-century Girona, it was paramount to portray a certain image of modernity that was strongly anchored in mythical narrations of Catalonia´s historical and cultural tradition.
The first temporary exhibition to be shown in the house includes Masó´s original drawings to renovate the building and the design of stained glass and furnishings. Visits to Casa Masó are always guided and in small groups, so it is recommendable always to book ahead.
www.rafaelmaso.org
One Step Beyond
Barcelona, 08.02.2012 | Published by Art Nouveau European Route
The Art Nouveau European Route continues to grow. Since our last general Report of 2009 (see "coupDefouet" issue No 14), the number of associate cities and towns has increased to a total of 70, after the incorporation of 3 more municipalities, these are Helsinki, Vienna and the Catalan town of Arenys de Mar. We also welcome eight new other institutions to the Route: the Bad Nauheim Jugendstilverein association; the Museum of Catalan Modernisme in Barcelona; the Regional Modern Art Museum of Cartagena; the Casa Lis Museum of Salamanca; the hotels Vila in Sòller and Sant Roc in Solsona; the Foundation for the Preservation of Dutch Art Nouveau Architecture, and the Philippine Heritage Conservation Society. Non-municipal associated entities now total 63. With 133 associated members committed to the diffusion, study, protection and improvement of Art Nouveau heritage, the Art Nouveau European Route is the largest international association in this field.
We now take a further step, by calling for a scientific, four-day convention on Art Nouveau: the First
coupDefouet International Congress, to be held in Barcelona in June 2013. The project has begun on a good footing, thanks to the generosity of the top world specialists in Art Nouveau, who have agreed to be part of the
Scientific Committee (For more information, please see the news below)
First coupDefouet International Congress
Barcelona, 08.02.2012 | Published by The Art Nouveau European Route
The Art Nouveau European Route is organising the 1st coupDefouet International Congress, to be held in Barcelona in June 2013.
The main strands of the Congress, still to be clearly defined by the Scientific Committee featured in the image below, will be on the following topics:
·The city as the powerhouse of Art Nouveau creativity main strand)
·The historiography of Art Nouveau
·Future challenges for Art Nouveau heritage
The call for papers will be open from February 2012. Please take note of all updates on this and other procedures that will appear in this website.
Béla Lajta Virtual Archives: Architectural History Online
Budapest, 27.10.2011 | Published by Tamás Csáki. Deputy Head, Dept I Budapest City Archives
Budapest City Archives launched the Béla Lajta Virtual Archives in late 2010, coinciding with the first exhibition on this outstanding Hungarian architect. Béla Lajta (1873-1920) began his career in the early 20th century as an adherent of Ödön Lechner´s national Art Nouveau style. His apartment blocks, schools, hospital buildings and family vaults (1905-15) combine a sober monumentality, well-organised floor plans and fine, personalised detailing, placing them among the foremost buildings in Budapest´s late Art Nouveau or early Modern period. Despite this importance, much of his work stands today in an altered or dilapidated state. His private archives have fared no better: very few of Lajta´s personal records or drawings survive. Lacking an up-to-date monograph, or study of primary sources, a great deal of our knowledge about the architect is based on myth.
The archives strive to cohere scattered documents pertaining to Lajta´s life and work into an easily accessible database, in cooperation with several Hungarian public and private collections. Visitors to the website can study all his surviving architectural drawings, a broad selection of period photos and written documents pertaining to his buildings, alongside records on later alterations as well as a complete photographic record of their present state.
The few documents that shed light on Lajta´s personality (personal correspondence, family records, etc.) are also reproduced here together with some works from his photographic and art collection.
Though certain site content is only accessible in Hungarian, the visual documents include English captions while posts on Lajta´s major works are equipped with English descriptions. The online archive aims to allow local and international users to discover Lajta´s art in detail, thus helping to create a complex, balanced view of his achievements.
www.lajtaarchiv.hu