The art deco style is
still in our interiors. Proposed by Polish designers was a mix of tradition and
modernity. On the one hand, he took into consideration the then artistic
avant-garde, on the other - he satisfied the historical aspirations based on
national heritage.
Art deco in Polish
In Poland, the art
deco style was derived mainly from folklore. This was largely due to poverty -
it lacked expensive raw materials to create a richer aesthetics. The result of
these shortages was the great recognition of Polish art abroad. Also today we
are happy to relate and use the patterns developed at that time, so it's worth
getting to know them.
Art deco - success in
the world
The huge success of Poland at the 1925 Paris exhibition proved the lush development
of the Polish art deco. Our pavilion in France aroused the admiration of
the foreign jury, and in the Poles - pride. He showed the originality of the
art revived after the partitions of Poland, and at the same time
indicated that it is an extremely modern country. The chapel of the Christmas
sculptor Jan Szczepkowski received the Grand Prix, Zygmunt Kamiński - the award
for the design of new Polish banknotes. Zofia Stryjeńska has won five
decorations. 184 awards were awarded to the other Polish artists.
The icon of art deco
painting around the world is the paintings of half-Polish half-Russian Tamara
Lempicka. She created the image of a modern woman - shameless, courageous, athletic
and liberated. Her figures embedded in geometric shapes are still massively
reproduced in the form of paintings, posters, napkins, jewelry, etc.
The works of the
aforementioned Zofia Stryjeńska are also of great importance for this trend of
art. She designed toys, textiles, posters, illustrating the apology of rural
life and youth. She also decorated the interiors, including the main hall of the Wedel House
staircase.
In turn, a special role
in the development of art deco furniture in Poland
was played by the Krakow Workshops, and then the "ŁAD" Artists
Co-operative Society founded in Warsaw.
A new state style
Art deco grew in Poland
in the 1920s to the rank of state style, which was reflected in architecture. In
the capital, many important institutions were built in this style: buildings of
the National Museum, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and
the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Education. The
Polish version of art deco found a great reflection in the creation of equipment
for two monumental transatlantic vessels: "Piłsudskiego" (1934) and
"Batory". The architectural supervision of the Pilsudski project was
performed by Lech Niemojewski and Stanisław Brukalski. Tadeusz Paszkowski and
Wojciech Jastrzębowski decided about its equipment. Jastrzębowski defended the
"Polish homeland" - a national art deco variety using motifs taken
from the folk art of Podhale and Hutsul region. In the fabrics, drawings and
tapestries of Zofia Stryjeńska, the ships were supplied by the artistic
cooperative "Ład". The walls were decorated with images of Józef
Piłsudski and aerial photographs with views of historic cities.
Long live the folklore
The enchantment of
folklore and the Piast past was the hallmark of Polish art deco. People's
motifs were reflected in furniture, painting and weaving. They gained the
ideological and artistic value because they became a symbol of the
reconstruction of Polish society. The resulting products inspired by folklore
turned out to be modern and functional despite appearances. Although they drew
inspiration from traditional Polish folk art in terms of form, methods of
handicrafts and native raw materials, they nevertheless carried a lot of
freshness behind them. During their production, readily available materials
were used, such as flax, wool, straw, pine, spruce, ash etc. Authentic and
stylized Hutsul kilts covered with abstract, geometric patterns deserve
attention. Their design is very decorative, thanks to the selection of vivid
colors.
