Josef Hoffmann who was born on the
15th of December 1870, in Brtnice,
Moravia
and died on 7th May 1956) was an Austrian
architect
and designer
in relation to consumer goods.
He attended the Higher
State Crafts School in Brno
in the beginning in 1887. Later on he worked with the local military planning
authority in Würzburg.
Later on, he continued with his studies this time at the Academy of Fine Arts
Vienna together with Karl Freiherr von
Hasenauer and Otto Wagner,
and graduated with a Prix de Rome
in 1895.
He
founded the Vienna Secession in 1897 together with Joseph Maria
Olbrich, Gustav Klimt,
and Koloman Moser.
His career furthered when in the beginning in 1899, when he taught at the University of
Applied Arts Vienna. With the Secession, Hoffmann was able to
advance strong connections with other artists. He designed installation spaces
for Secession exhibitions and also a house for Moser which was built from 1901
till 1903.
Unfortunately,
he did not stay with the Secession much longer, and left the group in 1905
along with other stylist artists. This move was a result of arguments with realist
naturalists over differences regarding artistic vision and the premise of Gesamtkunstwerk.
However, he then established the Wiener Werkstätte,
with the banker Fritz Wärndorfer and the artist Koloman Moser that lasted until
1932. Many products were attributed to Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstätte including
designer chairs, most remarkably the "Sitzmaschine"
Chair, a lamp, and sets of glasses which are now displayed at the Museum of Modern Art.
Hoffmann's style by time became more serious and abstract and it was
limited in relation to functional structures and domestic products. It was in
1906, when he built his very first job on the peripheries of Vienna.
This work is known as the Sanatorium
Purkersdorf. when comparing this architecture to the Moser
House, with its vernacular roof, this showed a great element of improvement towards
abstraction, making a distance away traditional Arts and Crafts.
This project served as a great influence and inspiration for the modern architecture
that belongs to the first half of the 20th century, including the early work of
Le Corbusier.
Some work that relates to furniture and domestic use, is still produced
in the present day. This can be illustrated with the Rundes Modell cutlery set
that is manufactured by Alessi. Primarily this product was produced in silver,
however now the range is manufactured in high quality stainless steel. Another illustration
of Hoffmann’s use in strict geometrical lines can be demonstrated in the iconic
Kubus Armchair. This armchair was designed in 1910.
Following to a design philosophy that Hoffmann believed in, this
armchair deceives the designer's love that he had for geometric design and his
fascination in association to the cube shape in particular. The chair has a
uniform, individually hand sewed panels that form a tessellated patchwork of
upholstered squares, which collide to deliver an absolute mosaic of cool and comfortableness.
The mathematical purity of its measurements allotted together with the definite
stylishness of its execution defines the Kubus as going out of fashion.
Whilst teaching at of Applied Arts in Vienna, Hoffmann did not say
much to his students. His students thought very highly of him and he was
admired by many. He aimed at achieving
the best in each member of his class, and he did so by challenging assignments,
which were sometimes work on real commissions.
Furthermore, where he noticed talent among young artists he was
willing to promote it. In fact Le Corbusier
was one of those who greatly benefited of his kindness in relation to this.
Bibliography:
Wikipedia.
Josef Hoffmann. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Hoffmann Accessed on [2nd January
2014]
SteelClassic.com.
Josef Hoffmann Kubus armchair. [Online] Available at: http://uk.steelclassic.com/josef-hoffmann-kubus-armchair-1910.html [Accessed on 2nd January
2014]
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