The path to "The Modern"

Historism
Up until the beginning of the 20th century the language of form in architecture and design, especially in ornaments was determined exclusively by historical examples.

Towards the end of the 19th century, resistance began to stir in progressively-minded artists because they were of the opinion that the historicised styles of Gothic, Baroque or Renaissance and Empire represented less and less the European zeitgeist.

As antithesis to the beginnings of industrialisation and the resulting mass production, schools of applied arts2 and Arts and Crafts movements , formed worldwide to preserve the craftsmanship arts.

Drawing from the wealth of historical patterns, blended with oriental influences - especially with the introduction of nature and all of its inexhaustible variations of form - the "floral" Art Nouveau arose in 1900 in Belgium, France, England, and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

Beginning with the 14th exhibition of the Secession (1902), the extremely radical distinctiveness of the Viennese artists began to make itself noticeable, through which the passage into "the Modern" was initiated.

The cubist sculpture, created in 1902 by the famous Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann marked the break into independence of the Viennese artists. This is especially impressive when one considers that the term "cubism" only found its way into the history of art around 1907 as one of the processes of expression created by Pablo Picasso.

With the foundation of the Wiener Werkstaette in the year 1903, a new style enfolded:
the "Wiener- Werkstaette-Stil".  

With its avant-garde, artistic, yet timeless designs the Wiener-Werkstaette-Stil influenced generations of architects and designers in the 20th century.

Bauhaus, Art-Deco in Amerika from 1920 to 1940 , Scandinavian design from 1940-1960, as well as Italian design between 1960 and 198013 are strongly influenced by the Wiener Werkstaette.

The design and crafting of distinguished models of the historical Wiener Werkstaette are made by hand, with original tools by WOKA LAMPS VIENNA in Vienna.