Waldfee (Fairy of the Woods) (Dress or Furnishing Fabric)

Wiener WerkstätteWW-1912-131888

1912·Silk, plain weave; block printed·140.3 × 94.6 cm (55 1/4 × 37 1/4 in.)

<p>Rix was a versatile artist-designer who worked in ceramics, glass painting, painted boxes, and enamel. She was also a prolific designer of textiles for the Wiener Werkstätte from 1913, when she was studying at the Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Applied Arts), until 1930. She visited Japan several times before settling there in 1935. A number of her later designs for the workshop reflect a degree of Japanese influence, but the much earlier <em>Waldfee</em>, displayed here, is reminiscent of the spiky line drawing of floral motifs favored by Peche, whose influence was already being felt.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1912
Medium: Silk, plain weave; block printed
Dimensions: 140.3 × 94.6 cm (55 1/4 × 37 1/4 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Wiener Werkstätte

Artist

Wiener Werkstätte

Textile

The Wiener Werkstätte, established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria, which brought together architects, artists, designers and artisans working in ceramics, fashion, silver, furniture and the graphic arts. The Workshop was "dedicated to the artistic production of utilitarian items in a wide range of media, including metalwork, leatherwork, bookbinding, woodworking, ceramics, postcards and graphic art, and jewelry." This meant the workshop created many items used in domestic spaces, which, as the scholar Rebecca Houze has argued, were previously seen as the domain of women. It is regarded as a pioneer of modern design, and its influence can be seen in later styles such as Bauhaus and Art Deco.

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