Art deco in Polish

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

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.