Scandinavian design is a design movement characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality that emerged in the early 20th century, and which flourished in the 1950s, in the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
Overview
In 1914, the Danish Selskabet for Dekorativ Kunst (Company for Decorative Arts) launched its Skønvirke (da) (literally “Graceful Work”) magazine. Its title became the name of a new Danish style of arts and crafts, to rival Art Nouveau and Jugendstil.
From the 1930s, designers such as Alvar Aalto (furniture, textiles), Arne Jacobsen (chairs), Borge Mogensen (furniture), Hans J. Wegner (chairs), Verner Panton (plastic chairs), Poul Henningsen (lamps), and Maija Isola (printed textiles) helped to create a “golden age of Scandinavian design”.
The Lunning Prize, awarded to outstanding Scandinavian designers between 1951 and 1970, was instrumental in making Scandinavian design a recognized commodity, and in defining its profile.
In 1954, the Brooklyn Museum held its “Design in Scandinavia” exhibition, and a fashion for “Scandinavian Modern” furniture began in America. Scandinavian design is by no means limited to furniture and household goods. It has been applied to industrial design, such as of consumer electronics, mobile phones, and cars.
The concept of Scandinavian design has been the subject of scholarly debate, exhibitions and marketing agendas since the 1950s. Many emphasize the democratic design ideals that were a central theme of the movement and are reflected in the rhetoric surrounding contemporary Scandinavian and international design. Others, however, have analyzed the reception of Scandinavian design abroad, seeing in it a form of myth-making and racial politics.
In the Scandinavian nations
Denmark design
Danish Design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production, such as Arne Jacobsen’s 1958 Egg chair and Poul Henningsen’s 1926 PH-lamps. After the Second World War, conditions in Denmark were ideally suited to success in design. The emphasis was on furniture but architecture, silver, ceramics, glass and textiles also benefitted from the trend. Denmark’s late industrialisation combined with a tradition of high-quality craftsmanship formed the basis of gradual progress towards industrial production.
The starting point of this direction of design is traditionally associated with the medieval tradition – the basic institutions were formed in the XVI century, when the basic craft guilds were created. Nevertheless, the main design features in Denmark were influenced by the new artistic tradition of the twentieth century: the modernist style, and then – functionalism , international style , modernism and the Bauhaus tradition. The Danish design, whose direct reference can be considered the activity of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Royal Copenhagen , founded in 1775 , experienced a marked influence of neoclassical and romantic tradition. The movement of arts and crafts was also close to the Danish artistic idea, its ideological and everyday traditions .
One of the design features of the first half of the XX century in Denmark is the combination of the tradition of classicism , the movement of arts and crafts , modernism and modernism . One of the examples of this direction is the work of George Jensen . The development of new forms and a new style in Danish design is connected with the activity of the magazine Kritisk Revy , which contributed to the spread of ideas of modernism, constructivism and the Bauhaus .
The design of the second half of the XX century is associated with a consistent integration into the international system. The Danish tradition of the 1950s-1970s is the use of streamlined forms ( Arne Jacobsen ), new materials ( Werner Penton ) and new technological systems ( Bang & Olufsen ). Like many adherents of international style, representatives of Danish design perceived the object and thing as the quintessence of the concept and idea . One of the key features of Danish design can be called attentive attitude to materials and the desire to demonstrate their physical characteristics (for example, the armchair of the Ant Arne Jacobsen ). This tradition of a sense of material in the middle of the 20th century was transferred to new objects and textures, in particular – plastic, glass and metal.
Kai Boyesen
Hans Wegner
Nils Gammelgard
Nanna Dietzel
Georg Jensen
Kaare Clint
Arnold Krogh
Borghe Mogensen
Werner Panton
Paul Henningsen
Fritz Hansen
Alfred Homann
Finn Jul
Arne Jacobsen
Bang & Olufsen
BoConcept
Royal Copenhagen
Finland design
Finnish design spans clothing, engineering design, furniture, glass, lighting, textiles, and household products. The “Design from Finland” mark was created in 2011. Finland’s Design Museum (formerly called the Museum of Art and Design) has a collection founded in 1873, while Helsinki’s University of Art and Design, established in 1871, now forms part of Aalto University.
The origin and rise of Finnish design is associated with the phenomenon of national romanticism , which developed in the XIX – early XX centuries . The publication of Kalevala by Elias Lennrot in 1835 , the influence of Swedish architecture of the second half of the XIX century and the attainment of independence in 1917 created the conditions for the formation of a national art school in the field of design. The peculiarity of the Finnish school is the combination of the national tradition and the principles of international architectural doctrine. In the first half of the 20th century, Finnish design was shaped by the ideas of modernism . In particular, Alvar Aalto’s works took part in the landmark exhibition “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition”, which was held in the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1932 and, in fact, gave impetus to the development of the international style . Finland has become one of the most important countries both in terms of the spread of the international style, and in terms of the development of design in general. Classical Finnish design combined elements of traditional culture ( Timo Sarpaneva ), natural motives ( Tapio Virkkala ) and principles of international functional and minimalist design ( Alvar Aalto ) .
In the post-war period, the development of design in Finland was part of a large-scale state program related to the support and promotion of national culture. 1951 is considered the year of the so-called “Milan Miracle”: the Finnish design was widely presented at the 9th Milan Triennial and leading design exhibitions. In 1954, at the tenth Triennale in Milan, Finland’s stand was designed by Tapio Virkkala, showing a wide range of works from a variety of materials and focusing on the “sculptural” character of Finnish design. Finnish glassmaker designers, in particular, worked a lot for glass blowing manufactories in Murano . Applied and household Finnish design claimed the status of an artistic object. Each subject was considered not simply as a convenient object of utensils, but as an embodiment of an artistic idea . The period 1960-1970-ies is considered the “golden age” of Finnish design .
Alvar Aalto
Aino Aalto
Eero Aarnio
Tapio Virkkala
Maria Izola
Inkeri Leivo
Antti Nurmesniemi
Eliel Saarinen
Timo Sarpanieva
Ilmari Tapiovaara
Oywa Toikka
Kai Frank
Klaus Haapaniemi
Kurt Ekholm
Angry Birds
Arabia
Artek
Fiskars
Iittala
Marimekko
Nokia
Iceland design
Design in Iceland is a relatively young tradition, starting in the 1950s but now growing rapidly. The country’s limited options for manufacturing and its constrained choice of materials have both forced designers to be innovative, though wool remains a staple material, whether felted or knitted. Iceland’s Museum of Design and Applied Art, aiming to record Icelandic design from 1900 onwards, opened in 1998. The Iceland Academy of the Arts was also founded in 1998, soon followed by its Faculty of Architecture and Design, which has promoted a distinctively Icelandic character in the nation’s design.
The peculiarity of Icelandic design lies in its late development. Iceland practically did not take part in the formation of artistic ideas of the early twentieth century. Due to the fact that the country occupies one of the most isolated positions among all the Scandinavian countries , it practically did not participate in the consistent artistic process of the continental states. However, until the middle of the twentieth century, Iceland remained part of Denmark , gaining independence only in 1944 . Of fundamental importance for the development of design in Iceland was the opening of the School of Applied Arts in Reykjavik in 1939 . The peculiarity of Icelandic design is its specific attitude towards modernism . Elements of the new direction appeared in Iceland at a time when the international style , in fact, was already an established phenomenon. The acquaintance with modernism coincided with the attainment of independence. Partly, therefore, modernism in Iceland was perceived as a symbol of national freedom and identity , and not a sign of cosmopolitan artistic doctrine.
The specificity of Icelandic design is the lack and limited use of new materials (such as glass, plastic , steel) and an increased interest in natural raw materials: volcanic glass , frozen lava, rough stone. With a view to supporting and developing the national applied school in the 1950s-1960s, there was a ban on furniture imports on the island . Since the 1990s, the main emphasis has been placed on the development of graphic and computer design.
Ludwig Gudmundsson
Einar Jounsson
Gunnar Magnusson
Jonas Solmundsson
Helgi Halgrimsson
Valdis Harrisdottir
Norway design
Norwegian design has a strong minimalist aesthetic. Designed items include lamps and furniture. Qualities emphasised include durability, beauty, functionality, simplicity, and natural forms.
The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture, “DogA”, is housed in a former transformer station in Oslo. Norway holds an annual design exhibition called “100% Norway” at the London Design Fair.
The specificity of Norwegian design is an unusual position in relation to both international artistic trends and to the local art tradition. The Norwegian system presupposed life by large farmsteads-estates isolated from the outside world and, at the same time, provided with everything necessary. The peculiarity of Norway is a combination of harsh living conditions and comfort that combined the national tradition and the principles of international design.
The peculiarity of Norwegian culture is the continued attention to the movement of arts and crafts associated with the ideas of national romance , as well as the steady interest in the modernist style , which in Norway acquired similarities with the medieval “animal style” (the so-called Norwegian “Dragon Style”) .
Important for the specific development of Norwegian design was founded in 1918 by the Norwegian Designers Union ( Landsforbundet Norsk Brukskunst, LNB ), which supported and developed the tradition of national craft rather than the principles of international style . The union’s activities left its imprint on the whole system of the design school in Norway, which was focused on preserving traditional forms, rather than on maintaining and developing the international design concept.
David Andersen
Gustav Gaudernak
Willie Johansson
Gerhard Munthe
Peter Opsvik
Greta Pritz
Frida Hansen
Tias Eckhoff
Hadeland
Porsgrund
Sweden design
Swedish design is considered minimalist, with an emphasis on functionality and simple clean lines. This has applied especially to furniture. Sweden is known for traditional crafts including glass and Sami handicrafts. Swedish design was pioneered by Anders Beckman (graphics), Bruno Mathsson (furniture), Märta Måås-Fjetterström and Astrid Sampe (textile), and Sixten Sason (industrial). Organisations that promote design in Sweden are Svensk Form, the Swedish society of crafts and design, founded in 1845; the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation, known as SVID; the Swedish Arts Council; and the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design (known as ArkDes) on the island of Skeppsholmen in Stockholm, beside the modern art museum.
The ideas of Swedish design are associated with the concept of Protestant ethics , formulated by Max Weber . This ideological doctrine presupposes strictness, restraint, and considers honest and worthy remunerated labor as part of religious identification. The starting point of Swedish design is the period of symbolism and modernity , when in Sweden its own artistic language was formed under the influence of the national school of classicism , romanticism , sentimentality , impressionism and the Swedish symbolic tradition . The most notable and influential artist of this time can be considered Karl Larsson .
Swedish design proceeds from the advantages of a secure, sustainable but not provoking standard of living. The design tradition of Sweden in the twentieth century is the combination of ideas of the movement of arts and crafts with his idea of home comfort and a radical minimalist tradition of modernism . For Sweden, design has become a form of national identity , a way of creating and expressing a national character that has its own unique features and at the same time is included in the system of European values .
Gunnar Asplund
Gunnar Wennerberg
Björn Dahlström
Karl Larsson
Ingeborg Lundin
Bruno Matsson
Sigurd Persson
Ingaherd Raman
Sixten Sason
A & E Design
Ericsson
Electrolux
Gustavsberg
Hasselblad
IKEA
Volvo
Source From Wikipedia