Scandinavian design

The starting point of this design direction is usually associated with the medieval tradition - the main institutions were formed in the 16th century, when the main craft guilds were created. Nevertheless, the main features of design in Denmark were formed under the influence of the new artistic tradition of the 20th century: modern style, and then functionalism , international style , modernism and the Bauhaus tradition. Child design, whose otpravnoy point can be considered the activities of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Royal Copenhagen , founded in 1775 , has experienced a significant influence of the neoclassical and romantic tradition. The movement of arts and crafts was also close to the Danish artistic idea, its ideological and everyday tradition ^[1] .

One of the design features of the first half of the 20th century in Denmark is a combination of the tradition of classicism , the Movement of Arts and Crafts , modernism and modernism . One of the examples of this work is the work of Georg Jensen . The development of new forms and new style in Danish design is connected with the activities of Kritisk Revy magazine, which contributed to the dissemination of the ideas of modernism, constructivism and Bauhaus ^[2] .

The design of the second half of the 20th century is associated with consistent integration into the international system. The Danish tradition of the 1950s-1970s is the use of streamlined shapes ( Arne Jacobsen ), new materials ( Werner Penton ), and new technological systems ( Bang & Olufsen ). Like many adherents of the international style, the representatives of the Danish design perceived the object and the thing as the quintessence of the concept and the idea ^[3] . One of the key features of the Danish design can be called attentive attitude to the materials and the desire to demonstrate their physical characteristics (for example, Arne Jacobsen's Ant-Chair). In the middle of the 20th century, this tradition of feeling material was transferred to new items and textures, in particular, plastic, glass and metal.

The ideas of Swedish design are associated with the concept of Protestant ethics , formulated by Max Weber . This ideological doctrine presupposes severity, restraint, considers honest and adequately rewarded work as part of religious identification. The starting point of Swedish design is the period of symbolism and modernity , when Sweden formed its own artistic language under the influence of the national school of classicism , romanticism , sentimentalism , impressionism and the Swedish symbolic tradition ^[4] . The most notable and influential artist of this time can be considered Karl Larsson .

Swedish design is based on the advantages of a secured, sustainable, but not defiant standard of living. The design tradition of Sweden in the 20th century is the combination of the ideas of the arts and crafts movement with its idea of ​​home comfort and the radical minimalist tradition of modernism . For Sweden, design has become a form of national identity , a way of creating and expressing a national character, which has its own unique features and at the same time is included in the system of European values ^[5] .

The origin and rise of Finnish design is associated with the phenomenon of national romance , which took shape in the XIX - early XX centuries ^[6] . The publication of Kalevala by Elias Lennrot in 1835 , the influence of Swedish architecture of the second half of the 19th century, and 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 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, the works of Alvar Aalto took part in the landmark exhibition "Modern Architecture: International Exhibition", which was held in 1932 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and, in fact, gave impetus to the development of international style ^[7] . Finland has become one of the most important countries in terms of the spread of international style, and in terms of the development of design in general. Classic Finnish design combined elements of traditional culture ( Timo Sarpaneva ), natural motifs ( Tapio Virkkala ) and the principles of international functional and minimalist design ( Alvar Aalto ) ^[8] .

In the postwar period, the development of design in Finland was part of a large-scale government program related to the support and promotion of national culture. 1951 is considered the year of the so-called “Milan's Miracle”: Finnish design was extensively represented at the IX Milan Triennale and the leading design exhibitions. In 1954, at the tenth Triennale in Milan, Finland’s stand was decorated by Tapio Virkkala, demonstrating a wide range of works from a variety of materials and focusing on the “sculptural” character of Finnish design. Finnish glassblower designers, in particular, worked a lot for glassblowing manufactories in Murano ^[9] . Applied and household Finnish design claimed the status of an artistic object. Each object was considered not just as a convenient object of utensils, but as the embodiment of an artistic idea ^[10] . The period of the 1960-1970s is considered the “golden age” of Finnish design ^[11] .

The specificity of Norwegian design is an unusual position in relation to both international artistic trends and the local artistic tradition. The Norwegian system assumed life by large farms-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 everyday comfort, which combined the national tradition and the principles of international design.

The peculiarity of the Norwegian culture is a long-term attention to the movement of arts and crafts associated with the ideas of national romance , as well as a sustained interest in the modern style , which in Norway acquired similar features to the medieval “animal style” (the so-called Norwegian “Dragon style”) ^[12] .

Important for the specific development of Norwegian design was the foundation in 1918 of the Norwegian Designers Union ( Landsforbundet Norsk Brukskunst, LNB ), which supported and developed the tradition of national crafts rather than the principles of international style . The activities of the union left an imprint on the entire design school system in Norway, which was focused on the preservation of traditional forms, and not on the maintenance and development of international design concepts.

A feature of Icelandic design is its late development. Iceland practically did not take part in the formation of artistic ideas of the beginning of the XX century. Due to the fact that the country occupies one of the most isolated positions among all Scandinavian countries , it practically did not participate in the sequential artistic process of the continental states. At the same time, until the middle of the 20th century, Iceland remained part of Denmark , having gained independence only in 1944 . The opening of the School of Applied Arts in Reykjavik in 1939 was of fundamental importance for the development of design in Iceland. The peculiarity of Icelandic design is its specific attitude towards modernism . Elements of the new direction appeared in Iceland at the moment when the international style , in fact, was already an accomplished phenomenon. Acquaintance with modernism coincided with 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 the increased interest in natural raw materials: volcanic glass , solidified lava, rough stone. In order to support and develop the national applied school in the 1950s-1960s, there was a ban on the import of furniture on the island ^[13] . Since the 1990s, the main focus has been on the development of graphic and computer design.

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• Kivilinna H. Golden Age of Finnish Design // Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish architecture and design. (Exhibition Catalog). St. Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishing House, 2015. p. 45-54
• Malich K. This Modernism is a Great Tempter // Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish architecture and design. (Exhibition Catalog). St. Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishing House, 2015. p. 11-32
• Timofeeva M. Design in Sweden. The history of concepts and the evolution of forms. M .: RSUH, 2006. - 306 p. ISBN 5-7281-0713-3
• Bolander, Lars & MacIssac, Heather (2010), Lars Bolander's Scandinavian Design , Harry N Abrams   .
• Creagh L., Kaberg H., Miller Lane B. Modern Swedish Design: Three Founding Texts. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2008. - 320 p.
• Englund, Magnus; Schmidt, Chrystina & Wood, Andrew (2007), Scandinavian Modern , Ryland Peters & Small   .
• Fallan, Kjetil (2012), Scandinavian Design: Alternative Histories , Berg   .
• Fiell, Charlotte J. & Fiell, Peter (2002), Scandinavian Design , Taschen   .
• Gura, Judith (2012), 21st Century Sourcebook of Scandinavian Furniture, Designs for the 21st Century , Norton   .
• Hard af Segerstad, Ulf (1961), Scandinavian Design (Nordisk Nyttokonst) , Nordisk Rotogravyr   .
• Halén, Widar & Wickman, Kerstin (2003), Scandinavian Design Beyond the Myth , Arvinius   .
• Koivisto K. Korvenmaa P. Glass from Finland in the Bischofberger Collection. Milano: Rizzoli International Publications, 2015. ISBN 9788857227610
• Nelson, Katherine E & Cabra, Raul (2004), New Scandinavian Design , Chronicle Books   .
• Oriol, Anja Llorella (2005), Asensio, Paco, ed., New Scandinavian Design , teNeues   .
• Sommar, Ingrid (2005), Scandinavian Style , Carlton   .
• Wickman, Kerstin (1996), Scandinavian Design: The Dream is still alive , The Swedish Information Service   .
• Zahle, Erik (1961), A Treasury of Scandinavian Design , Golden Press   .

• Golden generation. Modernism in Finnish architecture and design. Exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum November 14, 2015 - January 31, 2016.
• Ulyanov P. Northern design. Art. 2017, №2
• Legends of Danish design . The exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin April 12, 2017 - June 11, 2017
• Scandinavian design site nordicdesign.ru
• Website about the Scandinavian interior and lifestyle myscandi.ru