Otto Eckmann

Fox Tile

1899

 

Before this image, I had a bit of difficulty looking for the similarities between Art Nouveau and Japanese tapestries, but, however, with this tile created for houses, I can see the inspiration far more clearly. This piece makes me think that the art nouveau period was a total relief of the industrial-era design. Work like this is a stark opposite, filled with insanely vivid colors, fantasy elements (such as this abstracted fox face) and winding lines that seem to curve and stretch forever. Compared to the minimalist style that’s popular today, its hard to think that there was a time where tiles, wallpapers, tapestries, buildings, lamps, pieces of art, and more were placed all around. Looking at all of that, I think it’s foolish to say that current forms or trends in design are “correct” or “more professional”; most of the time designs simply go out of style for one reason or another. Looking at this tile, I cant wrap my head around how Eckmann designed this small square (and many others for sure) to stack up with many other squares to be placed in a common house. I imagine walking into an Art-Nouveau styled house at the turn of the century and being blinded by the eel-like vines and burnt oranges and reds that cover every surface. I’m inspired by this piece to question why certain types of design are popular, and why I enjoy the type of design that’s currently popular. Whatever the reason, Eckmann was surely the master of the Jugendstil era.