Staal met bedrukte zijde, dessin Diana 1911 - 1917

This is Staal met bedrukte zijde, dessin Diana, made by the Wiener Werkstätte, and housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. It's a printed silk, a study in tones, a kind of exercise in gentle harmony, not unlike a Morandi still life, but with fabric. The rectangles of silk are pinned to a piece of paper, maybe a proposal for a client? The palette is muted, intentionally so. The Wiener Werkstätte were interested in the gesamtkunstwerk, the total work of art. Nothing was too small to be considered. The way light catches a fold here, the density of the ink there - these details bring a quiet sophistication. Look at the top left of the first fabric swatch, you can see how the diagonal of the print meets the edge of the cloth. It gives the impression of movement - a breeze catching the fabric, or a shadow shifting in the light. This is the same ethos of the Bauhaus, it's about a way of living, not just a way of designing. It reminds me of Anni Albers, her weavings in particular. A constant and gentle exploration of form.