Decoration for Stoneware 1935 - 1942

A. Zimet made this study for stoneware decoration using watercolor and graphite, sometime between 1855 and 1955. The drawing shows five different birds in a blue hue, each perched on or near a branch. Designs like this offer us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of applied arts education. Technical schools in Europe and the United States helped train designers for industrial production, instilling in them a particular set of aesthetic values. This sheet would probably have been part of a larger portfolio, compiled either by a student or instructor. These model books standardized artistic taste and influenced the look of commercial products for a mass market. The naturalism of the birds may reflect the period's fascination with the natural world, but we also need to remember the social context. These designs were meant to be translated into repeatable patterns, suitable for mass production in factories. Understanding the history of design means looking at the art, as well as the institutions and economic forces that shaped its production.