“To Turn Folk Crafts into the Modern Art Industry of the First Class.” The Organization of ‘Home Industry’ in Interwar Czechoslovakia Inspired by Scandinavia
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The proposed paper aims to explore the relationship between Czechoslovak and Scandinavian organisation of the so-called ‘Home Industry’ (domácký průmsl), which sought to modernise the production of folk arts. The paper traces the endeavours of the organisation of folk crafts during Interwar Czechoslovakia (1918-1938) when the ingrained practice of regional folk craftsmen was subjected to a wave of sweeping modernisation. Local production was regarded as archaic and was required to keep pace with artistic development that was suitable for contemporary times and catered to the modern consumer’s needs. The objective was also to find inspiration on how to support the handwork that was the primary source of income for a significant part of the population in Czechoslovakia, especially in rural regions of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. Therefore, the leading representatives of these efforts, such as pedagogue Josef Vydra, headmaster of the modernist School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, visited Scandinavian countries in the early 1920s to explore the effective organisation of crafts, known as Hemslöjd in Sweden or Hausflid in Norway, on the state level. The principle was a network of shops in small towns that facilitated sales, distribution of material, furnishing patterns by contemporary designers, and arranging courses to enhance the technical skills of artisans and the quality of their products. Exhibitions served as the primary mode of advertising. The paper traces the Scandinavian inspiration on Czechoslovak home industries in order to show how the local intellectuals endeavoured to develop relationships between countries with the aim of elevating folk arts to a “modern art industry of the first class.” |
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