Historicism
and Eclecticism in Vienna
Friedrich Ohmann's "Insurance Building in Prague"
Vienna's history is written
in its buildings. The architecture
of Austria’s capital can serve as a history book, spanning over every
architectural period. The old
inner city, Altstadt, in its imperial buildings,
reflected the power of the Church, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. It clustered around its palaces, its cathedral,
and the Hofburg. Each building
had its own architectural style, each taken from a different point in history.
Vienna's streets are lined with buildings that can be categorized as Classical,
Romantic, Baroque, and Gothic, as well as Vienna's efforts to define a contemporary
architecture. It is this variety, this assortment of
styles, that tells the story of the modernization of Viennese architecture,
ranging from the eclectic to the increasingly modern.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Austria battled constantly
with the Ottoman Empire. The
attacking Turks were expelled in 1683.
Finally free of worry about foreign invasions, the Hapsburgs were able
to dedicate themselves to the pursuit of splendor
[1]
. The architecture of this time was intended
to show the world that Austria was a major power. Thus began the Eclectic era in Vienna:
large, classic, imperial buildings sprouted throughout the city, representative
of the various architectural styles of history. There were a number of architects that became prominent during
this time, most notably Fisher von Erlach and Karl
von Hasenauer. Fisher von Erlach,
who studied ancient Roman ruins and the Renaissance and Baroque periods and
wrote a written history of architecture, Historic Architecture, has been considered Austria's greatest Baroque architect
of the 18th century
[2]
. His eclectic approach to architecture
brought together elements from the full-Baroque, the late-baroque, and early
classicism. Erlach’s work
helped to create the standard of architecture in Vienna for years to come.
Karl von Hasenauer was a prominent
historicist architect of the 19th century, who, following the norm,
synthesized Baroque and Classicist styles, but was most noteworthy as director
of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. The Vienna
Academy pre-1900 represented the principles of classicism and historicism
prevalent in Viennese buildings, and the belief that the use of time-honored
historical styles was necessary in making a "correct"architecture.
Josef Hoffmann, a student at the Academy, described his experience:
"One studied the projects of one’s predecessors and made something
similar. The atmosphere was entirely
uninteresting and inartistic."
[3]
The type of architecture taught at the
Academy is most clearly represented along the Ringstrasse, which replaced
the fortifications surrounding Vienna in 1879. Rather than adopt a contemporary style for the buildings
along the Ringstrasse, architects from all over Europe adorned the boulevard
with a variety of styles, including neo-Gothic, Greek revival, neo-Renaissance,
Classical, and others. These
buildings are among the most well-known and impressive in Vienna. Together,
they form a panorama of eclectic and historical architectural styles.
The architects of the 19th century, rather than establishing
their own distinct style, remained satisfied with imitating the past.
The Industrial Revolution had brought contemporary life even farther
from the historic ideal of what was beautiful.
Industrial life was not one that many artists sought to recreate or
interpret. As a result, architects
believed that anything created by pre-industrial centuries must be more meaningful
or "cultural"than anything made to express the character of their
own era. By reverting back to
the architecture of past centuries, where what was beautiful was so clearly
defined, architects of the 19th century were guaranteed success.
"It was a grave symptom of a diseased century that architects
were satisfied to be storytellers instead of artists.
[4]
These architects were trapped in an academic
tradition that had degenerated into eclecticism, imprisoned in a history that
had come to an end, and could only be endlessly repeated"
[5]
. But this could only last so long. In the late 19th century, architects
began to make the transition from historicism to modernism. The first step in this transition was
termed Jugendstil.
Jugendstil was the first systematic attempt to replace
the classical system of architecture in Vienna. Parallel to the Art
Nouveau movement in parts of Europe, the Jugendstil
movement presented a way for architects of the late 19th century
to preserve historical values and styles under the conditions of modern industrialization
and capitalism. Architects that were a part of the Jugendstil
movement were looking for a style that was completely new but could be historically
justified. While the new movement lasted only through
the first decade of the 1900's, many of its principles were made part of the
later modern movements.
| Adolf Loos |