My thanks also go to Fritz Kaltenbrunner, Alfons Pessl and Ergina Xydou for their ac- 
tive support in preparing and mounting the exhibiton. Thanks to Helga Högl the exhibi- 
tion came to public notice far beyond the borders of Austria. 
To Prof. Ludwig Neustifter, whose interest and knowledgeable support has accompa- 
nied many of my projects, I also extend my thanks, this time for designing the dust 
jacket and binding for this publication. The English translation lay in the best of hands 
with Ann Dubsky; she devoted herseif to this task with great commitment, for which I 
thank her sincerely. 
Vienna, May 1991 Waltraud Neuwirth 
ART NOUVEAU IN BLOSSOM - COLORS, SHAPES, ORNAMENTATION 
From naturalism to abstraction, from exhilarating color to monochromy, from linear 
and two-dimensional ornamentation to a three dimensional treatment of the plant as a 
vessel: this is the scope of the floral phenomena found in Austrian applied art at the 
turn of the Century. Whether composed in elegantly curved lines or static severity, as a 
single motif or in infinite repeats, as a border, a frame or a decoration for a specific 
surface, whether as a blossom, a leaf, a twig or fruit, floral decoration opens up in- 
numerable Creative possibilities for the designing artist and unfolds its special charm in 
the unique characteristics inherent in the various materials and techniques. 
COLORS 
The flowers of Art Nouveau bloom in all the colors of the rainbow, in lively contrasts 
and in the most delicate shades of color, in clearly outlined areas and in hazy painting, 
in translucent glass and opaque ceramic glazes, in the silky shimmer of silver and the 
sheen of woven fabric. 
Brilliant red and cool blue oppose each other in counter currents, sometimes even si- 
multaneously on a single object, either in striking contrast or in delicately shaded tran- 
sitions. On subtly structured ceramic surfaces with a delicate, roughened effect, the 
color of the blossoms on curving stems changes from green to turquoise to blue 
(ill. 1). The glass also changes from green to blue in the four-cornered vase (ill. 2). The 
golden shimmer of its outer layer is marked off with thin silver lines and flat, stylized 
applied shapes which are only remotely reminiscent of floral subjects. The metallic 
blossom of stars positions itself in a grand sweep extending across the corners of the 
cube; the iridescence of the papillon pattem against the dark blue of the walls is also 
silvery (ill. 3). 
The flat metal mounting encompasses a greenish vase in the symmetry of a four-fold 
repeat of the motif (ill. 4). Mounted onto a circular foot, the metal grips the blue-green 
iridescent walls of the glass with rods and rosettes of leaves (ill. 5), while the metal ly- 
ing against the brim of the glass flows in an irregulär border like thick lava that has just 
solidified. A silvery metallic blue and golden shimmer dominates the color of a vase 
which also glows in a subdued reddish brown (ill. 6). An unreal, pale blue carries an ab 
straction of leaves in a gold, green and lavender succession in long, slanting curves 
(ill. 7). 
As though suddenly captured in the act of flowing, the rolling waves of blue glimmer 
with distorted flower motifs on a background of shiny and mat gold (ill. 12). The sur 
face of the ceramic tiles with linear and circular motifs in airy yellow, blue and green 
(ill. 9) is related to glass in color, while other surfaces show clearly outlined shapes of 
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