The Search for New Forms
The Vienna Secession was a group created based on the Secession movement that rejects the
development of the Art Nouveau style. They were influenced by the emergence of the Arts and Crafts
movement which disregard historicism and embraced geometry and abstraction in architecture. Hence,
there was no specific style because they embraced different influences which made each architects have
their own somewhat personal style. Otto Wagner and Josef Hoffman are two of the great architects that
led this movement in Vienna. By looking at the Post Office Savings Bank and Palais Stoclet, we will
examine the two different style that were both in the secession movement.
Otto Wagner was born on July 13, 1841, in Penzing, near Vienna and died on April 11, 1918, in
Vienna. Wagner believes that architecture should orient itself into modern life. Being a realist in many
ways influences his means of construction, admiration for modern techniques and materials, as well as his
responds to the changing aspirations of society. One of his most famous buildings is the Vienna Post
Office (1940-6). Since he rejects the Art Nouveau style, the building was rather orderly and stable while
still being rational. Even though it is not as curvaceous as the Art Nouveau, it is most notable for its
interior that has big arching ceiling. On the other hand, Josef Hoffman was born on born December 15,
1870, Pirnitz, Moravia and died May 7, 1956, in Vienna, Austria. He actually studied under Hoffman in
Vienna. But, unlike Hoffman that designed a savings bank, he was commissioned to build a luxurious
mansion by Adolphe and Suzanne Stoclet. Palais Stoclet was supposed to be a suburban palace of the arts
for them to entertain the artistic elite of Europe at that time. Hence, he had to come up with a design that
combines the moods of a museum, a luxury residence, and an exemplary setting of modern taste.
Besides in its function, the two buildings are different in its design principle and material. While
the Bank is highly symmetrical, the Palais Stoclet is the other way around; it has asymmetrical balance.
The bank’s plan is nearly trapezoidal. The main banking hall occupies the rectilinear central block, which
is symmetrically flanked by triangular building wings, each split by a courtyard. The façade of the
building sort of represents the building as a working machine for the public. He really likes functionality
so every material has its own function. The glass hallway reflects honesty, transparency, and efficiency,
which are values appropriate to the building’s social purpose. On the other hand, the Palais Stoclet has
this clever axis and direction change throughout the linked rooms which he reflects in the protruding
volume of the building. In the interior, he wanted it to be grandiose and cosmopolitan. It includes
polished marbles and rich wood finished which were enhanced by Klimt’s mural decoration.
In conclusion, even though the Wagner and Hoffman were a part of the Vienna Secession, their
buildings have many differences. This includes its function, design, and material.
Bibliography
“Arts and Crafts Movement.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed January
29, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/art/Arts-and-Crafts-movement.
Merrill, Dr. Elizabeth M., and Dr. Elizabeth M. Merrill. “Otto Wagner, Postal Savings Bank.”
Smarthistory. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://smarthistory.org/otto-wagner-postal-savingsbank/.
“The Philosophy and Aesthetic of the Vienna Secession Movement.” Widewalls. Accessed January 29,
2023. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/vienna-secession.
R., Curtis William J. Modern Architecture since 1900. Phaidon Press, 2013.