Oskar Strnad
Encyclopedia
Oskar Strnad was an Austria
n architect
, sculptor, designer
and set designer for films and theatres. Together with Josef Frank
he was instrumental in creating the distinctive character of the Wiener Schule der Architektur ("Vienna School of Architecture"). He stood for a modern concept of "living" for all people, planned and built private dwelling-houses, designed furniture, created ceramics and watercolours and designed sets and props for stage plays and films.
on 26 October 1879 into a family of Jewish descent. From 1909 to 1935 he was a professor in the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule ("School of Applied Arts in Vienna") along with Josef Hoffman. From 1918 he created designs for a "round theatre" (Rundtheater) in collaboration with his pupil Margarete Lihotzky (later Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
). Among his other pupils were the later film architects and set designers Artur Berger
and Harry Horner. In 1923 Strnad constructed the Drei-Szenen-Theater ("three-scene-theatre"), a three-part stage within a circular auditorium.
From 1919 he was stage designer for the Wiener Volkstheater. Later Strnad designed many highly-acclaimed sets for the Wiener Staatsoper, including sets for Berg
's Wozzeck
and for the premiere of Jonny spielt auf
by Ernst Krenek
. He also designed interiors for the lavish masterpieces of the "Wiener Film
" such as Maskerade
(1934) and Episode
(1935).
He died in Bad Aussee
on 3 September 1935.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, sculptor, designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
and set designer for films and theatres. Together with Josef Frank
Josef Frank (architect)
Josef Frank was an Austrian-born architect, artist, and designer who adopted Swedish citizenship in the latter half of his life. Together with Oskar Strnad, he created the Vienna School of Architecture, and its concept of Modern houses, housing and interiors.- Life :Josef Frank was of Jewish...
he was instrumental in creating the distinctive character of the Wiener Schule der Architektur ("Vienna School of Architecture"). He stood for a modern concept of "living" for all people, planned and built private dwelling-houses, designed furniture, created ceramics and watercolours and designed sets and props for stage plays and films.
Biography
Strnad was born in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on 26 October 1879 into a family of Jewish descent. From 1909 to 1935 he was a professor in the Wiener Kunstgewerbeschule ("School of Applied Arts in Vienna") along with Josef Hoffman. From 1918 he created designs for a "round theatre" (Rundtheater) in collaboration with his pupil Margarete Lihotzky (later Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was the first female Austrian architect and an activist in the Nazi resistance movement. She is mostly remembered today for designing the so-called Frankfurt Kitchen.-Training:...
). Among his other pupils were the later film architects and set designers Artur Berger
Artur Berger
Artur Semyonovich Berger was an Austrian-Soviet film architect and set designer. He was active in Austria between 1920 and 1936, during which time he worked on about 30 feature films...
and Harry Horner. In 1923 Strnad constructed the Drei-Szenen-Theater ("three-scene-theatre"), a three-part stage within a circular auditorium.
From 1919 he was stage designer for the Wiener Volkstheater. Later Strnad designed many highly-acclaimed sets for the Wiener Staatsoper, including sets for Berg
Alban Berg
Alban Maria Johannes Berg was an Austrian composer. He was a member of the Second Viennese School with Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and produced compositions that combined Mahlerian Romanticism with a personal adaptation of Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.-Early life:Berg was born in...
's Wozzeck
Wozzeck
Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama Woyzeck left incomplete by the German playwright Georg Büchner at his death. Berg attended the first production in Vienna of Büchner's...
and for the premiere of Jonny spielt auf
Jonny spielt auf
Jonny spielt auf is an opera with words and music by Ernst Krenek about a jazz violinist. The work typified the cultural freedom of the 'golden era' of the Weimar Republic.-Performance history:...
by Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek was an Austrian of Czech origin and, from 1945, American composer. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now , a study of Johannes Ockeghem , and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music...
. He also designed interiors for the lavish masterpieces of the "Wiener Film
Wiener Film
Wiener Film is an Austrian film genre, consisting of a combination of comedy, romance and melodrama in an historical setting, mostly, and typically, the Vienna of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
" such as Maskerade
Maskerade (film)
Maskerade , is an Austrian operetta film, and a classic of German language cinema. The exceptional script of this, a great example of the genre of the Wiener Film, was by Walter Reisch and Willi Forst, who also directed...
(1934) and Episode
Episode (film)
Episode is an Austrian film from 1935. It belongs to the popular Austrian light romantic comedy genre known as the Wiener Film, but also contains, for a film of this genre, unusually serious social comment. It was written and produced by Walter Reisch...
(1935).
He died in Bad Aussee
Bad Aussee
-Tracht:Bad Aussee is unique within Austria as its inhabitants wear Tracht, or traditional dress, on a daily basis. Within other regions of Austria, it could almost be taken as a political statement if one were to wear Tracht. For women, this consists of a Dirndl, a type of dress with a fitted...
on 3 September 1935.
Works
- 1914 - The Austrian pavilion of the World Fair 1914World fairWorld Fair can refer to:* Expo , a large public exhibition* This World Fair, an American rock band...
(Werkbund Exposition (1914)) (with Josef HoffmannJosef HoffmannJosef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods.- Biography :...
) - 1925 - The Austrian pavilion of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925) (with Josef Hoffmann)
- 1918 - "Rundtheater" (planned 1917)
- 1923 - Realisation of the "Drei-Szenen-Theater" (3-part stage and circular auditorium)
- 1926 - a theatre in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- 1932 - double house, now destroyed, in the Werkbundsiedlung Wien
- 1932 - house for ordinary people ("Volkshaus") in Wien 15, Holochergasse
- throughout his career, in Vienna and Lower AustriaLower AustriaLower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
: numerous private houses and interior designs; - throughout his career, in Austria: war graves and war memorials; chairs; decorative glass; sculptures; and so on
- in the Österreichisches Theatermuseum, Vienna: stage sets and costume designs (77 pieces).
Sources and external links
- elib.uni-stuttgart.de: OPUS - Offene Welten: die Wiener Schule im Einfamilienhausbau 1910 - 1938 (Meder, Iris)
- Architekturzentrum Wien: Architektenlexikon - Oskar Strnad
Exhibition
- O.S. 1879-1935 Jüdisches Museum Wien, Palais EskelesPalais EskelesPalais Eskeles is a palace in Vienna, Austria.It was owned by the Jewish noble Eskeles family. Today it houses the Jewish Museum Vienna.-External links:*...
, Dorotheergasse, Wien. Bis 24. Juni 2007. Catalogue, edited by Iris Meder & Jüdisches Museum Wien, 2007. Salzburg: Verlag Anton Pustet. ISBN 3-7025-0553-9