Armchair for the architectural office of the Wiener Werkstätte

This chair was designed by Josef Hoffmann for the architectural office of the Wiener Werkstätte. A transitional work, it betrays sensibilities associated with both the Arts and Crafts and the Modern movement. There is an honesty in the method of construction and there is no applied decoration. Instead, it is the material of the wood itself that is the ornament. Fabricated from solid oak and oak veneer with a beechwood frame, it is stained black and the pores are chalked white to enhance the natural grain. The chair has a powerful graphic presence, particularly noteworthy when viewed from the side. Hoffmann often sketched his designs on graph paper. His reliance on pure geometric form gives this chair a visual clarity. The many open areas of the design allow the chair to more seamlessly blend in with its intended architectural environment. This desire for visual harmony was one of the main tenets of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) ideal, which the Wiener Werkstätte actively promoted in its artistic practice.