The Ornamental Universe of Jūlijs Madernieks

Jūlijs Madernieks (1870-1955) is considered one of the most influential ornamental design and typeface reformer in Latvia. Over his life, he advanced Latvian design by working on print and applied graphics and creating remarkable public interiors.

Jūlijs Madernieks opened the way for Latvian design, at the same time being active as a talented pedagogue and art critic.

Jūlijs Madernieks likewise set himself the goal of creating a unified style, the development of which became the driving  force of his creative career and found expression in a diversity of disciplines.

Madernieks' distinctly individual handwriting can unmistakabaly be recognised by the geometrically stylized forms inspired by ethnographic ornament.

Today, looking at the Madernieks' style from a distance of one hundred years, it strikes with its contemporariness, unusually universal scope of his creative career.

He built his ornaments from coloured squares , which, for today's viewers, bring associations with the pixels that we see when zooming in on a digital drawing.

Several examples of Madernieks' ornaments, from a contemporary perspective, resemble op art's optical illusion.

Artis's early graphic works were dominated by the stylisation of nature forms that was characteristic of Art Nouveau, that dominance of geometric forms gradually increased under the influence of decorations from ethnographic examples.

In the 1920s, expressivity and abstraction became more pronounced in his approach to form, making it possible to see a distant influence of Cubism and Futurism in the artist's creative interpretation.

During this period, the guiding principles of Madernieks' compositions showed parallels with those defined by the avantgarde.

Geometric compositions on squared paper create a flicker of lines and colours, resembling pixels on a computer screen.

Curtains, wall hangings, carpets and tablecloths, which not only found embodiment in proposals for interiours, but also became part of art exhibitions - as independent ornamental graphic works of art.

In the ornamental sketches developed by the artist, Latvian ethnographic heritage merges with the artistic expression of Art Deco, putting forward what is nationally unique as an expression of the contemporary.

Furniture fabrics, portieres, tablecloths, pillows and other textiles came to the center of Madernieks' creative experiments as components of a unified interior ensamble.

The artist strove to submit birds, animals, insects, reptiles, trees and plants found in Latvian nature to the logic of geometrization he encountered in ethnographic textiles.

Diagonals are characteristic of his compositions, adding dynamism to the works and representing an indisputable innovation from Madernieks, as such solutions are not characteristic of Latvian ethnographic heritage with its linearity and determined ruthm.

A geometric arrangements of motifs and colour contrasts are the main means of creative expression in Madernieks'sketches for textiles.

Rich in contrasts, the broken rhythm of lines and sharp angles bring emotional activity and a sense of ceaseless movement

Madernieks' considered that good art should not be separated from daily life. Therefore, Madernieks' textile composition designes did not remain in exhibition halls.

Madernieks' designes for interior textiles were regularly published by different popular press publications, so that each and every Latvian handicrafts woman could embroider a pillowcase or weave a blanket from these samples.

In this manner Madernieks' style entered Latvian private interiors. It even became difficult to find a house, where a wall hanging or bed cover, towel, curtain or mittens would not contain examples of the master's ornaments.