On Jacques Gruber’s Furniture Design

Jason Trujillo | Spring 2012

*Note: The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, TX, was exhibiting a furniture piece designed by the Art Nouveau artist, Jacques Gruber. The text that follows is an analysis of Gruber’s design.

ThefurnituredesignsofJacquesGruberflourishedduringaperiodof seemingly contradictory aesthetic critique. The innovative spirit within the French artistic community had grown stagnant through much of the 19thcentury.Unabletofindnewinspiration,artistsofthetimesoughttoeither imitate or draw from particular characteristics of various styles. This Le Style sans Style is described by Alastair Duncan as he writes, “The result was a leaning towards curious hybrids, such as Louis XIV Boulle commodes on tapering cylindrical Louis XVI feet enhanced with Louis XV-style ormolu chutes and sabots” (Duncan 1994, 19). Dissatisfaction with the current state of French design is evident in Monsieur Picard’s report on the Exposition Universelle of 1889 as he writes, “This cult of the past has been pushed to excess. It absorbs all intelligence, all science, and all the efforts of the heads of establishments anddesignerswhoconfinethemselvestocopyingandrestoration./…/Onesees only Henri II, Louis XIV, XV or XVI. New ideas are proscribed” (Duncan 1994, 22). It is clear that patrons of French art and furniture had grown tired of the neo-classical styles of the past and were yearning for something new. Despite the demand for innovation, artistic experimentation was widely criticized. Duncan writes that Art Nouveau inspired furniture received hesitant approval because of its rich embodiment of French tradition. French furniture was regarded for its functional characteristics. Emphasis of traditional furniture design was placed on its constructability and pragmatic use.Onlyafterfurnituredesignsatisfiedthesetwocriteriaweredecorationand ornament integrated into the design. On the contrary, designers of Art Nouveau furniture placed the greatest emphasis on ornament. The line between function and ornament became blurred in Art Nouveau furniture. Drawer handles took the shape of insects and table legs of branches. The furniture neither built on nor referenced the past, leading many critics to question its legitimacy in the context of traditional French furniture design.

This is where French designer Jacques Gruber comes into play. Gruber was a professor at the Ecole de Nancy and maintained a nearby studio where he engaged in various design endeavors. The Ecole de Nancy, cultivated by the French artists Emile Galle, was a school of stylistic thought located in the city to which it shares its name. According to Duncan, depictionsofnature(specificallytheflower)existasacentralthemeofNancy designed furniture.

A sample of Galle’s design of chairs reveals ornate depictions offlowersintegratedintothebacksupports(Figure1).Here,thepriorityofornamentoverfunctionalcriteriaconflictswiththetenetsoftraditionalFrenchfurniture design. Despite his associations with the Ecole de Nancy, the work of Gruber appears far more subdued than that of his colleagues. The design of Gruber’s desk and chair lack a visible emphasis of ornament and instead

appear more driven by functional considerations. There is ornament in the design to be sure, but it assumes a more complimentary role within the form (Figure 2). Here, the desk leg and base is accentuated by carved forms, but do not detract from the functional nature of the piece.

The design of the desk also exhibits a careful attention paid to the visual continuity of line as the result of form (Figure 3). Continuity of the line is generally lost in periods prior and post- Art Nouveau. Line is lost in the eclectic styles due to an over-indulgence of ornament. It is also lost in the design of the Modern movement. Line is fundamental to the Modern movement, but here it is used to delineate materiality or functional use. Gone from Modern design is the sensuous continuation of the line as comprehensive visual tie of a design.

It is these characteristics – the emphasis of function and continuity of the line – that reveal Gruber’s attempt to deliver a modern product to the Parisian consumers. It was evident that the French aristocracy and upper-middle classes were looking for a fresh and innovative artistic style. Gruber struck a delicate harmony between the functional necessity and ornamental pleasure in furniture design. Thus, his furniture was functional and modern, yet maintained the beauty of traditional French design. The materials of the desk and chair reveal favorable qualities concerning the construction of the furniture. The grain of the wood, especially of the writing surface and leaf-like pedestals at either end, suggest that they are of one piece. Exquisite craftsmanship is inherent as all of the wood grain runs horizontally.

It is visually unclear to what extent machines or manual labor contributed to the design of the desk. My guess is that the wood engravings were achieved by hand, while the decorated metal handles were forged by machine. There is a peculiar texture just below the ridge towards the back for the desk. The texture is seen nowhere else in the furniture and appears as a sort of organic skin.

The leaf-like pedestals at either end of the desk are also seen in Hector Guimard’s sideboard (Figure 4). While pedestals of Guimard’s sideboard are far less accessible than that of Gruber’s desk, they seem appropriate as supports for statues, candles, lamps, or perhaps even vases of floralarrangements.ThepedestalsofGruber’sdeskmayalsoserveasspacesfor writing utensils or ink jars.

Jacques Gruber’s triumph in the continuity of line and total integration of form is not lacking in the chair accompanying the desk. Like the desk, the chair is of a subdued nature. It lacks any distracting use of ornament and instead reveals an emphasis on functional concerns. The arching form of the back support gracefully transitions into arms rests. Here too, the lines in the form of the chair are unbroken - each piece appears to morph uninterrupted into its adjacent. Currently, the chair is upholstered with fabric. Based on Gruber’s other designs, it may be assumed that the original material was leather.

Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3 Figure 4

Image taken from Duncan’s The Paris Salons: 1895-1914, 17.

Image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalbera/6325346660/

Bibliography:

Duncan,Alastair.TheParisSalons:1895-1914.Vol.3.Woodbridge,Suffolk:AntiqueCollectorsClub,1994.

Duncan, Alastair. Art Nouveau Furniture. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1982.