In the aftermath of World War II, designers from each region seemed to answer the call of modernity and innovation with a unique voice. The Postwar Scandinavian movement, though kindred in spirit with the other design advances around the world, adapted... [more]

In the aftermath of World War II, designers from each region seemed to answer the call of modernity and innovation with a unique voice. The Postwar Scandinavian movement, though kindred in spirit with the other design advances around the world, adapted the emerging technologies and materials in a uniquely Northern European fashion. The wood used was light in color, and the support structure was often exposed which added dramatically to the elegance of the pieces. Though machine production was in vogue, the Scandinavians were espousing finished edges, curved corners, and an overall smoothness in their design language. The 1949 Chair by Hans Wegner is a typical example; its delicately turned legs and gently sloping backrest were fabricated from teak and oak respectively, and united with the woven seat to create a simple and sensuous mass-production piece. As the calendar pages were torn away and the period got further and further away from the War, the designs became less "crafty"-looking and more machinic. The designers from Denmark, Sweden, and Finland managed to commingle biomorphism with harder-edged geometric tendencies, with a flavor at once modern and Scandinavian. They did not shy away from newer plastics and embraced the design and manufacturing possibilities wholeheartedly. The Verner Panton Stacking Chair of the 1960s was the first single-molded fiberglass chair produced and contains delicate references to the curves of the Art Nouveau period while mimicking the overall rhythm of Rietveld's severely geometric ZigZag Chair. [show less]