Swedish Prints Nearly a Century Old, but Relevant as Ever TodayImage“Pattern is calming,” wrote the Austrian architect and designer Josef Frank in 1934. It was a surprising — almost provocative — statement from someone whose most seminal prints are considered riotously decorative, even by maximalist standards. But for Frank, pattern held a meditative power that went way beyond the blankness of monochrome (what he viewed as the visual equivalent of a dead end). “There’s a real optimism and positivity to Frank’s work,” Nothdruft says. Frank never trained as a textile designer, yet he was incredibly technically accomplished.”ImageMirakel, 1920s“This is one of Frank’s earliest designs.

Source: New York Times January 26, 2017 19:29 UTC