Eastern Europe was actually one of the last strongholds of real hand-made lace in the early 20th century. I have a fascinating portfolio of designs dated 1925, Dentelle de l'Europe Centrale, which has some Austrian designs from the Wiener Werkstatte but is dominated by Czechoslovakian lace. The patterns combined folkloristic motifs and Art Nouveau/Deco sensibilities; their designers had been formally trained in fine and applied arts, rather than merely in the craft of lacemaking. These artists in turn inspired and taught the next generation of lacemakers/lace designers. In contrast, western European lace was preserved in the mid-twentieth century by a much smaller number of teachers, most of them trained only as lacemakers and intent on preserving the traditional methods and designs, not generating new ones. It's not surprising that, under these circumstances, the Czech laces of, say, the 1960's appear more vital and modern than the equivalent products of England or Belgium. While the Communist government did support traditional crafts, the fact that lace was still a thriving and evolving tradition seems to me due to the pre-Communist artists and craftswomen working before and between the world wars, rather than to any special encouragement from the Communists.
Just my own opinion, of course. There are others on the list better qualified to comment, I know.... Sue in Raleigh On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 Devon wrote: >Since an earlier discussion involving the 6000 members of the Vologda Lace >Union, I have been wondering more and more about the development of lace and >especially modern lace in the Eastern Block countries. I have an exhibit catalog >La dentelle tcheque de l'Art Deco a nos jours dating from an exhibit in 1983 >of Czech lace in Brussels. The Czechs seem to have been particularly innovative >in making lace art that pushed the envelope. Can anyone fill me in on what >was going on in Czechoslovakia vis a vis state schools and encouragement of the >arts that resulted in this extraordinary creative explosion. Were the artists >who were making these abstract wall hangings, sculptures, etc. being supported >by the government? I would be interested in any book suggestions. >Unfortunately I only read English. Many of the sources I have speak more about the >role >of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in encouraging lace. This is also of interest >to me since it is part of the story. >Devon Susan Lambiris Raleigh, NC [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
