Art of smithery in architecture – the northern gate to the hydroelectric Power Station II located in Wrocław as an example of integration of arts

Izabela Machometa

doi:10.5277/arc140304

Abstract

The subject of this work is Wrocław art of craft in the early twentieth century’s architecture. Its development was greatly infl uenced by the ideas to revive crafts and arts and bind them with industry; ideas which were established at the end of the nineteenth century by the English movement “Arts and Crafts”. This research shows how the art of smithery was combined with architecture using the example of the hydroelectric plant building designed by Max Berg. The subject of this research is its gate made by a master of artistic smithery and sculptor, professor Jaroslav Vonka. A formal and iconographic analysis was performed. Special attention was paid to its composition, decorative motives and individual technological solutions.