Josef Frank - Patterns of Paradise
Joesf Frank was an Austrian architect and designer who designed textiles until the start of 1950’s. Although his modernist designs were created years ago they don’t look out of place on furniture and fabric today due to his bold and optimistic use of colour.
His designs were also a stark contrast to his reality of WW2, Frank depicted patterns of paradise; from beautifully coloured birds, butterflies flying over water and meadows full of followers to bright citrus fruits growing on trees, with decorative leaves and branches.
Having never been to the Fashion and Textile museum before I didn’t know what to expect in terms of scale and size of the exhibition. Walking straight into the exhibition I was immediately struck by a living room of (to me) botanical and floral dreams. A sofa, cushions, hanging tapestry and draws all decorated with Franks ornate decorative leaves and colourful floral prints.
The rest of the exhibition consisted of hanging tapestries of franks designs that varied in colour and detail having their own unique elements to each. There were a few favourites that stood out for me, I really loved the mix of colour and designs that included quirky flowers, edible citrus fruit, butterflies, birds and goldfish.
Having never heard of Josef Frank or seeing much of his work before visiting the exhibition, I was pleasantly surprised to see so much bold and exuberant colour within his prints. It was also an enjoyable experience to get up close to the print and examine the intricacies of his design.
If you’re a fan of textile design of the floral and botanical persuasion and are looking for something to brighten up your gloomy Sunday afternoon, then this is the exhibition to see.