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Women’s access to formal education in the decorative arts in Croatia was established shortly after the foundation of Zagreb Obrtna škola (School of Crafts, 1882) which in 1884 launched a Ceramics Course open to female candidates. In 1904 an experimental Female Department of Arts and Crafts Drawing was set up with a goal of preparing women for a career in education and making objects of applied arts for the market. The closure of that Department (1908) was caused by the foundation of the Privremena viša škola za umjetnost i umjetni obrt (Temporary Higher School for Arts and Crafts) in 1907, which allowed enrolment of both male and female candidates. The program of the newly founded school was primarily focused on the fine arts and was criticised by artists dedicated to the promotion of the decorative arts. It was in 1910 that a graphic artist, pioneer of modern design and a keen promoter of decorative arts Tomislav Krizman, an alumnus of the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, advocated for a reformation of the education in the decorative arts. He was very critical of the programs of both School of Crafts and Temporary Higher School for Arts and Crafts and promoted the idea of formation of a new state school for arts and crafts which would, unlike existing institutions, be based on the state of the art program, promote national identity and educate a decorative artist. At the same time, he opened a short-lived private school attended mostly by female students in which he promoted modern design and the idea of the total work of art that were at the core of the programs of schools of decorative arts of that period. Special emphasis will be placed on the impact of Krizman’s progressive ideas on the future development of the decorative arts in Croatia. |
