{"id":192,"date":"2016-08-10T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/10\/under-the-influence-modernisms-debt-to-asia\/"},"modified":"2020-07-17T22:20:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-17T22:20:32","slug":"under-the-influence-modernisms-debt-to-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/10\/under-the-influence-modernisms-debt-to-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern Design\u2019s Debt to Asian Craft: Under The Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This article by\u00a0PAGODA RED owner Betsy Nathan first appeared in the Chicago Gallery News, May 2016.<\/em><\/p>\n

From German Bauhaus designers to Scandinavian and American mid-century makers, modernists have always been inspired by Asia. George Nakashima apprenticed in his ancestral Japan to learn \u201cthe finest traditions\u201d of woodworking. Hans Wegner paradoxically helped to define Danish design with his Ming-inspired China Chairs for Fritz Hansen. And art historian Sarah Handler has drawn clear connections between Marcel Brauer\u2019s Wassily Chair\u2014an icon of industrial modernism\u2014and 17th century Qing and Ming Meditation Chairs.<\/p>\n

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Although Japanese and Chinese designers were minimalists centuries before the mid-century modernists, unearthing the Eastern roots of Western modernism isn\u2019t just an exercise in accreditation. It\u2019s a way to bring craft and modernism back together again, breathing new life into old objects. Asian craft offers an alternative to the steel-and-glass rigidity of Western minimalism. Before Sam Maloof, Ming makers had perfected the art of mortise-and-tenon joinery. Strong joints were designed to hold chairs together without adhesives, so that they could be disassembled, packed and re-assembled at will\u2014outlasting anything built with nails that would rust or glue that would crumble.<\/p>\n

Chinese and Japanese craftsmen also saw their trade as a kind of humble, hard-won religion. George Nakashima knew this, believing\u2014as the Shinto tradition does\u2014that \u201cthere is a spirit\u2026in the grain of a tree.\u201d Despite the pressures of the prevailing industrialism that defined American postwar design, he maintained a handcrafted element and an appreciation for joinery in everything he did. In keeping his business purposefully small and simple, he was a modern echo of the Japanese toryo, or master temple carpenter.<\/p>\n

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Stories like these aren\u2019t just entertaining historic anecdotes. They can, and should be, carried into today\u2019s maker movement. Design houses like Knoll and Herman Miller are recognizing this. Knoll Textiles works with small fashion studios like Rodarte to adapt their hand-dyed ombr\u00e9s into upholstery fabrics, while Herman Miller handcrafts Eames Chairs in its Zeeland, Michigan factory. Craft is a way to reconnect modernism to its roots, and the further back we go, the more we have to learn.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a conversation to be had between ancient and modern objects. It\u2019s a dialogue made richer and more human when east and west talk with one another. Chinese and Japanese craft are cornerstones of modern and contemporary design, just as the Western world exports its cultural influence. In the words of George Nakashima, \u201cOne borrows from another, which is the way I think a culture should be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Register with us<\/a> to receive exclusive discounts and benefits, plus free shipping on your first order. Trade professionals are also eligible for collaborative features on our blog and social media channels. Please note that trade registration with PAGODA RED is only open to interior design and architecture professionals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article by\u00a0PAGODA RED owner Betsy Nathan first appeared in the Chicago Gallery News, May 2016. From German Bauhaus designers to Scandinavian and American mid-century makers, modernists have always been inspired by Asia. George Nakashima apprenticed in his ancestral Japan to learn \u201cthe finest traditions\u201d of woodworking. Hans Wegner paradoxically helped to define Danish design […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nModern Design\u2019s Debt to Asian Craft: Under The Influence - PAGODA RED Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/10\/under-the-influence-modernisms-debt-to-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Modern Design\u2019s Debt to Asian Craft: Under The Influence - PAGODA RED Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article by\u00a0PAGODA RED owner Betsy Nathan first appeared in the Chicago Gallery News, May 2016. 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