Vannstijl, pronounced “vahn-style,” stems from a combination of principal designer Vanessa and De Stijl. De Stijl, meaning The Style in Dutch, is considered one of the foremost modern movements influencing art, architecture, and design in the 1920s. Dutch painter Theo van Doesburg promoted the “collective project” via the magazine De Stijl from 1917 to 1928 (Overy, page 7). The movement focused on an “ordering structure which would function as a sign for an ethical view of society (page 8)” thereby surpassing mere decoration and design. Two notable architects and designers involved with De Stijl were Gerrit Rietveld and Cornelis van Eesteren (Overy, page 7).
Examples of Furniture and Art:
Red Blue Chair, 1918-1922.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/4044
Zig-Zag Chair, 1934.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/3477
Contra-Construction Project, 1923.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/232?artist_id=8112&page=1&sov_referrer=artist
Composition with Color Planes, 1917.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/31863
Composition from Art of Today, Masters of Abstract Art, 1921.
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80692
References:
- Overy, Paul. De Stijl. Thames and Hudson Ltd, London. 1991