Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.31664/zu.2023.112.02
Maša Janković’s Contribution to the Development of Fashion Illustration in Croatia in the Early 20th Century
Katarina Nina Simončič
orcid.org/0009-0007-7899-0752
; Tekstilno-tehnološki fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
In the second half of the 19th century, within the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Croatia followed fashion trends from major metropolises through foreign publications. It was a common practice of getting informed about fashion that, along with textual reviews, included graphic fashion features. The first Croatian-language fashion magazine, Parižka moda, list za žensku, dječju odjeću i za ženski ručni rad (Paris Fashion, a magazine for women’s and children’s clothing, and women’s handicraft) published from 1895 to 1907, featured graphic fashion features taken from German fashion newspapers. However, a portion of the local press, actively opposing foreign influences, considered fashion an enemy and advocated for the rejection of all fashion trends, promoting a more frequent use of traditional clothing in everyday wear. At the beginning of the 20th century, the influences of fashion orientalism, especially the revival of folk art supported by artistic and political circles, managed to affect a change in the attitude towards fashion in the local press. The medium of fashion started to get used for the promotion and preservation of national heritage. The year 1900 marked the start of the publication of Domaće ognjište [The Home Hearth], a magazine primarily intended for teachers, aimed at promoting home crafts and ‘encouraging love’ for the beauty of national heritage. In terms of contributions to fashion and dress culture, the most fruitful period for the magazine occurred during the publication of the Fashion Section of Domaće ognjište from 1907 to 1908, edited by the painter and fashion illustrator Maša Janković. Maša Janković was already the author of most earlier clothing and textile sketches in the Domaće ognjište magazine. After becoming the editor of the fashion section, she began personally signing her fashion illustrations, following the established practice in Parisian and German magazines. Fashion illustrations in the Croatian press (Parižka moda, Domaće ognjište) sought to respect the laws of graphic fashion features from leading fashion magazines, which were technical and informative, visually refined, and clear. The Fashion Section of Domaće ognjište featured drawings of current Parisian fashion silhouettes by an unknown author, five clothing illustrations by Maša Janković inspired by elements of traditional culture, technical drawings, patterns, and textile templates and designs of embroidery patterns for application on clothing and other textile and household items. While the embroidery designs promoted traditional motifs, Maša Janković’s fashion silhouettes promoted a new fashion statement based on the synergy of fashion trends and elements recognized as nationally specific, derived from traditional culture. Maša Janković did not deviate from but followed European fashion trends while using the repertoire of her heritage. Her fashion illustrations showed deviations from the technical and informative character of graphic fashion features typically found in foreign magazines. Her illustrations exhibited the characteristics of an individual painting style, and the sketches indicated a desire to establish a distinctive visual and fashion expression. With such an approach, Maša Janković followed the fashion trends of the time, in which she certainly was not unique but was nevertheless characteristic and relevant to the era. The short-lived Fashion Section was an attempt at combating ‘foreign’ influences, especially German ornamental decorations that were applied to women’s bourgeois clothing at the beginning of the 20th century. Maša Janković’s fashion illustration on the cover of the September issue of the Fashion Section in 1907 was the first fashion illustration signed with the initials of the Croatian author, a valuable artistic witness to the appreciation of the fashion illustrator profession at the beginning of the 20th century. The episode of opening the media space in Domaće ognjište to fashion illustrations of a trend that harmoniously combined fashion and traditional elements ended in 1909 with the discontinuation of the Fashion Section of that magazine.
Ključne riječi
Maša Janković; Domaće ognjište; Fashion Section; fashion illustration; fashion illustrator; embroidery designs
Hrčak ID:
315656
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.7.2023.
Posjeta: 121 *