Art Nouveau Jan. 20-May 5, 2023
Zodiac, 1896, Alphonse Mucha.
Jugendstil, Modernisme, Sezessionstil, Style des Vingt, Stile Nouille—What is known as the movement Art Nouveau in the United States, had many different names in different countries when it swept through Europe from the late 1880s to World War I. The term Art Nouveau derives its name from Siegfried Bing’s Maison de l’Art Nouveau, or “House of New Art,” gallery that brought new European arts and crafts to Paris. Bing and the movement itself was heavily influenced by Japanese motifs and the way Japanese artists were able to portray nature without outright copying its surface appearance. Art Nouveau emphasized line, nature, and beautiful ornaments and took on many forms, including graphic design, art glass, and architecture.
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Graphic Design
Job, 1896, Alphonse Mocha
Élysée, 1896, Jules Cheret.
poster for Tropon food concentrate, 1899, Henri Van De Velde.
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Art Nouveau was expressed in the
in mass media and a generation of French
work of graphic designers during this
women whose clothing style and lifestyle
era through posters, shop signs, and
served as inspiration. In this way, Cheret
lettering for buildings. Given that
introduced a new role model for women in
these forms of media are more
the late Victorian era.A major contributor
easily seen and accessible to
in the foundation and promotion of the Art
the public than the more
Nouveau movement in Belgium, Henry Van
elaborate work of the new
de Velde, was a painter, architect and interior
style, graphic design allowed
designer. Van de Velde was responsible
Art Nouveau to easily
for both the theory of the Art Nouveau
extend beyond national
style and for its broadcasting across
boundaries. For example, Art Nouveau conveyed through an advertisement would allow an
Europe. His graphic design work of the 1890s shows flowing curves and abstract patterns emerging from figurative scenes.
individual from a less urban area where, for reasons of economic hardship or
This style is exemplified in Van de Velde’s
perception, to bear witness to the
Volutes wallpaper design from 1895. In
intricate works of the movement.
addition, Aubrey Beardsley’s black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese
In Art Nouveau graphics,
woodcuts, and emphasized the weird, the
the spatial area, color and
self-indulgent, and the sensual. His work
texture were dictated by
was a significant development of the Art
organic linear movements.
Nouveau style of posters both during
The design of Art Nouveau
his life and after his death. Perhaps most
objects’ forms and
influential to Art Nouveau graphic design
lines were formed by and evolved with the design of the ornament. It was the intent of Art
was Alphonse Mucha. His dominant theme was a central female figure surrounded by stylized forms derived
Nouveau graphic designers to make art a
from plants and flowers, Moravian folk art,
part of everyday life. That idea prevailed
Byzantine mosaics, and even the occult.
through the work of Jules Cheret, who is
The iconic work Job by Mucha was
acclaimed as the father of the modern poster. Cheret incorporated “Cherettes” or idealized young women who represented both the romanticized presentation of women
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an embodiment of Art Nouveau elements and marked the beginning of Mucha’s style becoming inextricably linked with the movement.
Art Glass
Les Copins lamp, c. 1902, Émile Gallé
Water Lily Lamp, c. 1902, Louis Comfort Tiffany Loetz Vase, c. 1900, Glasfabrik Johann Loetz Witwe
Color is to the eye what music is to the ear Louis Comfort Tiffany 4
A
rt Nouveau art glass followed the principle of utilizing sinuous lines and curves inspired by natural forms through decorative vases, lamps, and stained glass windows, which were usually handmade and often flamboyant. In France, the city of Nancy became the center of the Art Nouveau glass industry. It developed around the work of Émile Gallé, when in 1874, he opened his own workshop there. Gallé borrowed a technique of layering plaques of glass from Chinese and Japanese glass snuff bottles and applied it to his work. He used many layers of glass to achieve various color combinations and developed techniques to improve the color and brightness of glass, without losing its clarity. In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany invented a type of handblown iridescent glass, which he patented under the name of Favrile. He gained a reputation for producing vases, bowls, and goblets in the curvy style of Art Nouveau, more specifically utilizing stained glass in the windows and panels of interiors he designed for prominent New Yorkers. Tiffany became most known for his famous handmade, leaded-glass lamps that depicted natural subjects such as poppies, lilies, and dragonflies. The Water Lily table lamp was one of Tiffany’s most successful designs. Model no. 344 of this design flawlessly exemplifies the Art Nouveau style through its colorful organic form and use of curves to emphasize the aesthetic of nature. Glasfabrik Johann Loetz Witwe was also one of the leading art glass manufacturers during this era that incorporated organic shapes, curvilinear features and notable influences of nature. The Loetz Vase, c. 1900 shows these characteristics while also showcasing Loetz’s incredible use of color and iridescent effects.
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Wrought-Iron staircase for the Hotel Tassel, 1893, Victor Horta.
Le hall dentrée du Castel Béranger, 1893, Hector Guimard.
Cabinet, c. 1900, Louis Majorelle.
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Architecture Victor Horta is known as the “Father of Art Nouveau architecture” in part due to his use of the “Belgian” or “Horta Line”. This type of line is a distinctive “whiplash” curve seen, for example, in Brussel’s Hotel Tassel, a landmark in Art Nouveau architectural design. The curvaceous details and organic features of the wrought-iron staircase in this hotel is an example of how beautiful the marriage between architecture and Art Nouveau can be. A prominent figure of the Art Nouveau
style was French architect and furniture designer Hector Guimard. Influenced by Horta, Guimard rose to fame after he designed the first Art Nouveau style apartment building in Paris, the Castel Beranger. Guimard’s style is based on nature with decorations that are functional parts of the construction. His furniture designs display a similar harmony of design and sophistication of detail. Furniture designer Louis Majorelle also utilized nature and flowing silhouettes in
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his work for the home. The shapes Majorelle implemented were less traditional and were sculpted utilizing braces and structural elements that became shoots and branches. Majorelle also used metal details in a purely ornamental fashion which was inspired by Japanese stylization and common, local flora in France. Cabinet c. 1900. By Majorelle showcases his use of tapering straight lines; an organic, flowing shape; intricate floral marquetry; and rich decorative carving.
Legacy
Forest Series Vase, 2020, Calmwater Designs, Stephanie Young.
Moscow Apartment, 2010, Daria Grigorieva.
You have..unity achieved by infinite variety Hector Guimard
Art Nouveau’s influence was far reaching. Ironically, its wild popularity led to its downfall, due to oversaturation of the market and changing tastes. However, interest in Art Nouveau and its flowy, free, natural forms was again rekindled by the psychedelic artists of the late 1960s. The movement that defined the cultural values of the late 19th and early 20th century by abolishing the beliefs of the academic system and portraying authenticity through fantasy and idealism still continues to inspire artists. Calmwater Designs from Stephanie Young currently sells beautiful Art Nouveau-style porcelain pieces online. The artist describes her work as “Art Nouveau style - meets nature meets love - with a dash of joie
de vivre + a smidgen of sass”. The inventive and revolutionary designs of this era brought to the masses a redefined relationship between what was considered fine art and mainstream art. Now, Art Nouveau is represented mainly through interior design in luxury residences. In 2010, Daria Grigorieva designed the interior of a 1,292 square foot apartment in Moscow to feature flowing floral ornaments, such as lilies and irises, along with doorways made of solid oak arches. The residence has many other distinctive features of the Art Nouveau style that make this interior drip with organic elegance. Overall, Art Nouveau had a major impact on art and design by portraying the beauty to be found in nature.