Art Nouveau August 24-December 2, 2017 El Paso Museum of Art
D
uring the 1890s, art was beginning to become more experimental. Thanks to a little shop in Paris called La Maison de l’Art Nouveau, or The House of New
Art, a new movement got its name. Art Nouveau or “new art” was prominent from 1890 to 1905. This movement spread throughout Europe and other parts of the world and had different names in different countries. For example, in France it was called, “Style Guimard”, in Germany it was “Jugendstil” and “Stile Liberty” in Italy—just to name a few. Art Nouveau features organic, flowing lines inspired by nature, with geometric shapes like squares and rectangles. There were two influences—The Arts and Crafts movement and the then-current vogue for Japanese art-mainly woodblock prints. Art Nouveau was based on natural forms as was shown through graphic design, architecture, and jewelry.
End Pages: Walter Crane, Wallpaper for a child’s bedroom, c. 1890s Opposite page: Alphonse Mucha, F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur, , 1897.
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Graphic Design
Jules Chéret, Les Girard, 1879
Alphonse Mucha, La Plume, 1896
Art Nouveau graphic design featured contrasting shapes, contoured lines and flat space. An example of is a lithographed poster by Jules Chéret called Les Girard (1879). This poster advertises a dance performance and has a Japanese woodblockinspired style. There is an even color, contoured lines, and two-dimensional characters. Jules Chéret intertwined the legs of the dancers around the lettering, integrating the text and image in the space. Another artist, Alphonse Mucha, also designed Art Nouveau posters. One of his famous posters is called La Plume, Featuring Sarah Bernhardt (1896). He made this poster for the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt’s play Gismonda. The poster is life sized and uses soft colors and curving lines to depict the elegant woman.Art Nouveau posters also advertised products. For example, a poster called Delftsche Slaolie (1893), which means Delft Salad Oil, by Jan Toorop. The poster has a header with bottles of salad oil on either side of it. Underneath is the brand of the manufacturer as well as some decorated leaves and peanuts. Below that are two female figures that have very long, voluminous, and flowing hair with long gowns. One of the figures is sitting and dressing a salad in a large dish. The other has a gaze toward the heading with her hands pointed upward. The rest of the poster is covered with a decorative design.
Jan Toorop, Delftsche Slaolie, 1893
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Opposite page: Alphonse Mucha,Poster for 'Job' cigarette paper (1896)
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Architecture Architect Hector Guimard designed an entrance to an underground subway station in Paris known as Porte Dauphine Paris Métro. Between 1900 and 1912, there were 141 metro entrances designed which came in one of two styles: simple balustrades and kiosks with canopies—most being balustrades. The entrance, Porte Dauphine Paris Métro, has an introverted pitched roof and is covered with glass sheets and three cast iron pillars. The metal frame is painted in green as well as the interior of the panels of the kiosk. The ironwork resembles vines in nature growing. Another Art Nouveau building is Hôtel Tassel made by Victor Horta, completed in 1894, in Brussels, Belgium.
Hector Guimard , Paris metro station entrance at Abbesses designed by for the 1900 Exposition universelle
The hotel is considered the first true Art Nouveau building because of its use of materials and decoration. The building broke from the traditions of that time. It has a steel structure covered with glass that was linked to brick and natural stone. Horta designed the interior details such as the door handles, woodwork, panels and windows in stained glass, mosaic flooring and the furnishing and a staircase that connects the floors. Today this building is a private office occupied by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and is not open to the public. Another Art Nouveau building, located in Vienna, Austria is Majoikhaus designed by Otto Wagner in 1899. The building is a apartment complex along the dunabe canal. The outside of the building if covered with ceramic tiles or majolica, making up floral shapes going up the wall of the building. The exterior of the building has gold ironwork on the balconies and wooden frames on the windows.
Otto Wagner, "Majolikahaus" in Vienna, (1898)[64]
Opposite page: Victor Horta , The interior of the Hotel Tassel (1893–94)
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Jewelry Art Nouveau jewelry is described as soft, mystical and romantic. Jewelers were inspired by nature in Japanese art and nature. An example of Art Nouveau jewelry by René Lalique is called The Kiss (1920). The ivory and gold brooch has enamel detailing and was designed for the actress Sarah Bernhardt. René Lalique also made costume jewelry, using a wide variety of techniques with inexpensive materials. At this time, copper and silver were substituted for gold, and celluloid for ivory. In Great Britain and America, cheap jewelry was very popular in the Art Nouveau style and started being produced on a large scale. Lalique also designed Dragonfly-Woman (1897–98), a brooch with a hybrid figure of a half woman, half dragonfly. It has gold and enamel dragonfly wings with fine, milky enamel decoration. Where the head of the dragonfly would be is instead a bust and head of a woman.
René Lalique, Dragonfly-Woman, 1897–98
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René Lalique,The Kiss,1920
Henri Vever, Belt buckle with lily pads and blossoms, about 1900. 1854–1942.
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Legacy Art Nouveau can be seen in the world today, for example in the 1960s, psychedelic posters were similar to the Art Nouveau movement. A poster by Wes Wilson called BG18 (1966), the poster was designed for Bill Graham of the Fillmore in San Francisco. These posters were influenced by Art Nouveau and featured abstract swirls of intense color with curvilinear type. The poster is green with red type that appears to have a melting effect.In the most recent year, Art Nouveau has inspired artists. For example, Anderson Design Group, illustrator and designer Aaron Johnson and their creative director, Joel Anderson, made a poster for Mère Bulles, it was called Mère Bulles (2013). The poster was made to promote Mère Bulles new restaurant in Tennessee. Not only was Art nouveau started as a new art but it continued and was inspired through out the next movement and can be seen in the world today. Aaron Johnson, Mère Bulles, 2013
“The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance” -Aristotle
Opposite page: Wes Wilson, GB-18, 1966
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Designed by: Karen Cortinas