Art Nouveau, was an ornamental
style of art that flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe and
the United States. Art Nouveau is characterized by its use of a long, sinuous,
organic line and was employed most often in architecture, interior design,
jewelry and glass design, posters, and illustration.
It was a deliberate attempt to create a new
style, free of the imitative historicism that dominated much of 19th-century
art and design. About this time the term Art Nouveau was coined, in Belgium by
the periodical L’Art Moderne to describe the work of the artist group Les Vingt
and in Paris by S. Bing, who named his gallery L’Art Nouveau.
The
style was called Jugendstil in Germany, Sezessionstil in Austria, Stile
Floreale (or Stile Liberty) in Italy, and Modernismo (or Modernista) in Spain.
In England the
style’s immediate precursors were the Aestheticism
of the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley, who
depended heavily on the expressive quality of organic line, and the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris, who
established the importance of a vital style in the applied arts.
On the European
continent, Art Nouveau was influenced by experiments with expressive line by
the painters Paul
Gauguin and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The movement was also partly inspired by a vogue
for the linear patterns of Japanese prints (ukiyo-e).
The distinguishing ornamental characteristic of Art Nouveau is
its undulating asymmetrical line, often taking the form
of flower stalks and buds, vine tendrils, insect wings, and other delicate and
sinuous natural objects; the line may be elegant and graceful or infused with a
powerfully rhythmic and whiplike force.
In the graphic arts the
line subordinates all other pictorial elements—form, texture, space, and
colour—to its own decorative effect.
In architecture and the other plastic arts,
the whole of the three-dimensional form becomes engulfed in the organic, linear
rhythm, creating a fusion between structure and ornament. Architecture
particularly shows this synthesis of ornament and structure; a liberal
combination of materials—ironwork, glass, ceramic, and brickwork—was employed,
for example, in the creation of unified interiors in which columns and beams
became thick vines with spreading tendrils and windows became both openings for
light and air and membranous outgrowths of the organic whole. This approach was
directly opposed to the traditional architectural values of reason and clarity
of structure.
There were a great
number of artists and designers who worked in the Art Nouveau style. Some of
the more prominent were the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie
Mackintosh, who specialized in a predominantly geometric line and particularly
influenced the Austrian Sezessionstil; the Belgian architects Henry van de Velde
and Victor Horta, whose extremely sinuous and delicate structures influenced
the French architect Hector Guimard, another important figure; the American
glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany; the French furniture and ironwork designer
Louis Majorelle; the Czechoslovakian graphic designer-artist Alphonse Mucha;
the French glass and jewelry designer René Lalique; the American architect
Louis Henry Sullivan, who used plantlike Art Nouveau ironwork to decorate his
traditionally structured buildings; and the Spanish architect and sculptor
Antonio Gaudí, perhaps the most original artist of the movement, who went
beyond dependence on line to transform buildings into curving, bulbous,
brightly coloured, organic constructions.
After 1910 Art Nouveau
appeared old-fashioned and limited and was generally abandoned as a distinct
decorative style. In the 1960s, however, the style was rehabilitated, in part,
by major exhibitions organized at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1959)
and at the Musée National d’Art Moderne (1960), as well as by a large-scale
retrospective on Beardsley held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London
in 1966. The exhibitions elevated the status of the movement, which had often
been viewed by critics as a passing trend, to the level of other major Modern
art movements of the late 19th century.
Currents of the
movement were then revitalized in Pop and Op art. In the popular domain, the
flowery organic lines of Art Nouveau were revived as a new psychedelic style in
fashion and in the typography used on rock and pop album covers and in
commercial advertising.
Art Nouveau Interior Design
Art Nouveau Interior
Design is not for everyone. It’s a beautiful style which requires dedication to
decorate with.
During the 19th
century, interior design was very much about neoclassicism.
Historicism was the
order of the day and art nouveau arose
as a reaction to traditional art styles.
Between 1890 and the
mid-1910s, art nouveau interior decorating emerged in London and Paris and
aimed to incorporate art and design into everyday living. Even functional
objects were beautified and turned into works of art.
Art nouveau style was
promoted at the 1910 Paris Exposition Universelle, although it was still
considered to be quite avant-garde and revolutionary at the time. Those who had
grown up during the Victorian age found the style too extravagant and overdone
and were appalled by the over-elaborate nature of art nouveau.
Different art styles
influenced art nouveau. From Celtic art to Japonism, art nouveau could be
applied to many artistic aspects including architecture, decoration and fine
art as well as jewelry, glassware, and illustrations. Art nouveau furniture, as well as art nouveau
postures, were popular forms of interior decoration.
The movement spread
worldwide, although it took on different names in different countries, is
known, for example as Stile Liberty in Italy, Jugendstil in Germany,
Sezessionstil in Austria and as Tiffany style in America.
The iconic style of
arts included floral motifs, elongated curving lines, strong linear shapes, and
feminine silhouettes. Like all art
movements, nouveau has had fluctuations in popularity.
Art nouveau found itself out of favor by the 1920s when the Art Deco
movement took hold, although it did see a brief resurgence in the 1960s.
What Is Art
Nouveau Style?
Both elongated curves
and linear shapes were a major part of the nouveau art. Charles Rennie Mackintosh was especially well known for his art
nouveau designs in this period and many pieces of jewelry are produced to this
day that is influenced by his design style.
Much of art nouveau
design inspiration was taken from nature, with stylized flowers, spider webs
and feathers heavily featured on wallpapers and furnishings. Styles were
extravagant and decadent with iridescent glass and semi-precious gems making an
appearance.
How
To Get The Art Nouveau Interior Design Look
There are many ways to
emulate art nouveau style decor in your modern home. Here are some ways to copy
the look and turn your house into an art nouveau paradise:
Walls
in Art Noveau Décor
Art Nouveau design
typically uses colors which are muted and soft. Copy this style with a palette
of grays, mustard yellows, browns, olives, and lilacs. Spectacularly patterned
wallpapers were popular. Today, art nouveau designs may be a little excessive
to use on every wall.
Instead, choose a
similarly themed paper to create a feature wall and simply paint your other
walls plain white. Alternatively, opt for a tiled look using white tiles
interspersed with the oddly patterned tile to create an authentic feel. Art nouveau colors should be repeated
throughout the room.
Floors
in Art Nouveau interior design
To authentically
recreate the art nouveau period, you should go for a parquet floor or wood
finish.
Lights in Art Nouveau
home design
The art nouveau
interior can be summed up by the Tiffany lamp. Spectacularly stained glass
shades on a heavy bronze base are the iconic look of the period.
Art
Nouveau Décor
Art nouveau decor should
be decorative and ornamental. Furnishings can feature curved or straight lines
growing upwards from the ground while doors can sport stained glass and leaf
and stalk shaped leading.
This colorful glass is
especially effective when used on cabinets, wardrobes, and mirrors and is
reminiscent of the art nouveau era.
Art
Nouveau’s Influences
Despite its
similarities to the Arts and Crafts movement, art nouveau differed in that it
thrived on the technological developments that made mass production of goods
possible.
Whereas the Arts and
Crafts movement was strongly against anything that was manufactured, art
nouveau embraced it and used these products willingly.
Nevertheless, the
principle of the beautiful design was the same in both movements and the
stylish was strongly favored over the functional.
By the end of the First
World War, however, technological advancements had begun to streamline
manufacturing processes even further and led to the abandonment of art nouveau
in favor of Art Deco which relied even more heavily on mass production.
Art nouveau has still
left a lingering legacy in two major ways. Firstly, several 20th-century
designers have been strongly influenced by the movement, including the Bauhaus
design school in Germany and the De Stijl design movement in the Netherlands
which are both advocates of integrated design. It has also left a legacy in the
graphic art world with a lasting influence upon poster designs and the creation
of art nouveau illustration.
Despite being a
relatively short-lived movement, the art nouveau period has left us with a
number of enduring monuments embodying its style. Because it bridged the design
gap between 19th century Neoclassicism and the modernist style, some art
nouveau monuments even on the UNESCO World Heritage list including the entire
town center of the Latvian town Riga, where more than 750 art nouveau buildings
were constructed in the art nouveau architectural style.
Art nouveau has left us
with iconic imprints that can still be seen in interior decorating to this day.
In its time, art nouveau style was considered to be revolutionary and therefore
its popularity was boosted among those who wanted to appear to be following the
latest trends.
Unfortunately, that
popularity was short-lived as it developed a worldwide reputation for being too
over-blown, exaggerated, lavish and above all, expensive. Art nouveau movements died down.
Nevertheless, it is
still possible to incorporate the beautiful and stylish features that are
represented by art nouveau design into your modern home. Modern art nouveau
combines the baroque touch with more modern features gives an exciting
contemporary feel.
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Art History Project:
Date 19th September, 2020
1.Based on the above
notes, do your research on Art Nouveau and its influence on Interior Design and
make your ppt.
2.ARTIST TO RESEARCH
Charles
Rennie Mackintosh
Research
on his work with Architecture, Interiors and Art and create your research ppt.
Reviewed by CREATIVE SCIENCES
on
September 18, 2020
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