Everything about Art Nouveau totally explained
Art Nouveau ([aʁnu vo],
anglicised /ˈɑːt nuːvəu/) (
French for 'new art'), also known as
Jugendstil (
German for 'youth style'), is an international
movement and
style of
art,
architecture and
applied art—especially the
decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at
the turn of the
20th century (1890–1905). A reaction to
academic art of the 19th century, it's characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms.
Art Nouveau's fifteen-year flowering was strongly felt throughout Europe—from
Glasgow to
Moscow to
Spain—but its influence was global. Consequently, it's known in various guises with frequent localized tendencies. In France,
Hector Guimard's
metro entrances shaped the landscape of
Paris and
Emile Gallé was at the center of the school of thought in
Nancy.
Victor Horta had a decisive impact on architecture in
Belgium. Magazines like
Jugend helped spread the style in
Germany, especially as a
graphic artform, while the
Vienna Secessionists influenced art and architecture throughout
Austria-Hungary. Art Nouveau was also a movement of distinct individuals such as
Gustav Klimt,
Charles Rennie Mackintosh,
Alfons Mucha,
René Lalique,
Antoni Gaudí and
Louis Comfort Tiffany, each of whom interpreted it in their own individual manner.
Although Art Nouveau fell out of fashion with the arrival of 20th-century
modernist styles, it's seen today as an important bridge between the
historicism of
Neoclassicism and modernism. The historic center of
Riga,
Latvia, with "the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe," was inscribed on the list in 1997 in part because of the "quality and the quantity of its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture", and four
Brussels town houses by Victor Horta were included in 2000 as "works of human creative genius" that are "outstanding examples of Art Nouveau architecture brilliantly illustrating the transition from the 19th to the 20th century in art, thought, and society." Those two names came from, respectively,
Siegfried Bing's gallery
L'Art Nouveau in Paris and the magazine
Jugend in
Munich, The fame of his gallery was increased at the
1900 Exposition Universelle, where he presented coordinated—in design and color—installations of modern furniture, tapestries and
objets d'art.. At the height of Art Nouveau it was instrumental in promoting the style in Germany. As a result, the magazine's name was adopted as the most common German-language term for the movement:
Jugendstil ("
Jugend-style"). Although in the early 20th century the word was only applied to two-dimensional examples of the graphic arts, especially the forms of organic
typography and
graphic design found in and influenced by German-magazines like
Jugend,
Pan, and
Simplicissimus, it's now broadly applied to the broader manifestations of Art Nouveau visual arts in
Germany, the
Netherlands, the
Baltic states and
Nordic countries.
Other names
Other local names were associated to the characteristics of its forms, its practitioners and their works, and schools of thought or study where it was popular. Moreover, many terms approximate the idea of "newness". Before the term "Art Nouveau" became
de rigueur in France,
Le Modern Style ("the modern style") was the more frequent designation. In the
United Kingdom it's associated with the activities of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh in
Glasgow, and is often known as the
"Glasgow" style.
Art Nouveau tendencies were also absorbed into larger local movements. In
Denmark, for example, it was one aspect of
Skønvirke ("aesthetic activity"), which itself more closely relates to the
Arts and Crafts Movement. Likewise, artists adopted many of the floral and organic motifs of Art Nouveau into the
Młoda Polska ("Young Poland") movement in
Poland. Młoda Polska, however, was also inclusive of other artistic styles and encompassed a broader approach to art, literature and lifestyle.
Origins
The origins of Art Nouveau are found in the resistance of
William Morris to the cluttered compositions and the
revival tendencies of the
Victorian era and his theoretical approaches that helped initiate the
Arts and crafts movement. However,
Arthur Mackmurdo's book-cover for
Wren's City Churches (1883), with its rhythmic floral patterns, is often considered the first realization of the Art Nouveau. The
wave of
Japonisme that swept through Europe in the 1880s and 1890s was particularly influential on many artists with its organic forms, references to the natural world, and clear designs that contrasted strongly with the reigning taste. in Paris and London, respectively. Subsequently, not only did the work itself become better-known as
The Whiplash, but the term "whiplash" is frequently applied to the characteristic curves employed by Art Nouveau artists.
Art Nouveau in architecture and
interior design eschewed the eclectic revival styles of the
Victorian era. Though Art Nouveau designers selected and 'modernized' some of the more abstract elements of
Rococo style, such as
flame and
shell textures, they also advocated the use of highly stylized organic forms as a source of inspiration, expanding the 'natural' repertoire to embrace
seaweed,
grasses, and
insects.
Painting and graphic arts
Two-dimensional Art Nouveau pieces were painted, drawn, and printed in popular forms such as
advertisements,
posters,
labels,
magazines, and the like.
Japanese wood-block prints, with their curved lines,
patterned surfaces, contrasting voids, and flatness of visual plane, also inspired Art Nouveau. Some line and curve patterns became graphic
clichés that were later found in works of artists from all parts of the world.
Glass and ceramics
Glass making was an area in which the style found tremendous expression — for example, the works of
Louis Comfort Tiffany in
New York,
Charles Rennie Mackintosh in
Glasgow and
Émile Gallé and the
Daum brothers in
Nancy,
France.
Objets d'Art and other examples
Jewelry of the Art Nouveau period revitalised the jeweler's art, with nature as the principal source of inspiration, complemented by new levels of virtuosity in
enameling and the introduction of new materials, such as
opals and semi-precious stones. The widespread interest in
Japanese art, and the more specialised enthusiasm for Japanese metalworking skills, fostered new themes and approaches to ornament.
For the previous two centuries, the emphasis in fine jewelry had been on
gemstones, particularly on the
diamond, and the jeweler or
goldsmith had been principally concerned with providing settings for their advantage. With Art Nouveau, a different type of jewelry emerged, motivated by the artist-designer rather than the jeweler as setter of precious stones.
The jewelers of Paris and
Brussels defined Art Nouveau in jewelry, and in these cities it achieved the most renown. Contemporary French critics were united in acknowledging that jewelry was undergoing a radical transformation, and that the French designer-jeweler-glassmaker
René Lalique was at its heart. Lalique glorified nature in jewelry, extending the repertoire to include new aspects of nature —
dragonflies or grasses — inspired by his encounter with Japanese art.
The jewelers were keen to establish the new style in a noble tradition, and for this they looked back to the
Renaissance, with its jewels of sculpted and enameled gold, and its acceptance of jewelers as artists rather than craftsmen. In most of the enameled work of the period precious stones receded. Diamonds were usually given subsidiary roles, used alongside less familiar materials such as moulded glass,
horn and
ivory.
Image:Beardsley-peacockskirt.PNG|The Peacock Skirt, by Aubrey Beardsley, (1892).
Image: Cheret-Aperitif-Mugnier-.jpg|Aperitif Mugnier, Jules Cheret 1894 poster for the French aperitif
Image:Dadon shemakha.jpg|Ivan Bilibin's illustration to The Golden Cockerel.
Image:Mucha-Maud Adams as Joan of Arc-1909.jpg|Poster of Maude Adams as Joan of Arc, by Alfons Mucha, 1909
Geography and scope of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was a movement that was very broad in its scope. To many Europeans it encompassed a whole way of life. It was possible to live in an art nouveau inspired house with art nouveau furniture, silverware, crockery, jewelry, cigarette cases etc. In addition to Siegfried "Samuel" Bing's famous store the movement was defined and promoted by communal workshops, organized groups of designers, and periodicals of the time. Despite the presence of the Maison de l'Art Nouveau the style wasn't an immediate success in Paris. Soon, however, the designers centered Art Nouveau in several European cities including Brussels, Nancy and Paris.
Art Nouveau is considered a 'total' style, meaning that it encompasses a
hierarchy of scales in design —
architecture;
interior design;
decorative arts including
jewelry,
furniture,
textiles, household silver and other utensils, and
lighting; and the range of
visual arts. (See
Hierarchy of genres.)
International expos
A high point in the evolution of Art Nouveau was the
Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, which presented an overview of the 'modern style' in every medium. It achieved further recognition at the
Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna of 1902 in
Turin, Italy, where designers exhibited from almost every European country where Art Nouveau was practiced.
France
In
Paris,
Maison de l'Art Nouveau, at the time run by
Siegfried Bing, that showcased objects that followed this approach to design.
Belgium
In Brussels the style was actively developed with the help of
Victor Horta and
Henry Van de Velde.
Germany
German Art Nouveau is commonly known in English by its German name,
Jugendstil. Drawing from traditional German
printmaking, the style uses precise and hard edges, an element which was rather different from the naturalistic style of the time. Within the field of Jugendstil art there are a variety of different methods, applied by the various individual artists. Methods range from classic to romantic. One feature that sets Jugendstil apart is the
typography used. Typically the letter and image combination is unmistakable. The combination was used for covers of novels, advertisements, or
exhibition posters. Designers often used unique display
typefaces which worked harmoniously with the image.
Henry Van de Velde, who worked most of his career in Germany, was a Belgian theorist who influenced many others to continue in this style of graphic art including
Peter Behrens,
Hermann Obrist, and Richard Riemerschmid.
Magazines were important in spreading the visual idiom of
Jugendstil, especially the graphical qualities. Besides
Jugend, other important ones were the satirical
Simplicissimus and
Pan.
Austria
A localized approach to Art Nouveau is represented by the artists of the
Vienna Secession, a
secession which was initiated on
3 April 1897 by
Gustav Klimt,
Koloman Moser,
Josef Hoffmann,
Joseph Maria Olbrich,
Max Kurzweil,
Otto Wagner, and others. They objected to the conservative orientation toward
historicism expressed by the
Vienna Künstlerhaus.
Britain
In the
United Kingdom, as stated, Art Nouveau developed out of the
Arts and Crafts Movement. The first stirrings of an Art Nouveau "movement" can be recognized in the 1880s, in a handful of progressive designs such as the architect-designer
Arthur Mackmurdo's
book cover design for his essay on the city
churches of
Sir Christopher Wren, published in 1883. Some free-flowing
wrought iron from the 1880s could also be adduced, or some flat floral
textile designs, most of which owed some impetus to patterns of High
Victorian design. The most important center in Britain eventually became
Glasgow, with the creations of
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his circle.
Spain
In
Spain, the movement was centered in
Barcelona and was an essential element of the Catalan movement
Modernisme. Architect
Antoni Gaudí, whose decorative architectural style is so highly personal that he's sometimes seen as practising an artistic language separate from Art Nouveau, is nonetheless united with the movement by his use of floral and organic forms. His designs from around 1903, the
Casa Batlló (1904–1906) and
Casa Milà (1906–1908), are most closely related to the stylistic elements of Art Nouveau. However, famous structures such as the
Sagrada Familia characteristically contrast the modernizing Art Nouveau tendencies with revivalist
Neo-Gothic. Examples of Art Nouveau in the city, along with the exteriors of any number of private apartment and commercial buildings, are the Hotel Pariz, Smíchov Market Hall, Hotel Central, the windows in the St. Wenceslas Chapel at
St. Vitus Cathedral, the
main railway station, Grand Hotel and the
Jubilee Synagogue. The
Olsany Cemetery and the
New Jewish Cemetery are also important important examples of Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau centers
Noted Art Nouveau practitioners
Architects
Émile André (1871―1933)
Gavriil Baranovsky (1860―1920)
Peter Behrens (1868―1940)
Georges Biet (1868―1955)
Paul Charbonnier (1865―1953)
Gino Coppedè (1866―1927)
Raimondo Tommaso D'Aronco (1857―1932)
Mikhail Eisenstein (1867 - 1921)
August Endel (1871―1925)
Max Fabiani (1865―1962)
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926)
Vladislav Gorodetsky (1863-1930))
Hector Guimard (1867-1942)
Gustaw Landau Gutenteger (1862-1924)
Paul Hankar (1859-1901)
Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956)
Victor Horta (1861-1947)
Károly Kós (1883-1997)
Béla Lajta (1873-1920)
Dawid Lande (1868-1928)
Ödön Lechner (1845-1914)
Lev Kekushev (1862-1919)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928)
Ede Magyar (1877-1912)
Rafael Masó (1880-1935)
Gyula Pártos (1845-1916)
Marian Peretiatkovich (1872-1916)
Jože Plečnik (1872-1957)
Zsigmond Quittner (1859-1918)
Fyodor Schechtel (1859-1926)
Gustave Strauven (1878-1919)
Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)
László Székely (1877-1934)
Eugène Vallin (1856-1922)
Henry Van de Velde (1863-1957)
Otto Wagner (1841-1918)
William Walcot (1874-1943)
Lucien Weissenburger (1860-1929)
Art, drawing, and graphics
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898)
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942)
Walter Crane (1845-1915)
Jules Cheret (1836-1932)
Gaston Gerard (1878-1969)
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
E. M. Lilien (1874-1925)
Jozef Mehoffer (1869-1946)
Alfons Mucha (1860-1939)
József Rippl-Rónai (1861-1927)
Valentin Serov (1865-1911)
Konstantin Somov (1869-1939)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)
Janos Vaszary (1867-1939)
Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907)
Mural and Mosaic designers
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926)
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
Alfons Mucha (1860-1939)
Furniture designers
Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940)
Eugène Gaillard (1862-1933)
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928)
Louis Majorelle (1859-1926)
Jože Plečnik (1872-1957)
Henry van de Velde (1863-1957)
Glassware and Stained Glass designers
Auguste Daum (1853-1909)
Antonin Daum (1864-1930)
Émile Gallé (1846-1904)
Jacques Gruber (1870-1936)
René Lalique (1860-1945)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928)
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933)
Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907)
Sanchi Ogawa (1867-1928)
Other decorative artists
Charles Robert Ashbee (1863-1942)
Will H. Bradley (1868-1962)
Jules Brunfaut (1852-1942)
Jan Bukowski (1873-1938)
Auguste Delaherche (1857-1940)
Georges de Feure (1868-1928)
Archibald Knox (1864-1933)
Hermann Obrist (1863-1927)
Jane Spensor (1845-1922)
Artus Van Briggle (1869-1904)
Philippe Wolfers (1858-1929)
Vilmos Zsolnay (1828-1900)Gallery
Image:Riga - Alberta iela 4.JPG|Building in Riga by Mikhail Eisenstein
Image:Hôtel Ciamberlani Sgraffite 2007.JPG|Hôtel Ciamberlani in Brussels by Paul Hankar
Image:DA-Haus Behrens1.jpg|House of the architect Peter Behrens on the Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt
Image:Piotrkowska 43 Lodz.jpg|Building in Łódź by Gustaw Landau Gutenteger
Image:House with Chimaeras front façade.JPG|The House with Chimaeras in Kiev by Vladislav Gorodetsky.
Image:Oviedo casas del cuito.jpg|Casas del cuito building in Oviedo
Image:Yaroslavskiy mzd.jpg|Yaroslavsky Rail Terminal, Moscow
Image:TarguMures2.JPG|Hungarian art nouveau: Palatul Prefecturii, 1907 (Târgu Mureş, Romania)
Image:Cifra Palota.jpg|Cifrapalota, 1902 (Kecskemét, Hungary)
Image:Ålesund centre.jpg|The centre of Ålesund, Norway, was rebuilt after a fire in 1904. Much of it in Art Nouveau style.
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