Art Nouveau
WengChing Li & Norman Diaz
Boot Camp MFA D+T
8/8/11
What is Art Nouveau?
(New Art) is an art style which was mainly
manifested in visual arts, design and
architecture in the late 19th century and the
early 20th century (1890 – 1914).
I many ways, this style was a
response to the Industrial
Revolution. The technological
progress was welcomed by artists
who embraced the aesthetic
possibilities of using new materials
in their art work such as cast iron
Decorate with abstract curves he
was able to express the malleable
nature of metal, whose varied
composition provided the
decorative theme of mural
paintings and mosaics. He thus
created a teeming universe where
lines expressed vitality, the power
of plant growth.
When &Where:
This style was spread pretty fast
throughout Europe thanks to photoillustrated art magazines and
international exhibitions. Its name differed
according to each country, so it was
called “Modernisme” in Catalonia,
“Liberty” in Italy, “Jugendstil” in Germany,
“Secession” in Vienna and Prague
Hector Guimard is the architect
who developed the style in France.
He designed the Parisian Metro
subway entrances in 1898-1901
Van de Velde moved to Paris and
designed a shop for Samuel Bing. The
La Maison de l'Art Nouveau shop
would give its name to the Art
Nouveau movement. Velde designed
everything in his own house down to
the table silver and cookware
Influence of Art Nouveau now:
Art Nouveau was aimed at modernizing
design, seeking to escape the eclectic
historical styles that had previously been
popular. Artists drew inspiration from both
organic and geometric forms, evolving elegant
designs that united flowing, natural forms
with more angular contours. The movement
was committed to abolishing the traditional
hierarchy of the arts, which viewed so-called
liberal arts, such as painting and sculpture, as
superior to craft-based decorative arts, and
ultimately it had far more influence on the
latter. The style went out of fashion after it
gave way to Art Deco in the 1920s, but it
experienced a popular revival in the 1960s,
and it is now seen as an important
predecessor of modernism.
1)The desire to abandon the historical styles of the 19th century was an important impetus.
The practitioners of Art Nouveau sought to revive good workmanship, raise the status of craft.
2)The academic system, which dominated art education from the 17th to the 19th century, underpinned the
widespread belief that media such as painting and sculpture were superior to crafts such as furniture design
and silver-smithing. The consequence, many believed, was the neglect of good craftsmanship. Art Nouveau
artists sought to overturn that belief, aspiring instead to "total works of the arts," the infamous
Gesamtkunstwerk, that inspired buildings and interiors in which every element partook of the same visual
vocabulary.
3)Many Art Nouveau designers felt that 19th century design had been excessively ornamental, and in wishing
to avoid what they perceived as frivolous decoration, they evolved a belief that the function of an object
should dictate its form. This theory had its roots in contemporary revivals of the gothic style, and in practice
it was a somewhat flexible ethos, yet it would be an important part of the style's legacy to later movements
such as modernism and the Bauhaus.
*architecture
Synthesis
Material- glass/iron/ceramic/brickwork
-surely directed opposed to the
traditional architectural values of clarity
and reason of structure.
Style- asymmetrical shapes/ curved
glass/ extensive use of arches and
curved forms/ mosaics/ curving, plant
like embellishments, stained glass and
Japanese motifs.
*glass/ glass/iron staircases
-The Art Nouveau designers selected
and modernized some of the abstract
elements of the rococo style, such as
shells and flames textures and they also
advocated the use of very stylized
organic forms as a source of inspiration
in their art works, expending the natural
elements used to embrace grasses,
insects and seaweed.
*Reference: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry
*print
the lithograph “Tropon” by Henry van de Velde (1898) shows the distinctive color choices of an Art Nouveau Print
with dull green, brilliant ochre and orang.
-popular forms such as posters, advertisements, labels and magazines.
style- typified as extravagant, flowing and with curved lines, often with a floral motif. But it was perhaps the
commercial application of the style that gives its particular appeal, directness and lasting presence.
Glass making
Accessories
Jewelery-
nature as the principle source of inspiration, complemented by new levels of virtuosity introductions of new materials such as semi-precious stones and opals.inspiration- in
Japanese art , metalworking skills and fostered new themes and approached to
ornamentation.
*Furniture
*round, sinuous and
elegant lines.
*The furniture has made
out of wood usually
combined with glass and
metal.
*Some furniture pieces
had tapestry and stylish
floral patterns.
*The cabinets regularly
had many drawers and
painted glasses.
Comment
*Aura?
*Beauty and commercial –Mucha
*explore the meaning of paintings- Van goph or
Picasso
*reflects great paining techniques, manner, and great
sense of symmetry and balace
*main flow
*without limitation and make mistakes
Sources:
http://sampleboardonlineinaustralia.bl
ogspot.com/2010/04/horta-van-develde-bauhaus-and-bing.html
http://www.pixel77.com/the-influenceof-art-history-on-modern-design-artnouveau/
http://www.artnouveaunet.eu/Network/ArtNouveau/AboutArt
Nouveau/tabid/133/language/enGB/Default.aspx