The Winds of Change Bring in Art Nouveau
With change, new design and style ideas appeared in many different areas of Victorian life, and designers continued to search for ways to reflect the changing world of the late 19th century. In Britain, in the last quarter of the century, international trade was more important than it had ever been. At the same time, there was a consciousness, particularly among artists and designers, that this was a new, modern age which should be reflected in their work; they needed a 'new art' or, as the French say, "Art Nouveau."
This was not a purely British movement but was seen worldwide in Europe, Australia, the USA, Canada and Japan.
Picture: An Art Nouveau storefront in France. Copyright © Pixeltoo - Creative Commons License.
From Classical to Eastern and Folk Influences
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, painted by Gustav Klimt.
Art Nouveau was a conscious attempt at modernism and a departure from traditional Victorian forms of design, most of which looked back to the past for inspiration.Designers rejected the inspiration of classical European art and instead looked to Japanese, Celtic and other folk art as a basis for their work. This can be seen in works by artists such as Gustav Klimt. Typical motifs come from nature: flowers, insects and birds. Lines curve and wind, straight lines were scorned by Art Nouveau designers.
Symbolism is important in the designs. For example a leaf may be just a leaf or perhaps it is part of the female body. Designers used forms from the natural world in ways that suggested they might represent human limbs. They used traditional materials like wood, glass, and pewter.
A Ragbag of Different Styles?
It is only comparatively recently that Art Nouveau was accepted as a 'style' and accorded any real recognition. It had been seen as a collection of different styles with little in common except, perhaps, a taste for excess and flamboyant decoration.Not only is there no consensus on the exact definition or characteristics of Art Nouveau, there is even some argument over the period it covered although generally it is thought to be from the 1890s to about 1910.
Art Nouveau was not universally acclaimed, particularly in England. Many critics of the period saw it as decadent and self indulgent. For example, the sculptor, Sir Alfred Gilbert who created Eros in Piccadilly Circus, said "L'Art Nouveau, forsooth! Absolute nonsense! It belongs to the young lady's seminary and the duffer's paradise..." This was not untypical of the feelings of the time.
Picture: Art Nouveau furniture by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, Musée d'Orsay. Paris, France.
Picture Copyright © Haguard Du Nord - Creative Commons License.
Mr. Bing & l'Art Nouveau
Award-winning documentarian Francoise Levie specializes in biographies of unique individuals and Siegfried Bing is no exception. Bing was the inspiration and force behind the art movement known as art nouveau, promoting artists as diverse and talented as Munch and Toulouse-Lautrec. Levie shows how Bing put his personal stamp on the late 19th century art world by exposing Europe to Asian arts, promoting decorative arts, and handling the work of key artists.
The Role of the Liberty Store
In London, the famous Liberty department store had been instrumental in encouraging and promoting Arts and Crafts. Arthur Lasenby Liberty, its proprietor, knew many of the designers and, in the 1890s, promoted Art Nouveau in both the London and Paris stores. Indeed, in Italy, Art Nouveau was known as Stile Liberty so synonymous was Liberty & Co with the style.Liberty sold work by designers like Lindsay P. Butterfield, who produced textiles and wallpaper, and Archibald Knox who designed across a wide range from pewter and jewellery to carpets and clocks.
Picture: Candlesticks by Archibald Knox, now in the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Picture Copyright © Piotrus - Creative Commons License.
A Pewter Butter Dish by Archibald Knox
ART NOUVEAU - CALLA LILY MIRROR, SS-6663
This gorgeous figurine/statue has the finest details and highest quality you will find anywhere! Our team prides ourselves on finding the best prices without reducing quality, and in this collection, we have definitely done just that! The craftsmanship of this lovely collectible is truly remarkable.
Two Great Art Nouveau Designers
Part of Louis Comfort Tiffany's Stained Glass Window in Yale University called 'Education'
Many gifted designers embraced Art Nouveau but two of the greatest must be René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, both renowned for their designs in glass and jewellery.Louis Comfort Tiffany is perhaps best known for his lamps and smaller glass objects. Some of his most stunning work in glass, however, was on a much bigger scale. Examples can be seen in the Tiffany Chapel, reassembled at the Morse Museum of American Art in Florida. Constructed using Favrile glass (Tiffany's own invention), the reredos or altar wall shows a bunch of grapes between two peacocks over which hovers an enormous crown. The chapel also contains leaded windows by Tiffany.
Much of Lalique's Art Nouveau jewellery is exquisitely delicate, and depicts natural forms like flowers, leaves and seed pods. Unusually for a jewellery designer of the time, Lalique's pieces often had relatively little intrinsic value because he did not often use large gemstones in his work. He refined the use of glass in jewellery, not as imitation diamonds or other precious stones, but as a painter uses paint. This technique continued into vases, statuettes, car mascots and glass panels.
A comb with an orchid made by René Lalique
Picture Copyright © RSNY - Creative Commons License.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
One of the UK's greatest Art Nouveau designers was a Scotsman called Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His work was ahead of its time and wasn't widely appreciated until after he died.Learn more about his life and work on this lens.
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh was one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. Multi-talented, he designed buildings, furniture, textiles, interiors and painted unusual and dramatic watercolours. In spite of being probably the most gifted d...
Light Designed by Rennie Mackintosh
Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany, Lalique
Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique-these great designers came together only once to display their goods in what was probably the most opulent exhibition ever mounted. At the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the three strove to position themselves ahead of their many competitors in the luxury market, each presenting his jewelry and home adornments as high art. Their success is explored in this splendidly illustrated catalogue, which elucidates the prewar pinnacle of European culture.
The array of displayed objects was mesmerizing: Tiffany glass, Easter eggs to dazzle the Czars, realistic insects created in precious materials as sinister decorations. Many of these bore influences of the advanced art of the time, such as Art Nouveau, Viennese modernism, and symbolism, and of styles from around the world.
Antoni Gaudi - Art Nouveau Architect
Antoni Gaudi in Spain is probably one of the most controversial Art Nouveau designers. The keynotes of his architecture were fluid lines and extravagant exterior decoration much of it done by using a mixture of applied materials to the outside walls.His best known building is the cathedral, Temple de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain, which he started in 1882 and he worked on for over forty years until his death in 1926. Since then, other architects have taken over the project in an effort to finish it. This has been made more difficult because the original plans were destroyed by anarchists in the 1930s. Now, the estimated finishing date is in 2026 but many people will be surprised if it is completed by then.
Gaudi's use of applying materials to the walls gives it an organic appearance. In some places it looks like melted wax or some kind of primordial plant. The whole building is so unexpected and extraordinary that it is now one of Spain's most popular visitor attractions.
Picture: Temple de la Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Picture Copyright © Wolfgang Staudt - Creative Commons License.
Detail from the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
Antonio Gaudi - Criterion Collection
Architect Antonio Gaudí designed some of the world s most astonishing buildings, interiors, and parks; Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara constructed some of the most aesthetically audacious films of the second half of the twentieth century. Here, their artistry melds in a unique, enthralling cinematic experience. Less a documentary than a visual poem, Teshigahara s ANTONIO GAUDI takes viewers on a tour of Gaudí s truly spectacular architecture, including his massive still-unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, in Barcelona. With camerawork as bold and sensual as the curves on his subject s organic surfaces, Teshigahara immortalizes Gaudí on film.
Remember Those Less Fortunate
An international organization that delivers emergency aid and to people suffering from natural disasters or man-made crises.
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- pkmcr pkmcr Nov 19, 2009 @ 10:48 am
- Congratulations on your well deserved Purple Star :-)
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- pkmcr pkmcr Nov 15, 2009 @ 9:58 am
- I am not sure how I had missed this amazing lens about a form of art which I adore. Rectified now and Blessed by a Squid Angel :-)
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- palaceofglass palaceofglass Nov 8, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
- Nice lens! So inspiring and simply great! 5 stars from me.
Glass Decoration
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- MiaBellezza MiaBellezza Oct 26, 2009 @ 9:51 am
- I love art nouveau and art deco. Wonderful lens 5* and thanks for dropping by!
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- KarateKatGraphics KarateKatGraphics Sep 23, 2009 @ 11:22 am
- 5* and rolling this to squidoo.com/odilon-redon
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- goldenecho goldenecho Sep 14, 2009 @ 12:49 am
- Wonderful lens, great job! I am surprised you didn't mention Aphonse Mucha, though.
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- ulla_hennig ulla_hennig Aug 10, 2009 @ 5:02 am
- I like this lens! I have been to Riga in June - this town has quite a few art nouveau houses.
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- GroovyFinds GroovyFinds Jul 6, 2009 @ 2:28 am
- How cool, Instant fave!
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- JanTUB JanTUB May 24, 2009 @ 10:08 am
- Art Nouveau is so curvy and sinuous, it conjures up a reclining fairy queen picture from a book I've had since I was three. This a wonderfully informative lens for design buffs. Thanks. 5* and faved.
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- Agapantha Agapantha May 22, 2009 @ 6:44 pm
- I could drool
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Lensmaster Stazjia has been a member since September 26 2006, has rated 1,377 lenses, favorited 822, and has created 129 lenses from scratch. Carol Fisher donates their royalties to Dolphin Communication Project. This member's top-ranked page is "Classic Funny Poems for Kids". See all my lenses
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