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 photo illustrated 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,"

vocabulary.

the infamous

Gesamtkunstwerk, that inspired buildings and interiors in which every element partook of the same visual

3)Many Art Nouveau designers felt should dictate its form. 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 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-de velde-bauhaus-and-bing.html

http://www.pixel77.com/the-influence of-art-history-on-modern-design-art nouveau/ http://www.artnouveau net.eu/Network/ArtNouveau/AboutArt Nouveau/tabid/133/language/en GB/Default.aspx