Art Nouveau
ORNAMENTAL INDUSTRY
Curvilinear, biomorphic lines were the style. Architectural forms appeared to organically grow from the ground up. Outrageous embellishment celebrated new forms in architecture, all types of design, and fine art. Whereas other movements considered the Fin de siècle (French for “end of the century”) an era of cultural degeneration and produced works fraught with angst, the Art Nouveau movement embraced technological advances and promoted a hopeful decadence in art and life.
WHEN & WHERE
c. 1885–1910
Europe, USA
Some Art Nouveau artists explored modern materials—such as glass and cast iron—for creative expression. The movement drew inspiration from the organic lines of Celtic art, the bright colors and graphic outlines of Japanese woodcuts, and the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Nouveau wanted to erase the line that divided the fine arts from craft and design; everything was to be touched by beauty!
Detail of Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain, Antoni Gaudi, 1905-1907.
Art Nouveau was the first movement to go truly international, encompassing all of the arts and spreading like wildfire across Europe and North America. Theater posters by Alphonse Mucha graced public spaces with sinuous ladies and floral designs. Ornate Tiffany lamps lit up the United States. Gaudi’s undulating buildings erupted from the Spanish landscape. In Austria, Gustav Klimt seemed to bury his painted figures in ornamentation.
Art Nouveau’s popularity waned with Modernism’s emergence, evolving into the more streamlined Art Deco aesthetic. However, several architectural landmarks in the Art Nouveau style are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites and are considered shining jewels of history. —ARR
Selected artists: Aubrey Beardsley, Antoni Gaudi, Victor Horta, Gustav Klimt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Charles Mackintosh, Alphonse Mucha, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Henri van de Velde