Week 2: Art Nouveau in Europe
Art Nouveau which means 'New Art' was a decorative style that covered various areas such as architecture, interior design, furniture, and graphics. It has origins from Britain but formally started in France in the late 19th century during a time of political turmoil which occurred some years before World War I.
In 1895, a French shop-owner Samuel Bing opened a gallery called L'Art Nouveau which created grounds for the formal beginning of Art Nouveau although hints of the style had been spotted around since 1884 in diverse Art forms.
Just like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau was a reaction against the Victorian design, rejecting its prominent use of clutter, eclecticism, and historical design. As they shared this similar character, they also had differentiating features such as the lack of embrace of manufacturing processes from the artists of the Arts and Crafts movement and on the other hand, the embrace of technology and manufacturing processes by the artists of the Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau artists sought newness as they drew inspiration from natural objects such as flowers, vines, birds and even insects as motifs for their architecture, interiors, graphics, furniture, and jewelry, giving them a prominent characteristic of curvilinear and organic shapes. They embraced the use of new materials also and their acceptance of newness in various ways without tying back their inspiration to any kind of historical references aided the rapid spread of the style making it the first International Style.
Unity of all elements that made up a space especially in the interior such as the wall finishes, the floor, furniture, and decorations was a very important characteristic of the Art Nouveau style.
Glass and Metal were new materials popularly used by Art Nouveau artists and other rich materials such as mahogany, walnut, rosewood, and others to detail furniture.
Although Art Nouveau was not around for a very long time, lasting from around 1890-1910, during its time, it spread across Europe rapidly with great associations with France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic and eventually got to the United States.
In 1895, a French shop-owner Samuel Bing opened a gallery called L'Art Nouveau which created grounds for the formal beginning of Art Nouveau although hints of the style had been spotted around since 1884 in diverse Art forms.
Just like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau was a reaction against the Victorian design, rejecting its prominent use of clutter, eclecticism, and historical design. As they shared this similar character, they also had differentiating features such as the lack of embrace of manufacturing processes from the artists of the Arts and Crafts movement and on the other hand, the embrace of technology and manufacturing processes by the artists of the Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau artists sought newness as they drew inspiration from natural objects such as flowers, vines, birds and even insects as motifs for their architecture, interiors, graphics, furniture, and jewelry, giving them a prominent characteristic of curvilinear and organic shapes. They embraced the use of new materials also and their acceptance of newness in various ways without tying back their inspiration to any kind of historical references aided the rapid spread of the style making it the first International Style.
Unity of all elements that made up a space especially in the interior such as the wall finishes, the floor, furniture, and decorations was a very important characteristic of the Art Nouveau style.
Glass and Metal were new materials popularly used by Art Nouveau artists and other rich materials such as mahogany, walnut, rosewood, and others to detail furniture.
Although Art Nouveau was not around for a very long time, lasting from around 1890-1910, during its time, it spread across Europe rapidly with great associations with France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic and eventually got to the United States.
Historical Examples
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| Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, Barcelona, 1906-10 designed by Antoni Gaudi. |
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| PaintednOak Cabinet with Colored Glass designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh,1902 |
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| Art Nouveau Staircase, Emile Tassel House, Brussels,1893-07 designed by Victor Horta |
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| Buffet cabinet designed by Hector Guimard |
Current Applications
One Step Further...
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) was a Spanish Catalan Architect. He was inspired by Medieval and Gothic historic forms and was well learned in the Medieval history and craftsmanship.
Early in his career, he was highly interested in ornamental motifs which he experimented with greatly using glazed tiles.
He had a phase that was was very personal and original up to the point that it was very difficult for his compositions to be copied as they were very organic appearing to be bending or swaying.
His work was inspired by his passions which included architecture, nature, and religion.
He was skilled enough to design a facade combining glass, masonry, ceramic tile, wood, and metal all in one facade and have them work well in unity together.
He was well known for fluidity in his designs whether it was a floor flan, facade or furniture. His early projects included the Palau Guell, 1886-1891 and the Parque Guell, 1900-1914. Following them were the Casa Batllo, 1904-1906 and the Casa Mila, 1906-1910.
What I like the most about Gaudi is how he put his heart into his designs so that it was unique and how he was able to make his ideas work well using various materials and techniques. He was not afraid to push boundaries and try new things.
Below are some of Gaudi's designs:
I find Gaudi's design of Casa Batllo so interesting. It almost looks like it is from another world with the unique combination of organic shapes and glass. I. think you are right when you say that he put his heart into his designs. They are definitely unique and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSimi- Thank you for a great summary of the Art Nouveau period of design. I loved your examples past and current. Focusing on Gaudi's design was a great choice. I have never seen the heart shaped chair at the bottom of your Blog- that is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThe heart shaped chair is called the 'Calvet Armchair'. It was designed by Gaudi in 1902 and it is made of French Oak. He designed it after he finished Casa Calvet for the Office Managment of Casa Calvet.
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