Art Nouveau summary and examples
Taking every day objects and transforming them into pieces of both functionality and beauty. This was an Era of elegance, nature and sensuality…
Art Nouveau is French for ‘new art’ and is a global philosophy and style of art that was popular between the years 1880 to 1914. Art Nouveau philosophy was in favour of applying artistic designs to everyday objects, in order to make beautiful things available to everyone. No object was too practical to enhance its beauty. One of the main reasons for the start of this global phenomenon was as a response to the over industrialization of products. The key ideas of this movement were to abandon the historical Victorian styles of the 19th century and revive good workmanship, raise the status of craft, and produce a more modern design. To avoid what was perceived as frivolous decoration was also important and Art Nouveau developed a belief that the function of an object should dictate its form. It is difficult to tell exactly when Art Nouveau was officially launched; some say that the patterned, curving lines and floral backgrounds found in the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin embody Art Nouveau’s birth.
The core element of Art Nouveau is emphasis on the vertical. Curvilinear line is also a very important element of Art Nouveau; the twisting and winding extended curve found in every design of this style; the rejection of the straight line and right-angle in admiration of a more natural movement. This curving, continuous line carried with it a feeling of lightness, grace and freedom. Nature was the fundamental reference of the Art Nouveau artist, inspired by the use of organic shapes and dramatic, curving lines that surround many forms of art including paintings, glass, furniture and architecture. Elements in nature were stylized and made into designs.
The characteristics of Art Nouveau first started in England and then quickly
Art Nouveau is French for ‘new art’ and is a global philosophy and style of art that was popular between the years 1880 to 1914. Art Nouveau philosophy was in favour of applying artistic designs to everyday objects, in order to make beautiful things available to everyone. No object was too practical to enhance its beauty. One of the main reasons for the start of this global phenomenon was as a response to the over industrialization of products. The key ideas of this movement were to abandon the historical Victorian styles of the 19th century and revive good workmanship, raise the status of craft, and produce a more modern design. To avoid what was perceived as frivolous decoration was also important and Art Nouveau developed a belief that the function of an object should dictate its form. It is difficult to tell exactly when Art Nouveau was officially launched; some say that the patterned, curving lines and floral backgrounds found in the artwork of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin embody Art Nouveau’s birth.
The core element of Art Nouveau is emphasis on the vertical. Curvilinear line is also a very important element of Art Nouveau; the twisting and winding extended curve found in every design of this style; the rejection of the straight line and right-angle in admiration of a more natural movement. This curving, continuous line carried with it a feeling of lightness, grace and freedom. Nature was the fundamental reference of the Art Nouveau artist, inspired by the use of organic shapes and dramatic, curving lines that surround many forms of art including paintings, glass, furniture and architecture. Elements in nature were stylized and made into designs.
The characteristics of Art Nouveau first started in England and then quickly