Art Nouveau

Nature and Man Intertwined

“A style of decoration and architectural
detail popular in the 1890s featuring
sinuous, floral motifs”
John Milnes Baker, AIA
General characteristics of architecture

 Asymmetrical shapes
 Extensive use of arches and fluid curved forms with a whiplash
effect
 Curved glass
 Swirling tendrils, botanical-like embellishments
 Mosaics
 Stained glass
 Japanese motif
 Exposed Iron
 Distinguishing Factors
 Art nouveau philosophy was in favor of applying artistic
designs to everyday objects
 It saw no separation in principle between fine art and
applied/decorative arts
 It had an organic quality with floral and plant motifs,
curvy women with flowers adorning their hair, birds,
peacocks feathers, and insects.
 The movement also sought a youthful, energetic style that
could find harmony with the environment
Victor Horta
Architect (1861-1947)
 Victor Horta
 Horta is famous for his pioneering work in Art Nouveau
and the translation of the style from the decorative arts
into architecture in the early 1890s.

 Horta's inventiveness with Art Nouveau helped to make it

something of a national style in Belgium by 1900 before
its swift demise in advance of World War I.

 Horta's work in Art Nouveau is marked by a keen

understanding of the capabilities of industrial advances
with iron and glass as structure and infill.
 Hotel Van
Eetvelde
(1895)

 The façade is made out of iron,

stone and glass.

 The middle section of the

building is slightly cantilevered
over the ground floor entry.

 The front is sequestered behind

a swirling iron garden gate.
 Hotel Van
Eetvelde
(1895)

 The interior boasts a patterned

glass dome.

 The design is flowing and fluid

with details in marble and exotic
timbers.
Antoni Gaudi
Architect (1852-1926)
 Antoni Gaudi
 The son of a coppersmith, Antoni Gaudí was born on June 25,
1852, and took to architecture at a young age.

 He attended school in Barcelona, the city that would become

home to most of his great works.

 Gaudí was part of the Catalan Modernista movement,

eventually transcending it with his nature-based organic style.

 Gaudí died on June 10, 1926, in Barcelona, Spain.

“ I do not know if we have awarded this degree to a
madman or to a genius; only time will tell ”
 Antoni Gaudi

He conceived for Barcelona a series of

architectural extravaganzas, apparently pervaded
by thoughts of nature in its less attractive
manifestations - the rabbit warren or termite hill,
reptilian anatomy, weeds on the rampage.
 Casa Batlló,
Barcelona
 Antoni Gaudí brought his
exuberant take on Art Nouveau to
Barcelona, creating many of the
city’s architectural landmarks.

 Casa Batlló, situated on the

Passeig de Gràcia, is one of his
best-known works and features
allusions to the legend of St.
George and the Dragon. Its
exterior is sheathed in colorful
pieces of broken ceramics, while
the roof is covered in scalelike
tiles.