WELCOME

TO
ART NOUVEAU
PRESENTED BY SERENA RAKHA
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Historical background

02 Explanation on the movement

03 Example
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1880s 1900s

Started
Ended

1890s 1914

The roots of Art Nouveau can be traced back to the Arts and Crafts Movement in England.
Arts and Crafts is often seen as a response to growing industrialization in Europe and the
rise of factory mass production at the perceived expense of traditional craftsmanship.
How was the art nouveau named
Art Nouveau first appeared in the art journal L’Art
Moderne to describe the work of Les Vingt, a
society of 20 artists. These painters responded to
leading theories by French architect Eugène-
Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and British critic John
Ruskin, who advocated for the unity of all arts. In
December 1895, the German-born art dealer
Siegfried Bing opened a gallery in Paris named
“Maison l’Art Nouveau.” Branching out from the
Japanese ceramics and ukiyo-e prints for which
he had become known.
Inspirations that lead to the art nouveau

01 02
William Moriss Japanese art
English writer, designer, architect
and socialist .(1834-1896)
 01
William
Moriss
 The key practitioner
William Morris was its defining figure. He rejected the
tawdry production values and dehumanizing aspects of
Victorian capitalism, looking instead to the communal
C values of the medieval era. Morris’s ideals of artisanal
craftsmanship, and his use of stylized floral and organic
forms, resonated with many Art Nouveau artists.
“Have nothing in your house
that you do not know to be
useful, or believe to be
beautiful.”

—WILLIAM MORIS
C
 02
Japanese
art
 It started with “Ukiyo-e”, meaning
“pictures of the floating world”, a
very popular form of art in Japan,)
the result of Japanese culture
pushing back against European
expansion. Artists began to
C
flourish in decorative arts.
They worked on flat perspective
and strong colors of Japanese
wood block prints. And the
whiplash curves and how they
were defined
Art Nouveu embraced all kind of arts

• Architecture
• Furniture
• Glassware
• Graphic design
• Jewelry
• Paintings
• Pottery
• Metalwork
• textile
 Some art nouveau architects

August Endell Hector Guimard

(1871–1925) (1867-1942)
designer, writer, teacher,
a French architect
and German architect. and designer
Explanation on the “Art Nouveau movement”
Art Nouveau was ubiquitous in Europe’s
train stations, tea rooms and department
stores: it belonged equally to the public and
private realms. Art Nouveau flourished
during a period of rapid social and
technological change in Europe as
industrialization, mass production and
urbanization accelerated.
it belonged to large groups that wanted to
change lives, to bring art to all the different
social classes, not just rich people but the
labor classes, too. The idea was that Art
Nouveau was designed for everybody, the
poor and the rich.
Explanation on the “Art Nouveau movement”

It was the style of the new generation. It

was not the style of the nobility or
conservative society. It was the style of
the new industrial era, of the young
generation with new ideas, and of the new
bourgeoisie, which wanted a style to
distinguish itself from the old.
Art Nouveau artists respected nature and
were focused on the quality of life in
general.
Explanation on the “Art Nouveau movement”
They were very concerned with
beauty, but also with the function of
each object. They wanted to take care
not only of a patron’s house, but also
of the workers in the factories that
made the things that went into the
house, so that the workers would have
a better working environment. They
changed the ways in which society
viewed the labor classes by making
special little houses for them, and
even schools for their children. It
wasn’t just a question of doing a nice
painting for a nice room. It was the
whole concept.
 CHARACTERISTCS
.
• Inspired by the lines and shapes of nature
• Flowing moving lines
• Creation of ‘ total work of art’
• Emphasized function over form
• Usage of ‘ whiplash curves’
• Rhythmic flower patterns ( which was the first
realization of art nouveau)
• 2d imagery
• Illustrations of deep sea creatures and plants were
used for reference
• Asymmetry
Examples on the whiplash curves
ARCHITECTURE
IN
ART NOUVEAU
• Art nouveau was a statement of national modernity and aesthetic taste. Fluid wrought-iron
designs and architectural stoneware brought a distinctive and luxurious presence to building
facades and bridges.

• Whether the structure is a house, church, or entrance to a commercial building, certain

design elements are common. Many structures include shapes drawn from nature, like
insects, birds and graceful plant forms.

An abstract flowing style combining

linear forms with industrial construction
for Metro stations in Paris, by architect -
Hector Guimard
Architectural key features

• Asymmetrical shapes
• Extensive use of arches
• Curved glass
• Plant-like embellishments
• Mosaic
• Stained glass
• Japanese motifs
• Grand scale
• Whiplash curves
Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926)

Catalan architect , born in Spain.

He had a distinctive style is characterized by
freedom of form, voluptuous color and
texture, and organic unity.
Gaudi's buildings reveals his interest in
nature.
Casa Batlló,
Barcelona
Façade Description
 Façade covered
with splendid
Breaking the
mosaic colors
symmetry

Fragment skulls
balconies with Large oval
openings windows shaped
like masks and
bons

Columns
representing the
human bones

Main entrance
CLOSER LOOK ON THE FAÇADE’S DETAILS
ROOF DESCRIPTION
 a wave shape that
recalls the arched
back of a dragon
A tower with the
typical cross of four
arms

Utility and storage

rooms
PLAN
• organic forms that The layout is a-symmetrical.
evoke movement of the The rooms branches off of a
sea, central
SECTION
 ROOF

COURTYARD
 ATTIC

THE LOBBY
 PATIO

NOBLE PLANT
 Materials

• Seen on the façade :

Trencadís, in addition to the usage of lime mortar for the
creation of wavy motion.
• Iron – The masks that make up the railings of the
balconies are made of cast iron.
• Ceramic – Stained glass, ceramics in bright colors,
 References

❖ https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/guest-column-the-social-
agenda-of-art-nouveau/
❖ https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-nouveau/history-and-
concepts/
❖ https://www.europeana.eu/en/exhibitions/art-nouveau-a-universal-
style/architecture-and-interiors
❖ https://sharayahklassen.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/what-impacted-
the-art-nouveau-movement-and-how-did-it-influence-design3.pdf
 References

❖ https://www.barcelonacheckin.com/en/r/barcelona_tourism_guide
/articles/casa-batllo-gaudi-inside-facade-roof
❖ https://casa-batllo.barcelona-tickets.com/casa-batllo-architecture
❖ https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/batllo-house/#la-casa-
batllc3b3-cocheras-y-carboneras
❖ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180525-what-art-nouveau-
can-teach-us-about-national-identity
❖ https://aboutartnouveau.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/art-
nouveau-in-history/
❖ https://www.ranker.com/review/hector-
guimard/1142861?ref=node_name&pos=12&l=115466
THANK YOU!