ART NOUVEAU (1890-1914)

Art Nouveau in French means ‘New Art’. It is a new style in the visual arts and architecture
that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the nineteenth century. It is an
international art movement and style of decoration and architecture.
BACK GROUND AND AIMS OF ART NOUVEAU
 Art Nouveau was mainly a response to the Industrial Revolution and an attempt to create
an international decorative style that was appropriate for the modern age: Artists fused
together elements of the new urban life with traditional spirituality, myth, and fantasy.

 An urban style was created to decorate the streets and interiors of modern industrial cities,
which had expanded rapidly during the last third of the 19th century and flourished in a
number of European countries like France (Hector Guimard) and Italy.

 Main aims of the movement were to:

(i) Replace the classical system of architecture and the decorative arts.
(ii) Eliminate the distinction between the major and minor arts.
(iii) Unify all arts.
INSPIRATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
 Art Nouveau draws its inspirations from:
(i) Arts and Crafts movement (William Morris)
(ii) Structural rationalism (developments in wrought iron technology)
(iii) Rococco (Japan)
 It is characterized particularly by the curvilinear depiction of leaves and flowers. These
might also be described as foliated forms, with sinuous lines, and non-geometric curves.
 Characteristic features of Art Nouveau buildings include:
(i) Asymmetrical shapes
(ii) Extensive use of arches and curved forms.
(iii) Curved glass and plant-like embellishments.
(iv) Mosaics and Stained glass.
(v) Japanese motifs.
IMPACT OF ART NOUVEAU
 It represents the beginning of modernism in design.
 It occurred at a time when mass-produced consumer goods began to fill the marketplace,
and designers, architects, and artists began to understand that the handcrafted work of
centuries past could be lost. So while reclaiming this craft tradition, art nouveau designers
simultaneously rejected traditional styles in favor of new, organic forms that emphasized
humanity's connection to nature.
 As art nouveau designers erased the barrier between fine arts and applied arts, they
applied goods design to all aspects of living—from architecture to silverware to painting.
In this integrated approach art nouveau had its deepest influence.
 Although the stylistic elements of art nouveau evolved into the simpler, streamlined
forms of modernism, the fundamental art nouveau concept of a thoroughly integrated
environment remains an important part of contemporary design.
FAMOUS ART NOUVEAU ARCHITECTS
1. Hector Guimard (Paris): he was the most prominent architect of French art nouveau
movement. He integrated the new decorative principles into a coherent architectural
style and pushed the analogy between metal structure and plant form which can clearly
be seen in the Paris metropolitan entrances that are structures made of iron and glass
carefully crafted into graceful organic forms.
2. Victor Horta (Brussels): He created a new style in Belgium, free from the historical
references of prevailing traditions. He utilized standard wrought iron and cast-iron
technology and employed it to create distinctly new forms. Horta’s Tassel House is the
first fully developed example of Art Nouveau architecture. In this building, he revealed
the structural column that supports the second floor and transformed its cast-iron form
into a plantlike stem that terminates in a burst of intertwined tendrils as it connects with
other structural elements.
3. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Glasgow): He proposed a revolution against the
Victorian style that dubbed the city with its geometric shapes and lines, in favour of
more curvatures and free lines of the Art Nouveau movement. He created buildings
notable for the elegance and clarity of their spatial concepts, the skillful exploitation of
natural and artificial lighting, and skillful detailing. His ideologies can be seen Glasgow
School of Arts and Willow Tea room.
4. Otto Wagner (Vienna): He broke free from the conventions and constraints of existing
Viennese art establishments by breaking down the barriers between art, design, and
craft. He was influenced by the geometry of the Glasgow school and the simplicity of
Japanese design. His works are characterized by a restrained linearity and elegance.
5. Antonio Gaudi (Spain): In his famous building Casa Mila, Gaudi created the illusion
of a limestone reef hollowed out by centuries of seawater. Floral designs cover the
building façade. Structure imitates irregular forms found in nature.