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Art History 101: Art Noveau
Sensuous curves, soft pastels, psychedelic lettering, bold, decisive lines, and alluring organic motifs.
No, we’re not quite back in the 60s just yet, but there’s no question that this next art movement helped inspire the iconic look of the Haight-Ashbury kids and disco queens alike. We can’t say we blame them: with this style’s swirling, curvy forms, and seductive flair, who wouldn’t want to get groovy?
Art Nouveau emerged in the latter half of the 19th century, riding on the coattails of the Impressionists’ staunch rejection of the Academy and seeking freedom from the uniformly industrial society that the world had grown accustomed to. Literally meaning “new art”, this talented group of eclectic artists, designers, and visionaries instantly began sending shockwaves throughout Europe and the Americas and spurred a movement that would have far-reaching influences on society even after its collapse.
This week we’re exploring the distinct work of the Art Nouveau movement, otherwise known as the Glasgow Style, Stile Liberty, & Jugendstil. We’ll talk you through the shift into this refreshing art style, the varied approaches, and the main characteristics of this captivating moment in art history.
So let’s cut the chit-chat and dive right in!
Origins of Art Nouveau
Art Historians disagree on exactly when this movement was born.
Some argue that the movement began in the delicate lines of Vincent van Gogh’s floral paintings. Others cite Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s bawdy two-dimensional Moulin Rouge posters.
What is clear is this movement’s distinct ties to the British Arts and Crafts style.
William Morris, “Strawberry Thief,” 1883 (Wikimedia Commons Public domain)
This particular movement emphasized a return to traditional craftsmanship and arts versus mass-produced and unoriginal goods. Artists and craftsmen working at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement were interested in living a more Arthurian lifestyle and often hinted at these desires in their art in ways that called back to medieval and romantic literary symbols.
Mary Cassat, “Maternal Caress,” 1891 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Another influence on Art Nouveau emerged with the forced reopening of Japanese ports to foreign trade. The 19th century was marked by a frenzy of fanatical enthusiasm for all things from the east, known today as Japonisme. Western artists grew increasingly more inspired by what they perceived as the “Japanese aesthetic”, including traditional woodblock printing. Both of these styles feature a shallow or nonexistent depth of field, a playful attitude about life and important subjects, and bold use of flat color.
What does Art Nouveau style art look like?
Architecture, goods, and art operating under the Art Nouveau movement share a few key details in common.
Artists of the Art Nouveau movement sought to create a new style of art inspired by the enticing colors and patterns found in nature. This desire emerged as a reaction to the modern world’s increasing reliance on mass-produced and often poor quality goods. Instead, these artists sought to entice consumers with unique designs bursting with character and a unique handmade quality that only skilled artisans could supply.
Frank Xavier Leyendecker, “The Flapper,” 1922 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Inspired by nature
Louis Comfort Tiffany, “Lotus Shade Tiffany Lamp,” by johnwilliamsphd is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
As the world grew increasingly industrialized, artists pushed back by drawing the bulk of their inspiration from the colors, forms, and styles they observed in nature.
Tiffany is famous for his lively and colorful stained glass windows, lamps, and vases that brought nature to the forefront of artistic expression. Many of his iridescent masterpieces feature interwoven tendril-like florals and layers of delicate flower petals emanating the newly mastered incandescent light.
Whiplash curves
Alphonse Mucha, “Sarah Bernhardt,” 1896 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Described best as an exaggerated ‘S’ curve, whiplash curves are hallmarks of the Art Nouveau movement. Artists, architects, and designers alike employed this seductive line into their designs to give movement and create a sense of flow or cohesion.
Whiplash curves can be seen in almost every artist of this period’s work and pop up again and again in everything from fine art, to graphic design, and even interior and exterior design.
Gustav Klimt, “University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings (Medicine), detail showing Hygieia,” 1900-7 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Pastel colors
Jules Chéret, “Casino de Paris poster,” 1891 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Compared to the dull shades found in Academic works of art, Art Nouveau paintings and prints captured the public’s attention instantly. Inspired by the desaturated shades found in Japanese ukiyo-e prints, European and American artists adopted softer flat colors to match with their simplified styles.
Flat colors, as opposed to complex shading or modeling, is the use of a single shade of color to give forms life and interest. Previously, the standard for color in art had been to carefully select an upwards of three adjacent shades in order to give the illusion of volume to works of art. This style of art often took hours of study to master, whereas flat colors were all but intuitive.
Artists who had previously been constrained by the stringent principles of the Academy could now profit from their experiments with color and abstract form. Skilled draftsmen like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jules Chéret immediately saw the demand for artists in advertisements and quickly turned their art into a profitable business, despite their exclusion from the traditional avenues of success in the art world.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, “La Passagère du 54 (Salon des Cent),” 1895/1896 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Elevation of craft
Aubrey Beardsley, “Peacock Skirt,” 1892 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
The distinction between art and craft has been a highly contested issue since the Renaissance.
Although this distinction had been previously determined by the Academy, The Art Nouveau movement marked the beginning of a change in this centuries-old debate.
Advancements in printmaking meant that accurate reprints of art and advertisements could be shared more easily than ever. Art suddenly became infinitely more accessible for everyone, blowing the market-wide open to collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Artists such as Aubrey Beardsley, Alphonse Mucha, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec all but effectively elevated what had once been considered craft (i.e.: advertising and illustration) into recognizable artforms. Their illustrations and prints garnered the public’s attention, allowing them to make full-time careers out of their art and a reputation for their talent.
Beautifying mundane objects
Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo, “Mahogany Chair,” ~1883 (Wikimedia Commons Public Domain)
Among the many cultural advancements inspired by Art Nouveau’s gradual rise was the creation of what would later become known as interior decor.
Beginning with the British Arts and Crafts movement a few years prior, designers began dreaming up ways to break the mold of mass-produced designs. These artists had to contend with an ever-complacent middle class who was all too happy to purchase the cheap, classical and baroque-inspired designs churned out by retailers.
These artists thought that they could entice consumers by making even the most mundane objects extraordinary beautiful. This philosophy carried over to all aspects of design, from windows to cutlery and chairs to buildings.
Many of Art Nouveau’s most prolific designers and architects’ works can still be admired throughout Europe, such as Hector Guimard’s Paris Métro entrances, Victor Horta’s many Belgian townhouses, Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Willow Tearooms, and the many awe-inspiring designs of Antoni Gaudí in Spain.
Influence of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was gradually replaced with Art Deco art and design, but both its influence and popularity have recurrently emerged throughout history.
Art Nouveau’s most noteworthy revival took place in the late 1960s and spanned throughout the Summer of Love. It’s here that we see concert posters, textiles, and design that’s highly reminiscent of Art Nouveau’s core aesthetic but with a more modern twist.
Steve Seymour, “Retinal Circus; Mar. 28, 1968,” by heritagevancouver is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Designers and artists reveled in the curvilinear illustrations and sensuous compositions that the Art Nouveau movement had to offer and combined the style with the supercharged and fluorescent color palette of their times. The resulting mix produced the iconic hippie look that we all know and love, or hate, today.
Want to explore artwork inspired by the Art Nouveau movement? Check out this list of canvas prints we think embody the alluring aesthetic of fin de siècle art.
Do you have an art movement you just can’t wait for us to cover? Let us know in the comments below!
Sources
https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-nouveau/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5WiG2K2gME
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