Art Nouveau

A French term meaning - new art referring to a particular style. Architecture, commercial and decorative art, the style of painting and sculpture were the most popular styles during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It was the first style to stop looking backwards in history for ideas, taking inspiration instead from what you see around you especially in nature. It is an approach to design according to artists that they work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life.

Art Nouveau Architecture
Victor Horta's House

The characteristics of this style are sinuous, elongated, curvy lines, the whiplash line, vertical lines and height, stylised flowers, leaves, roots, buds and seedpods, the female form - in a Pre-Raphaelite pose with long flowing hair, exotic woods, marquetry, iridescent glass, silver and semi-precious stones.

Art Nouveau flourished in a number of European countires, many of which developed their own names for the style. Art Nouveau was known in France as Art Nouveau/Modern Style, in Italy as the Stile Liberty, in Britain it stayed the same as Art Nouveau, in Spain as Modernista, in Vienna as Sezessionstil and in Germany as Jugendtil.

Alphonse Mucha

Art Nouveau had its deepest influences on a variety of art and design movements that continued to explore integrated design including nature, arts and crafts, rococo, Celtic art, Japanese art, Egyptian art and Gothic revival.

Art Nouveau inspired by Japanese Art

In Art Nouveau you can say that artists were inspired from this style which then led them to create art in 3D dimensional form. Artists interpreted Art Nouveau in their own individual manner. Some artists related to Art Nouveau are:

• Charles Rennie Mackintosh - architect and designer of furniture and jewellery
• Alphonse Mucha - poster
• Aubrey Beardsley - book illustrations
• Louis Comfort Tiffany - lighting
• Rene Laliqué - glass and jewellery
• Emile Gallé - ceramics, glass and furniture
• Victor Horta - architect

Victor Horta, Tassel House, Brussels 1893-1894

Nature was a big inspiration of Art Nouveau, but not necessarily the most beautiful side of nature. Here, we can see that whiplash curves resemble vines to overtake the house and iron support columns are cast in the form of a stem or root that is bursting alive at the top.

Emile Gallé, "Libellule" vase, 1903

Glass was an important Art Nouveau medium with artists like Emile Gallé in France and Louis Comfort Tiffany in the United States. Glass was very effective for conveying the importance of Art Nouveau in 3D dimensional layers and varying from opaque to translucent.

Modern design influenced by Art Nouveau

The Art Nouveau Movement had a great influence on illustrators, artists and the printing trade in America including Art Nouveau revival in the post war 60s hippie period. Even today, some of the best features of Art Nouveau can be seen throughout the visual communication industry - like the painting of Marilyn Monroe for "Visages de Renom" by New York illustrator Les Katz or the works of Milton Glaser and his Push-Pin studio.

The Art Nouveau has been evaluated again and again in the last twenty years because of the rise of postmodernism. Artists all over the world are being inspired because of its interesting elements.These include sinuous lines, floral elements, the nature features and the characteristic colours.

Art Nouveau Artwork in The Grand Palais - Paris

Art Nouveau Furniture

Black Sea Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau in Riga

"Tropon" by Henry van de Velde (1898)

References:

The Art Story Foundation, 2013. Art Nouveau [online] available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm [accessed 3th November 2013]

BBC, 2013. Art Nouveau [online] available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_artnouveau.shtml [accessed 3th November 2013]

Apartment Therapy, 2013. Art Nouveau [online] available at: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/quick-history-art-nouveau-142976 [accessed 3th November 2013]

Boundary Space Ltd, 2011. Art Nouveau in Brussels [image online] available at: http://blog.boundaryspace.com/2013/03/art-nouveau-in-brussels/ [accessed 3th November 2013]

William Morris

William Morris was born in Walthamstow in 1834. In 1857 William Morris started to work as a professional painter which then in the 1860s, Morris started revolutionize the art of house decoration and furniture in England after founding the firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. The firm first specialized in providing stained glass and fittings for churches.

Morris & Co. grew into a flourishing and fashionable firm renowned for its wallpapers and textiles.

William Morris Illustration

William Morris was a leading member of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He is mostly known as a designer of patterns for wallpaper and textiles. Morris was also an artist, designer, printer, typographer, bookbinder, craftsman, poet, writer and champion of socialists' ideals.

William Morris Typography

He believed that the art and design of his own time was in poor quality. He felt that this was because of the poor life during the Industrial Revolution.

Morris believed that all design should be based on nature which he saw as the medication to the inferior standards of art and design during the Industrial Revolution. He also encouraged artists and designers to look back to medieval art for their inspiration.

As a designer, William Morris founded the Kelmscott Press to create such interesting books which are being made handmade. This would enhance the craft of printing to an art form.

References:

• Walker Greenbank PLC. The  Firm [online] Available at: http://www.william-morris.co.uk/index.aspx [accessed 2th November 2013]

• Petri Liukkonen, 2008. William Morris [online] Available at: http://kirjasto.sci.fi/wmorris.htm [accessed 2th November 2013]

The Great Exhibition - The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace is considered to be the first world's fair - The Great Exhibition of 1851.

This Exhibition took place in the Crystal Palace. It is known that this Great Exhibition was created by Prince Albert together with Henry Cole. The whole building was enormous with dimensions of 1,848 feet long and 408 feet wide.

The Crystal Palace has been originally designed by Sir Joseph Paxton. It had that Victorian Style. The building has been made with iron and prefabricated glass. After the Great Exhibition which got to an end in October 1851, Sir Joseph Paxton decided to move everything to Penge Place Estate, Sydenham as a 'Winter Park and Garden under Glass'.

Plan of the Crystal Palace

Countries had their exhibits. Countries included France, United States, Russia, Turkey and Egypt. Every country was divided into four main categories which included: raw materials, machinery, manufacturers and fine arts. Technology and moving machinery were popular especially working exhibits. Visitors could watch the cotton production from spinning to a finished cloth as well as scientific instruments which included microscopes, air pumps, barometers and others.

After the Great Exhibition closed, the Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham Hill in South London and was reconstructed. The Crystal Palace was reopened in June 1854 by Queen Victoria.

The palace and its grounds became the world's fair theme park including entertainment, a roller coaster, cricket matches and more. Not to forget to mention that there were also homes to displays, festivals, music and shows. The Crystal Palace was so popular that over 13,000 exhibits were displayed and it was viewed by millions of visitors. However, not to forget to mention that although that time the Crystal Palace was very popular, it fell into financial crisis and this building was spelt by a series of fire. In 1861, the building was damaged by strong winds which then in December 1866 a fire broke out and destroyed the North End of the building including many natural history exhibits.

The palace saw many successful years and millions of visitors; having said that, the Crystal Palace fell into some sort of financial problems. It was impossible to maintain because of its size which this led to its failure in 1911.

It was the night on 30th November 1936 when the palace was destroyed with fire. A small fire was escalated and a huge fire broke out across the building.

After the fire in 1936

Some of its original remains can still be seen today. These include terraces, sphinxes, set of stairs, remains of the aquarium and the huge bust of Sir Joseph Paxton.

The remains of the salt water aquarium, Crystal Palace

References:

• Artifice.Incs, 1994. Crystal Palace [online] Available at: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Crystal_Palace.html [accessed 29th October 2013]

• Victorian Station, 1999. The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace [online] Available at: http://www.victorianstation.com/palace.html [accessed 29th October 2013]

• BBC, 2008. Crystal Palace [image online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2004/07/27/history_feature.shtml [accessed 30th October 2013]