5 main CHARACTERISTICS of Art NOUVEAU

The Art Nouveau (1890–1905) It is an artistic movement that aimed to modernize design and create a new artistic language that escapes the eclecticism of other historical artistic styles. A movement that had many aspects, developing under other names, but aesthetic similarities. Thus, it was known as Art Nouveau in France, while in the United Kingdom it was known as Glasglow style, What Jugendstil in Germany, Secessionism in Austria, Libero or Liberty art in Italy and Modernism in Spain.

In this lesson from unPROFESOR.com we offer you a selection of the main characteristics of Art Nouveau and you can identify and analyze his most relevant works.

Index

1. What is the Art Nouveau style?
2. Most outstanding Art Nouveau features
3. Where Art Nouveau originates
4. Art Noveau in graphic arts
5. Art Nouveau architecture
6. What is Art Deco?

Art Nouveau is a cultural and artistic current that not only broke with the main artistic trends of late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.

He also modernized art and culture by introducing a strong taste for decoration and encompass its influence in all fields: painting, sculpture, literature, decoration, photography and design of jewelry, furniture and all kinds of objects.

Between the highlights of Art Nouveau they find each other:

• His main inspiration were the forms of nature, from organic to geometric shapes, creating natural designs in which the shapes of plants, flowers, stems and leaves abound.
• The line on color, opting for muted colors and neutral tones. Thus, in his works green, brown, yellow and blue tones prevail.
• The movement sought break away from the traditional hierarchy of the arts, who considered the so-called liberal arts, such as painting and sculpture, as superior to the decorative arts based on crafts.
• This desire to abandon the historical styles of the 19th century was joined by the rejection of industrial production and the idea that craftsmanship had lost quality and turned into this process of revitalization of crafts.
• Along the same lines, Art Nouveau artists wanted to subtract excess ornamentation in interiors and achieve that decor was more functional than ornamental. A legacy that would be picked up by later modernist movements such as the Bauhaus.

The traditional academic system, which dominated arts education from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, supported the belief widespread belief that media such as painting and sculpture were superior to crafts such as furniture design and smithy. Art Nouveau artists fought against this widespread belief, seeking to create "total works of art" or Gesamtkunstwerk, in which the exterior and interior design of the buildings was harmonized. In that process, Art Nouveau bridged the gap between fine arts and applied arts.

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The advent of Art Nouveau can be traced back to two influences different:

• The British Arts and Crafts movement (1880) was a reaction against the designs and compositions of the decorative art of the Victorian era.
• The japanese art, especially Japanese wood art. Some wood engravings which charmed numerous European artists between 1880 and 1890. Wood drawings of flowers, bulbs, and curved shapes were especially influential.

Experts often consider the Vincent Van Gogh paintings and Paul Gauguin as the first samples of Art Nouveau, also including the decorative lithographs Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. TO

Although perhaps the most unequivocal samples are the dust jacket of the English architect and designer Arthur Heygate for Wren's City Churches (1883).

Image: Slideshare

The omnipresence of Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century has its explanation in the use of many artists of popular and easily reproducible forms, taking them to the graphic arts. Thus, in both Germany and England, artists featured their works on book covers, exhibition catalogs, magazine advertisements, and posters.

In France, posters and graphic production Jules Chéret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Victor Prouvé, Théophile Steinlen and a few others popularized the lavish and decadent lifestyle of the belle epoque (1890-1914). In their graphic works they used new chromolithographic techniques to advertise all kinds of products, from new technologies such as telephones and electric lights to bars, restaurants, nightclubs and artists. Thus, Art Nouveau artists raised the advertising poster to a high artistic level.

The architecture is another of the basic pillars of Art Nouveau, leaving a great mark and influence on European culture. In urban centers such as Paris, Brussels, Glasgow, Turin, Barcelona, ​​Antwerp and Vienna, as well as in smaller cities, Art Nouveau had a huge impact and is still visible today both in small houses to large institutional buildings and commercial.

Many buildings incorporated excellent use of terracotta, wrought iron, stained glass and tiles. In many areas of Europe, stone and wood trim also characterized Art Nouveau residential architecture.

The buildings also included plant shapes as decoration in buildings such as the pavilions of the Universal Exposition of Paris in 1900, the Secession Building in Vienna, the Wainwright Building and the Chicago Stock Exchange.

Art Nouveau is also intimately associated with interior decoration, creating a harmonious and coherent atmosphere. The furniture design took center stage by manufacturing pieces for all uses: beds, armchairs, dining tables and chairs, cabinets, sideboards and chandeliers. It is known as Art deco.

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• Greenhalgh, P. (Ed.). (2000). Art Nouveau: 1890-1914. V & A Publications.
• Sembach, K. J. (2002). Art nouveau. Taschen.
• Howard, J. (1996). Art nouveau: international and national styles in Europe. Manchester University Press.