A LOOK AT

The Art Nouveau Style

exploring the style

Art Nouveau patterns were inspired by naturalistic and geometric patterns and produced appealing designs that merged fluid, organic shapes suggestive of plant branches and flowers.

important concepts

The desire to break away from 19th-century historic traditions was a primary driving reason behind the Art Nouveau movement’s modernism.

key aspects

Around 1880, the Art Nouveau style arose as a reaction to the cluttered motifs and compositions of Victorian-era artwork. The second influence was the Arts and Crafts movement from England.

exhibitions

The Tervueren Exhibition in Brussels, The Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889, and the Nancy International Exposition of 1909 all exhibited it significantly.

design concepts

The great appeal of the Art Nouveau period in the late 19th century can be ascribed in part to the use of easily reproduced graphic art forms by many artists.

architecture

Art Nouveau occurred in a wide range of architectural styles, most notably. Many structures make considerable use of terracotta and colorful tilework.

interior design

Art Nouveau interiors strove to create a coherent environment that made the most of every square inch. In this context, much emphasis was focused on furniture design.

paintings

Artwork from the period is hard to come across due to the paucity of Art Nouveau artists like Klimt and Prouvé, who was both an architect and an artist.

jewelry and glasswork

Art Nouveau’s penchant for luxury was used by some of history’s most well-known glassmakers. Emile Gallé, Jacques Gruber, and the Daum Brothers were all famed for their Art Nouveau glass.

death of art nouveau

Early in 1903, designers in Austria and Germany began to move away from Art Nouveau in favor of a more sparse, strictly geometric style.

important art nouveau artworks

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue (1891) Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

The Peacock Skirt (1892) Aubrey Beardsley

The Entrances to the Paris Metro (1900) Hector Guimard

Model #342, Wisteria Lamp (1905) Clara Driscoll

Hope, II (1908) Gustav Klimt

Park Güell (1914) Antoni Gaudí

IMPORTANT ART NOUVEAU ARTISTS

Émile Gallé (1846 – 1904)

Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848 – 1933)

Antoni Gaudí (1852 – 1926)

Victor Horta (1861 – 1947)