Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is slightly more than an art style, or a architectural style, for some people it is seen as more of a lifestyle. One that is eco friendly calm and peaceful. The word its self comes from the french language and means 'new art'. Art Nouveau aimed to get away from the academic art seen commonly through the 19th century and before. Noted academic artists include Sir Edward John Poynter, Albert Moore and Alexandre Cabanel. Art Nouveau was much more abstract and elegant. It was inspired by nature. The natural shapes made by growing plants and tree's. 

I found a quote on art nouveau although I cant find who it was spoken by but it sums up the subject perfectly. "Think of a sensuous line, of a flowing line, a line which bends and turns back on itself. Think of a feminine form, swirling and curving. Think of plant forms growing and flowering. Think of lines which seem not to confirm; think of waves, think of womans hair; think of twisting smoke. Think too of contured lines, lines which begin parallel but converge and actually contradict each other."

It was most popular at the very end of the 19th century through to the first few decades of the 20th century. Mainly in Europe but it did effect design across the world. Art Nouveau was not the styles original name, and it is called different things in different courtries but in 1895 German art dealer Siegfried Bing set up a gallery Maison de l'Art Nouveau (House of New Art) that was exclusively showcasing modern art. The gallery gained a lot of fame quite quickly and at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, he exhibited installations of modern furniture, tapestries and sculptures. The beautiful abstract curves became very popular and they were so heavily associated with the style that the name from his gallery became the name of they style that we hear of so commonly today.

It took a lot of influence from japanese work. Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters.

Famous artists from this time include Gustav Klimt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Koloman Moser, Koloman Moser, William Bradley, Aubrey Beardsley, Ernesto Basile and many more.



Here is a good example of art nouveau in architecture. You can see it especially on the cast iron bars which is a common thing that you see all over cities on and inside buildings even now. 

This is a poster designed by famous art nouveau artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. These colours are colours often used in art nouveau works. The beige and yellow, all light colours that work well together, nothing to gaudy and bold. 

This is a famous piece by Alphonse Mucha, a czech artist who was well known for his inclusion of woman in his work, often with long flowing hair and always looking beautiful.